By Robert Okinda, Adviser: Skills, COL
Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is changing. In recent international discussions on education and training, one shift stands out: TVET is moving from institution-based, rigid training systems towards more flexible and digital ecosystems that place learners at their centre.
A scan of websites, reports and social media activity suggests that sector-specific TVET initiatives remain underrepresented in conversations on open learning. Persistent gaps also remain in how openness is applied, recognised and communicated in skills development.
Against this backdrop, Zambia’s Open TVET Expo shared some of the latest insights on scaling Open TVET. Held in November 2025 at the Technical and Vocational Teachers College (TVTC) in Luanshya, the Expo, titled “Policy in Practice: Collaboration Pathways for Open TVET”, brought together more than 80 policymakers, regulators and practitioners from 21 institutions to explore how open and blended approaches can strengthen national skills systems.
The gathering highlighted shared priorities in expanding access, improving quality and accelerating reform through collaboration. Opening remarks from Dr Brilliant Habeenzu, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Technology and Science, Zambia, and Austin Zimba, Deputy Mayor of Luanshya, spoke to the importance of blended learning and the role of TVTC in advancing Zambia’s TVET transformation.
COL believes Open TVET is a practical response to support equity, relevance and resilience, and considers Zambia’s experience a case study in how policy ambitions can shape more flexible and learner-centred skills systems.
Bridging policy, regulation and collaborative practice
A key message that emerged from the Expo was that Open TVET succeeds when policy, regulation and practice are deliberately aligned.
In my presentation on blended TVET in Commonwealth contexts, I explained how COL supports the institutionalisation of blended TVET through a systems approach focused on access, quality, affordability and labour-market fit.
Serumu Igberadja of the International Vocational Education and Training Association and Nicholas Ouma of the African Union Commission reinforced this focus in their presentations, positioning collaboration as essential to building inclusive, industry-responsive skills systems that respond to the realities of industrialisation, youth employment and digital competition.
Translating policy into measurable outcomes and informed decisions
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is another core mechanism that emerged in support of the successful implementation and impact of Open TVET policies. In 2025, Zambia’s Ministry of Technology and Science (MoTS) developed and implemented a national M&E framework to support this work.
According to Gabriel Konayuma, Principal TEVET Officer at MoTS, the framework has already demonstrated early gains in the increased use of learning management systems and improved reporting capacity. It has translated policy into measurable results, supporting expanded access, improved quality, reduced costs and stronger accountability.
Within an evolving skills landscape marked by digital transformation and changing workforce demands, the framework has enabled Zambia to identify new priorities for strengthening institutional M&E, digital infrastructure, and national data on open, distance and flexible learning (ODFL).
From regulation to results: Ensuring quality and standards
As Open TVET expands, regulation is critical to building public trust and supporting scale. High-quality standards and accreditation mechanisms, along with curriculum reform and strengthened institutional capacity, can support innovation, safeguard quality and increase labour-market confidence among learners.
With support from COL, the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) in Zambia implemented national ODFL Standards in 2025, providing a framework for accrediting flexible and blended provision. TEVETA officials emphasised the need for clear standards and robust accreditation tools to make delivery models more flexible while maintaining quality.
At TVTC, curriculum reforms integrated competency-based training and blended delivery into TVET programmes, with new occupational standards and curriculum packages signalling the shift from policy to practice. These reforms are linked to Zambia’s Digital Transformation Strategy and Vision 2030. They emphasise digital tools for future-ready skills and the importance of equipping master trainers with blended TVET delivery capacities.
Making Open TVET sustainable and affordable
The discussions also highlighted the importance of practical institutional strategies for sustainability, inclusion, flexibility and scale. For Open TVET to move beyond pilots and isolated innovation, institutions need models that are not only pedagogically sound but also financially viable and manageable over time.
Drawing on COL’s business case models, Professor Santosh Panda emphasised the value of integrating costing and financing into blended TVET design from the outset. This helps institutions understand what open and blended delivery requires, where efficiencies can be gained and how programmes can remain affordable without compromising quality.
Technology-enabled innovation was also central. Presentations on AI, virtual labs and assistive technologies demonstrated how digital tools can improve learning quality and accessibility while reducing some of the constraints linked to physical infrastructure, equipment and location. Open educational resources, recognition of prior learning and micro-credentials further illustrated how openness can reduce costs, widen participation and support the development of stackable, labour-market-responsive skills.
Practical enablers, such as reliable connectivity, functional learning management systems and digital career guidance, further show that Open TVET is not simply about putting courses online. Open TVET is about creating a more flexible skills system that gives learners more choices, helps institutions use resources more effectively and strengthens alignment with labour-market needs.
Scaling Open TVET reform
Zambia’s Open TVET experience shows that meaningful reform occurs when policy, regulation and institutional practice align around clear outcomes. By connecting monitoring, accreditation, curriculum reform, capacity-building and blended competency-based training, Zambia serves as a model for other countries in the Commonwealth looking to scale openness in skills development.
For learners, Open TVET can create more flexible employment pathways, especially for those who may not be able to access full-time, campus-based training. At the system level, Open TVET can help countries respond more quickly to changing skills needs, strengthening national productivity and resilience. When supported by clear standards, reliable data, trained practitioners and sustainable financing models, open and blended approaches can strengthen national capacity and make skills systems more responsive to industry and community needs.
Zambia’s experience also loops back to the wider shift taking place in TVET globally. As training systems move towards more flexible, digital and learner-centred ecosystems, the challenge is not only to introduce new tools or delivery models, but to build the policies, standards, partnerships and institutional capacities that allow them to work at scale.
