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From the desk of the CEO-February 2018 newsletter address

Sustainable Skills CEO, Nigel Carpenter, with Mary Jo Kakinda and Simon Peter Nangabo, Associate Consultants for the Uganda Project, Kampala, February 2018.

This is our first newsletter of 2018 and we hope you had a great Christmas and a fantastic celebration of the New Year. 2018 promises to be a big year for Sustainable Skills, with a number of strategic projects started in 2017 that we are confident will convert to business opportunities over the course of this year.

In late January, I travelled to Indonesia to visit the Ministry of Manpower’s BBPLK Polytechnic Bekasi, which is currently implementing a revitalisation plan with a strong focus on industry, and we hope Sustainable Skills will have the opportunity to help designing an efficient, industry-led vocational education system. During this trip I held a number of meetings with Indonesian government departments and organisations with the focus on developing TVET to improve skills outcomes and increase job opportunities. Indonesia wants to improve its TVET system. During March I will be visiting the site for a new TVET Centre of Excellence where we have been asked to advise on how the Centre of Excellence can improve TVET outcomes.

Between 5 and 8 February, I travelled to Cape Town to attend Mining Indaba, the World’s Largest Mining Investment Conference and the Largest Mining Event in Africa. For over 20 years, this event collected mining companies, investors and other stakeholders from around the world, and is dedicated to supporting education, career development, sustainable development, and other important causes in Africa.

Mining Indaba presented the opportunity to meet with international key stakeholders including governments, donors, organisations, mining companies, and delegations from Europe, America, Canada, Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, Ghana as well as the Intergovernmental Forum.

The second part of my trip to Africa brought me to Kenya to meet with representatives of the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, which is looking for support to build the capacity of 3000 local workforce.

In Nairobi I had the chance to meet with TVETA and discuss about the opportunity to help Kenya developing a world standard TVET education system based on industry engagement. Sustainable Skills is looking forward to helping the new Mining Institute’s Committee with the objective of developing TVET to ensure locals have the skills industry needs. This followed a meeting with the Director General of TVETA who is revitalising TVET which is based on Australia’s systems and frameworks.

I moved from Kenya to Ethiopia, where the growing population needs jobs and skills. I met with the Ministry of Education and TVET Institute and have helped develop plans to improve the knowledge of teachers and lecturers.
As for a number of countries in the area, Ethiopia’s TVET system is also based on Australia’s.

I took the opportunity of my trip to Africa to meet our Kampala based team of exceptionally-qualified local consultants who are delivering our Due Diligence and Technical Evaluation project for employer-led short term training to address prevailing skills imbalances and shortages in Uganda. We’re working with the Skills Development Facility and Private Sector Foundation Uganda with the project sponsored by the World Bank. Our local team is currently formed by Mary Jo Kakinda and Simon Peter Nangabo and will increase to 3, based in Kampala, within the next few weeks. In the “Meet the Team” section of this newsletter we are proud to introduce Mary Jo Kakinda, Associate Consultant for the project.

 

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Making TVET inclusive of persons with disabilities

Policy brief: Making TVET and skills systems inclusive of persons with disabilities

This document recently issued by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the U.N. agency based in Geneva that sets labour standards, develops policies and devises programmes promoting decent work for all, outlines the steps involved in making TVET and skills development systems accessible to persons with disabilities.

According to ILO, people with disabilities comprise 15 per cent of the global population and an estimated 785 million persons of working age. They represent a marginalized group in the labour market in all countries around the world, being far more likely to be unemployed or underemployed. Their labour market situation entails social and economic losses which have been estimated by the ILO to be between 3 and 7 per cent of GDP.

There is a urgent need to address the marginalization of people with disabilities in the labour market, and to take steps to reduce the significant social and economic cost this represents to individuals and society at large. TVET systems can play a crucial role in this process by enabling people with disabilities to acquire skills and qualifications required in the labour market and improve their employment prospects.

The inclusion of vocational education and training as explicit outcomes in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gives TVET and skills systems an unprecedented profile on the international stage. The SDGs include a target of ensuring equal access to vocational training at all levels for persons with disabilities along with other vulnerable groups (Target 4.5).

The policy brief outlines a number of actions to effectively promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in TVET programmes:

  • an enabling policy or strategy should be put in place mistaken assumptions about the abilities and capabilities of persons with disabilities should be challenged;
  • buildings and transport should be made accessible;
  • entry criteria, teaching methods, materials and evaluation methods should be reviewed and adapted;
  • TVET workforce capacity to teach trainees with disabilities alongside non-disabled trainees should be
    strengthened;
  •  operational alliances should be formed with key partners;
  • a system of on-going support to inclusion, including reasonable accommodation, should be developed;
  • the effectiveness of the policy or strategy should be regularly monitored and reviewed; and
  • resources should be allocated to make these changes
    possible.

The document provides best practices adopted by various countries to increase access to TVET for people with disabilities, including the Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Programme providing a range of assistance to support apprentices with disabilities, and the itinerant support teachers, with specialist expertise in areas such as hearing and/or vision impairment, early intervention, autism and behavioural disorders, can be provided in NSW to assist students with disabilities and their class teachers.

The Policy Brief Making TVET inclusive of persons with disabilities released by ILO is available here

 

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From the desk of the CEO-December 2017 newsletter address

Nigel Carpenter, Sustainable Skills CEO, introducing our organisation during a seminar in Jakarta on 14 December.

This has been a remarkable year for our organisation, beginning with the launch of our new  Sustainable Skills brand which is now recognised as a reputable TVET consultancy in a number of countries.

During the first part of the year we focussed entirely on exploring and developing new business opportunities across different areas including Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Uganda, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Myanmar. Alongside, we worked to build a team of highly qualified TVET consultants and recruit board directors able to reflect the new scope of our business across a broad range of industrial sectors worldwide.

The second part of the year saw us concentrating our resources on regions where Sustainable Skills expertise and background can effectively assist to build TVET systems able to meet the nation’s needs, like Indonesia and Myanmar.

Sustainable Skills has developed a strong position in Indonesia where an important reform of the vocational education system to support the needs of a rapidly emerging economy by improving the quality and competitiveness of his country’s human resources is a priority on the government agenda. This month, I had the pleasure of being invited by the Indonesian Ministry of Research, Technology
and Higher Education to present Sustainable Skills to a 4-hour seminar on the benefits of an industry-led TVET system in Jakarta. Over 40 polytechnics were invited from throughout the archipelago. The seminar was well received and good outcomes were achieved. In fact we’ve been asked to deliver a longer workshop in the new year. Indonesia recognises there’s a need to work more closely with industry so that
students are more likely to have the skills industry wants and therefore gain work.

In Myanmar  the Government has recently launched a new National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) aiming to establish an accessible, equitable and effective national education system over the next five years. The ultimate goal of this plan is to equip local students with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century and to enable them to fulfil their career and lifelong learning aspirations. Sustainable Skills can support the execution of the plan and assist with projects that increase the quality and supply of education and training places.

In July a significant milestone was achieved as we have been officially awarded a consultancy contract sponsored by the World Bank to address skills imbalances and shortages in Uganda. Client of the contract is the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and this is the first non Australian government contract in the history of Sustainable Skills/SkillsDMC. The first quarter of the project has seen the Sustainable Skills team of TVET experts working on the due diligence and capacity assessment stages and conducting a number of site visits to ensure that applicants supposed to deliver the skills training are fully capable of executing their responsibilities, especially regarding their facility, experience, and expertise.

We are at an early stage of our path and we are aware of the important challenges Sustainable Skills will face next year to achieve our goals. We believe the foundation we built so far are strong and promising and we’ll continue to manage the organisation doing everything we possibly can to succeed and contribute to build effective TVET systems worldwide.

I would like to thank the Sustainable Skills team for the commitment to the organisation during this challenging year, all our Board Directors for their support and trust, our Chair of the Board who has been instrumental to develop our current strategy, and all our stakeholders and partners who followed and supported us over the course of this year.

Sustainable Skills will shutdown operations over the Christmas and New Year period. Our last day of work will be Thursday 21st December and returning to work on Monday 15th January. The Sustainable Skills team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2018.

 

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From the desk of the CEO-November 2017 newsletter address

Nigel Carpenter, Sustainable Skills CEO, signing the declaration committing to implement an industry-led system. Jakarta, 14 November 2017.

On 14 November I had the pleasure of speaking at the Rembug Nasional seminar organised in Jakarta by IINC – The Indonesian Institute for National Competence, a not-for-profit organisation appointed to build the National Competency System (SKN) or “Siskomnas”. The seminar focussed on how to improve the quality and competitiveness of Indonesia’s human resources to increase the country’s productivity and help bring more of the population out of poverty.

There were speakers from BNSP, the Indonesian Professional Certifications Authority, Ministries of Manpower, Industry, and Bappenas, the central government institution responsible for formulating national development planning and budgeting, as well as for international development cooperation. Sustainable Skills was the only foreign organisation invited to attend the seminar, positioning our team as a well regarded advisor able to support Indonesia to meet its skills needs. I was invited by Pak Abdul Wahab Bangkona, Special Advisor for International Affairs of the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower, to deliver a speech about how an industry-led TVET system can help improve educational outcomes and drive productivity in Indonesia. At the end of the seminar I had the privilege to sign a declaration committing to implement an industry-led TVET system in Indonesia.

This month our Chair of the Board, Michael Gill, travelled to Myanmar to strengthen our partnership with local institutions. The Government recently released the Myanmar’s National Education Strategy Plan, which gives high priority to vocational education, reflecting the urgent need to improve the employment prospects of younger people and the gap in skills available to meet the nation’s needs. As Myanmar implements its strategy for education, Sustainable Skills aims to play a number of roles supporting the execution of the plan and assisting with projects that increase the quality and supply of education and training places.

The project in Uganda funded by the World Bank to address skills imbalances and shortages in the Country is progressing. Our team of exceptionally-qualified local and international TVET experts is currently designing a model of due diligence and capacity assessments to ensure that all material facts relevant to the funding decision have been revealed, and that all the organisations involved in the project are honest, reliable, and fully capable of executing their responsibilities under the grant agreements.

Since 23 November, Ben Rawlings is no longer working with Sustainable Skills. I would like to thank Ben for his contribution to the organisation over the past four years and particularly during the transition from SkillsDMC to Sustainable Skills. We wish Ben every success in life and in his future endeavors. We have now appointed Luke Behncke as the new Director International Development Services, who will start working with Sustainable Skills on the 4th of December. Luke has over 20 years’ experience in education and business development with a demonstrated history of working in vocational education and training across all industries in domestic and international markets, which will make him a valuable asset to Sustainable Skills. I am pleased to welcome Luke to the team and we look forward to working with him.

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Greening TVET: A Practical Guide for Institutions

Greening TVET: A Practical Guide for Institutions Released by UNESCO-UNEVOC

Environmental Issues represent one of the World’s most pressing challenges of our century. According to the Global Footprint Network, the Earth Overshoot Day, the date when humanity’s annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth can regenerate over the entire year, this year marked globally on August 2, the earliest it’s ever been. Industry can play a pivotal role to reduce the global carbon footprint and change the future of our Planet. This transition demands a change in the nature of work by ensuring workforces have skills and knowledge to support the new green economies and societies. TVET is crucial to support the transition to a low-carbon economy by preparing learners to face new expectations of the industry.

In light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), TVET underpins many of the proposed goals and the achievement of sustainable development. For example, Goals 4, 6 and 8 of the SDGs are directly related to TVET, with many of the targets capable of being supported by a well-designed TVET system and targeted skills-development interventions.

The “Greening TVET” guide, recently published by UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for TVET, outlines the main reasons to invest in greening TVET, including:

  • Greening TVET helps production to advance to more environmentally conscious practices,
  • A ‘green’ worker is a more employable worker; a ‘green’ workforce will enhance the profitability of the enterprise;
  • National governments need to seize the potential for job creation by providing skills needed in the new green sectors;
  • Disadvantaged groups in the labour market (young people, women, persons with disabilities, rural communities and other vulnerable groups) require targeted support to develop their potential knowledge and skills for green jobs.

The publication is designed to help leaders and practitioners of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) improving their understanding and implementation of education for sustainable development using a whole-institution approach to greening their institutions.

“Greening TVET” discusses four key steps:

  • STEP 1: Understanding the process
  • STEP 2: Planning for the greening of TVET
  • STEP 3: Implementing an Institutional Green Plan
  • STEP 4: Monitoring and Assessment Strategies

The Guide is available here

 

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From the desk of the CEO-October 2017 newsletter address

Nigel Carpenter, Sustainable Skills CEO, meeting with Dr. Paristiyanti Nurwardani, Director of Learning, and Hendra Suryanto, at the Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education this month in Jakarta.

Indonesia, Australia’s largest near neighbouring country, has been on a path of gradual reform for almost 20 years. In recent years, rapid economic development has created a shortage of skills in most industries.

The largest economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia – a diverse archipelago nation of more than 300 ethnic groups — has charted impressive economic growth since overcoming the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. The country’s GDP per capita has steadily risen, from $857 in the year 2000 to $3,603 in 2016. Today, Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation, the world’s 10th largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity, and a member of the G20.  An emerging middle-income country, Indonesia has made enormous gains in poverty reduction, cutting the poverty rate to more than half since 1999, to 10.9% in 2016.

Considerable challenges remain in achieving Indonesia’s goals. Out of a population of 252 million, more than 28 million Indonesians still live below the poverty line. Approximately 40% of the entire population remain vulnerable to falling into poverty, as their income hovers marginally above the national poverty line. 1.7 million youth enter the workforce each year.

To continue its economic expansion President Widodo started an infrastructure program to help bring more of the population out of poverty. The program aims to deliver enormous expansion in power generation, large investments in transport infrastructure and a series of new facilities at key ports. The program requires millions of skilled people that today are not available in Indonesia.

President Widodo instructed his Ministries last year to make vocational education reform a priority of the Indonesian Government to improve the quality and competitiveness of his country’s human resources.

Indonesia recognises that its existing vocational education and training system needs reform and reorientation towards an Industry-driven system. President Widodo said curriculum, learning materials, work practice, testing, and certification should be adjusted to meet the demands from the business world and industries. “I also think we have to involve the business world and industries because they have a better understanding about the needs of the workforce” President Jokowi said, adding that the system and demands of the business world and industries must be integrated in the vocational education and training system. The President also said the Government should ease regulations for the opening of private vocational schools.

President Jokowi believes Indonesia’s large population provides the opportunity to improve the country’s productivity yet if Indonesia fails to do so, the big population will potentially create problems.

Australia’s Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills Karen Andrews, during her visit to Jakarta earlier this year said, “Australia is well placed to support Indonesia achieve their skills objectives, drawing on our expertise right across the sector in industry-led, competency-based training, underpinned by excellent quality assurance measures”.

Australia’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, which is well regarded internationally, provides opportunities for Australia to support Indonesia to meet its skills needs. Australia’s industry-led, competency-based system provides a useful model for Indonesia to consider when planning reform.

The Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership (IA-CEPA) which will create the framework for a closer economic engagement between Australia and Indonesia includes discussions on how Australia might be able to build the capacity of Indonesia’s vocational education system.

Indonesia’s challenge is to develop a vocational education industry-led system that supports the needs of a rapidly emerging economy heading towards high income status. Indonesia needs to focus on improving the quality, widening participation and improving efficiency of its vocational education system. Reforms that develop an industry-led competency based modular system as demonstrated in a number of countries, including Australia, will provide the best means to help Indonesians gain employment and benefit from the massive infrastructure program Indonesia is implementing.

 

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Global Trends in TVET

Global Trends in TVET: A Framework for Social Justice

“The Global Trends in TVET: a framework for social justice” report has been officially launched in Australia on 20 October 2017 at the “The future of public TAFE institutions – new social policy” conference organised in Sydney by the Australian Education Union (AEU). The report was commissioned in 2016 by Education International, the world’s largest Global Union Federation based in Brussels that represents organisations of teachers and other education employees.

The research aims to contribute to the discussion about the role of vocational education in supporting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 which commits the international community to ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’.

According to the authors, Leesa Wheelahan and Gavin Moodie: “Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) can help engender tolerance, reduce racism and increase the development of an inclusive society and acceptance of change. Vocational education’s role is all the more important for individuals, groups and societies who suffer the most economic and social disadvantage and are most vulnerable.”

What is this research about:

  1. This paper presents a conceptual framework to understand the ways students transition from vocational education to the labour market is affected by different social, economic, labour market and educational systems. This includes explanations as to why vocational education has a relatively low status in many countries, and the way in which the structures of the labour market affect demand for vocational education graduates.
  2. It shows the unequal access to vocational education in high, medium and low income countries.
  3. It demonstrates the negative impact of human capital policies that seek to marketise vocational education based on narrow instrumental models of curriculum that do not support broader development of individuals, communities and nations.
  4. It argues for a social justice framework for vocational education based on the capabilities approach as developed by the Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and the philosopher Martha Nussbaum.
  5. It suggests a program of research for Education International to deepen understandings about vocational education in different contexts. The aim of the research would be to support policy development and to strengthen the role that vocational education teachers and publicly funded vocational education
    institutions can play in supporting social justice and sustainable social and economic development.

The Summary is available here

The full report is available here

 

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From Shanghai to Tangshan: The Vital Role of TVET

Last month, China hosted in Tangshan the “Skills on the move: global trends, local resonances” international conference attended by more than 500 participants from 70 countries. The event, co-organised by UNESCO, the PRC Government and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, analysed the current skills development scenario in the context of the SDG agenda, and highlighted global trends within TVET five years after the Third International Congress in Shanghai (2012) which resulted in the Shanghai Consensus document, a roadmap to enhance Technical and Vocational Education and Training and ensure a sustainable and inclusive development for each country.

Main outcome of the congress is a statement document updating the Shanghai Consensus by reviewing major trends and policy developments in TVET over the past five years.

The new document, “From Shanghai to Tangshan. Shanghai Consensus updated: working together to achieve the Education 2030 agenda”, focuses on four key areas:

  1. Anticipating and assessing skills needs by using labor market intelligence, partnerships and assessment techniques;
  2. Developing skills for all  to ensure inclusive, quality and relevant skills development opportunities;
  3. Making skills and qualifications more transparent and better recognized;
  4. Contributing to a better use of skills in the world of work and supporting entrepreneurship.

The document recognises the critical role  of international cooperation to achieve TVET-related targets included in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and advocates for the promotion of youth employment and entrepreneurship; equity and gender equality; and the transition to green economies and sustainable societies.

Sources: 

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Uganda project update

Last month Sustainable Skills has been officially awarded a consultancy contract sponsored by the World Bank to address skills imbalances and shortages in Uganda. Client of the contract is the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and this is the first non Australian government contract in the history of Sustainable Skills/SkillsDMC.

The Government of Uganda received credit from the World Bank towards implementation of the Uganda Competitive Fund for employer-led short-term training which is part of the Uganda Skills Development Project (USDP) aimed to address prevailing skills imbalances and shortages in Uganda. An important element of the initiative is to facilitate collaboration between training providers and industry to promote demand driven skills development with special attention to innovative modes of training.

The grant component of USDP aims at:

  • supporting training activities that lead to improved productivity and competitiveness in the formal and informal sectors, hereby creating new income opportunities,
  • providing funding primarily for the improvement of the quality and relevance of existing skills systems,
  • prioritising innovative new approaches to skills development with special attention to micro and small enterprises.

The first stage of the project now officially commenced under the guidance of Peter Merckx as the leader of our TVET experts team. Originally from Belgium, Peter lives in Nairobi and has more than 30 years’ experience working as education expert and consultant, particularly in Kenya and Uganda. He was involved in long and short term assignment to strengthen teacher education and support systems in different African countries, and assisted Ministries of education in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana in building the capacity to develop frameworks for continuous professional development of teachers, trainers and education managers. Peter will be in Uganda next week to work with the Skills Development Facility and a representative from the World Bank.

The rest of the team comprises Lisa Giammarco, as the Senior Consultant, and Simon Nangabo and Mary Jo Kakinda as Associate Consultants. Between 31 July and 8 August, they travelled to Kampala to conduct the first of the site visits, start the activities, and work with the Skills Development Facility team on processes and documentation. The initial feedback has been really positive and the team is looking forward to getting into the routine of the project.

 

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ILO-WTO book: Investing in Skills for Inclusive Trade

ILO and WTO have recently co-published the book: “Investing in Skills for Inclusive Trade” focused on the linkages between trade and skills and between trade and skills development policies. The publication has been presented on 4 July during a conference at the WTO headquarter in Geneva by Roberto Azevêdo and Guy Ryder, respectively WTO and ILO Director-General.

According to the study, national skills development systems able to match skills supply to demand are crucial to improve each country’s competitive position in the current global economy scenario and to support inclusive development. Enhancing the skills of a country’s workforce lifts the export performance of its enterprises and better prepares them to meet foreign competition in the domestic market.

The authors outline that addressing the need for developing a more competitive workforce is a long-term process. Continuing education and training at universities, in TVET, and on-the-job training can help workers and managers cope with the big changes in demand for skills which are in varying degrees triggered by globalization. In support to these arguments, the book shows evidence of a range of policy approaches which have helped countries in responding effectively to these challenges.

Major concepts expressed in the book by WTO and ILO economists include:

  • Skills development is key to more inclusive trade
  • The level and composition of skills in a country affect its participation in trade
  • Trade affects the demand for skills in several ways
  • Trade affects the wage distribution by increasing the returns to skills
  • An appropriate skills supply increases gains from trade and improves their distribution
  • Available responses

As a key stakeholder in the Australian TVET sector and as a consultant to the TVET authorities of a number of African and Asian countries, Sustainable Skills has extensive experience supporting Governments and Industry to build effective TVET systems able to match skills supply to demand and to ensure each country’s inclusive economical and social development.

Click here to read more about the book presentation

Download the Executive summary

Download the full book “Investing in Skills for Inclusive Trade”

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