The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is working in partnership with the Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA) to build capacity in the use of educational media and technology for TVET in CAPA member institutions. Flexible Skills Development responds to 3 characteristics of African technical and vocational education and training (TVET):
- Expanding informal sector and shrinking wage employment opportunities
- Huge numbers of poorly educated, frustrated and unemployed youth who are ‘locked out’ of the formal skills training system
- Unequal training opportunities fostered by inequities based on geographical location, gender and socio-economic factors
In order to help TVET institutions respond to the reality of these challenges in their own communities, Flexible Skills Development (FSD) strengthens capacity to harness the potential of ICT in flexible and blended approaches to provide effective technical and vocational education and training. Working with 11 partner institutions in 6 countries, COL is supporting the application of open and distance learning approaches to TVET through the enhanced use of educational media and technology.
The OECD suggests that two thirds of the population of sub Saharan Africa is under 25 years and up to 90% of employment is in the informal economy (OECD 2009). This indicates a massive need for skills training for employment in the informal economy.
The challenge is that in most African countries the formal TVET system has been losing its identity due to low budget provision, inadequate infrastructure, out-dated materials and pedagogy (UNESCO-UNEVOC 2009). Formal TVET institutions need to become more efficient and responsive to the demands of the labour market.
The goal of Flexible Skills Development is to increase access to TVET for people working in, and young people destined for work in, the informal sector. To achieve this, the focus is in 4 areas:
- policy development, strategic and capacity planning
- organisational development including quality improvement
- ICT infrastructure management
- Course design and delivery through educational media and ICT
Through the application of readiness criteria, a baseline dataset was established against four dimensions: strategic, organisational, technical and pedagogic. Eleven institutions were selected on the basis of their readiness for new, flexible approaches to TVET delivery.
Institutional managers, administrators and teaching staff are participating in a series of capacity building activities which included online training, workshops and institutional visits. Through the COL Moodle Learning Management System (LMS), courses are offered in FSD for managers and policy makers and Flexible Teaching and Learning in TVET.
An online community of practice (flexibleskillsdevelopment.ning.com) has been established on a social networking platform. Through this platform, 300 members of the FSD community interact with each other, the COL Team and other invited TVET experts and are involved in discussion, collaboration and informal learning. COL has assisted partner institutions with managing their ICT infrastructure. An expert review was made of each institution and Principals are currently implementing the recommendations made in the report.
TVET Institutes and polytechnics involved in FSD are focusing on a range of institutional development activities to establish an effective flexible and blended approach to TVET programme provision in their own local and national context. These activities include: setting departmental and institutional targets for the introduction of new courses; engaging with national policy makers; enhancing existing technical infrastructure; staff development in the use of educational media and ICT for teaching and learning; market research and feasibility studies amongst their local communities; developing new short courses.
The move towards more flexible and blended approaches to skills development is a lengthy and challenging process involving continuing learning and application to establish what works in each individual institutional and national context.
- Open and Flexible TVET in the Pacific
- Development of distance learning materials for:
- Nurse education
- Educational media and technology for TVET