Issue 21

The Role of Excellence in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

Editorial Issue 21: The Role of Excellence in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

by Chee Sern Lai, Niwat Moonpa, Songheang Ai, Tze Kiong Tee

Excellence in education can have different forms and definitions: while some understand vocational excellence as synonymous with high-quality TVET, others see excellence in providing learners with skills and abilities which guarantee employment through their labour market relevance. Excellence can also be achieved by adapting TVET programmes to current megatrends such as digitalization, Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence and environmental sustainability. Another definition might include the role of vocational excellence for achieving resilience of TVET systems vis-à-vis societal challenges, such as the demographic transition, migration or unemployment. In order for excellent TVET providers to address these challenges, one needs to find out how to identify and promote the drivers of vocational excellence.

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About TVET@Asia

TVET@Asia is an open content online journal for scientists and practitioners in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Vocational Teacher Education (VTE) in the East and Southeast- Asian region.

Its main purpose is to provide access to peer reviewed papers and thus to enhance the dissemination of relevant content and the initiation of open discussions within the TVET community.

Learn more about TVET@Asia

Can Vocational Education and Training Centres reduce Turkey’s Not in Education, Employment, or Training rate?

by Hasan Caglayan Dundar

This article explores the role of Vocational Education and Training (VET) centres in reducing Turkey’s high NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) rate among young people aged 15-29. Turkey’s NEET rate, which was 28.7% in 2021, is significantly higher than the OECD average of 14.5% in 2021. Despite the presence of 4,581 VET institutions in the 2019-2020 academic year, there is still a need for expansion and quality improvement to meet the increasing demand for skilled labour. To ensure VET centres contribute effectively to reducing the NEET rate, the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) considers various strategies, such as strengthening collaboration with industry, improving the public image of vocational education, increasing investment in VET centres, fostering connections with employers, and updating curricula.

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Networking for Vocational Excellence: An International Network of Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs)

by J. Manuel Galvin Arribas

The European Training Foundation’s (ETF) Network for Excellence (ENE), kickstarted at the end of 2020. ENE has been well received, consolidated, expanded and (2021-2023) by international Vocational Education and Training (VET) communities working towards excellence. ENE is currently composed of 265 Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) from more than 40 countries around the world. Up to now, ENE is a unique international platform addressing Vocational Excellence for sharing CoVEs practices, peer-to peer learning among practitioners, building synergies to forge partnerships among its members (etc.). ENE aims to share knowledge and experience to help CoVEs to develop and improve through international policy learning and, perhaps, transform the ETF experience of policy dialogue and advice in some countries. The ETF’s Network for Excellence (ENE) is inspired by the European Commission-led initiative in EU countries.

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Designing a model of strategic partnership between the vocational skills development system and industry: case study in Vietnam

by Vi Hoang Dang, Thanh Thuy Nguyen | Issue 21

The relationship between Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) providers and industry is a crucial component of skills development training programmes. This study aims to explore the multifaceted nature of this relationship in Vietnam using an explanatory sequential design. The initial phase involved a questionnaire administered to 162 manufacturing company managers, followed by semi-structured interviews with 36 selected managers. Additionally, interviews were conducted with 18 TVET provider managers, 6 policy makers, and 7 association representatives, providing a comprehensive perspective.

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Iran TVET System – new reforms to boost coordination

by Soleiman Pakseresht | Issue 21

The skills training system in Iran lacks coordination between stakeholders and its official, informal, and non-formal subsystems. Parliament approved the Comprehensive System of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act (CSTVET) in October 2017, and the High Council of TVET was established in 2019 to improve technical and vocational training governance by coordinating its formal, informal, and non-formal subsystems and skills training suppliers and demanders. The new coordination system relies on the TVET High Council’s leadership and the Ministry of Cooperative, Labour, and Social Welfare as the High Council’s secretariat. This article examines the challenges posed by the model of coordination established by the CSTEVET Act and embodied in the structure and functions of the High Council.

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Analyzing vocational excellence: a research-based model

by Mervi Jansson, Anna Lager | Issue 21

Excellence is at the heart of developing the quality and image of vocational education and training. In the context of TVET, excellence is understood in a variety of ways. A tangible VET excellence model which helps to unfold the complexity of the concept is needed to support practitioners and policymakers, as well as to facilitate the meaningful dissemination of good practices.

Based on previous research and our consultancy work within the Finnish TVET ecosystem, and as a technical partner to the European Training Foundation, we have developed a model for analyzing excellence. Our model includes horizontal layers (infrastructure, human resources, pedagogical landscape, systems and processes and stakeholder collaboration) laced with vertical “megatrend” dimensions of excellence: innovation, greening and digitalization. While horizontal layers can typically be developed on a stand-alone basis, the verticals tend to impact all the horizontal layers.

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Exploring Instructional Practices of Cambodian TVET Instructors

by Songheang Ai, Vorn Tim

Instructional practice plays a key role in accelerating the pace of transformative change in the institute. However, instructors’ competencies in harnessing the essence of curricula and academic guidelines are hindered. The aim of the study is to identify the key themes of instructional practices of instructors who are currently lecturing typical trades at the institute from one schooling year. 87 students studying certain trades were asked to fill out the paper-based questionnaire voluntarily. The 22-item questionnaire used the Likert-type five-point scale for participants’ ratings.

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