An International TVET Programme Development by the International Baccalaureate Organization

Abstract

The success of the curriculum models developed by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), addressing the academic needs of students in the 3 to 19 age range, is now well known. IBO programmes, and specifically the two-year pre-university Diploma Programme, grew out of international schools’ efforts to establish a common curriculum and university entry credential for geographically mobile students. International educators were also motivated by an idealistic vision: they hoped that a shared academic experience emphasizing critical thinking and exposure to a variety of points of view would encourage intercultural understanding and acceptance of others by young people. The IBO has grown rapidly and now provides, through the medium of three working languages (English, French and Spanish), three related programmes that represent an educational continuum for students from 3 to 19 years of age: the Primary Years Programme (PYP, for ages 3 to 11/12), the Middle Years Programme (MYP, for ages 11/12 to 16) and the Diploma Programme (for students aged 16 to 19). The last is designed as a two-year academic preparation for university. A great deal of interest has recently been raised by those reviewing curricular provision in some national systems, as well as in the private sector, in adapting the IBO’s educational models and principles for technical and vocational education, particularly at the upper secondary level. In collaboration with some authorized schools and partner institutions the IBO has now embarked on the development of a framework of international education that will incorporate the vision and educational principles of the IBO into local programmes that address the needs of students engaged in technical and vocational education.