High Impact Tourism Training (HITT) Programme in Nepal

Vocational and business training to improve women's labour market outcomes in low‐ and middle‐income countries: a systematic review

Purpose: To explore barriers and pathways to the inclusion of persons with mental and intellectual disabilities in technical and vocational education and training programmes in four East African countries, in order to pave the way to greater inclusion.Materials and methods: An explorative, qualitative study including 10 in-depth interviews and a group discussion was conducted with coordinators of different programmes in four East African countries. Two independent researchers coded the interviews inductively using Atlas.ti. The underlying framework used is the culture, structure, and practice model.Results: Barriers and pathways to inclusion were found in the three interrelated components of the model. They are mutually reinforcing and are thus not independent of one another. Barriers regarding culture include negative attitudes towards persons with mental illnesses, structural barriers relate to exclusion from primary school, rigid curricula and untrained teachers and unclear policies. Culture and structure hence severely hinder a practice of including persons with mental disabilities in technical and vocational education and training programmes. Pathways suggested are aiming for a clearer policy, more flexible curricula, improved teacher training and more inclusive attitudes.Conclusions: In order to overcome the identified complex barriers, systemic changes are necessary. Suggested pathways for programme coordinators serve as a starting point.Implications for rehabilitationClear and up-to-date information on mental disability is required to engender societal participation; especially that of stakeholders in technical and vocational education and training programmes.Affirmative action and policy implementations of national and international human rights legislations are required to address the challenges of enrolment in technical and vocational education and training programmes.Disability organisations and government should adopt a more open and strengths-based attitude, tailor-made curricula, specific teacher training as well as clearer policies to ensure better inclusion of persons with mental disabilities in technical and vocational education and training programmes.

The major thrust of technical and vocational education (TVE) worldwide is to address issues of youth unemployment, poverty and international competitiveness in skills development towards current and projected opportunities and challenges. The paper posits that despite the evidence of numerous reforms in vocational and technical education programs over the years, they still remain greatly detested by students and parents in Nigeria as evidenced in low enrolment when compared with sciences, engineering, banking and finance, and medicine just to mention but a few. This may be because of lack of understanding of the importance, scope and content of the program or lack of occupational information. Some wrongly view technical and vocational education programs as education for the handicapped or education for those who cannot cope with the sciences and social sciences. This paper therefore, examines the factors responsible for low enrolment into technical and vocational education programs, its implications for Nigeria and suggests how career education and effective occupational information service can help to stem this trend. It is recommended that career education should be used to create the necessary career awareness and occupation information made readily to students to enable them make informed career choices.

PROTOCOL: Post‐basic Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Interventions to Improve Employability and Employment of TVET Graduates in Low‐ and Middle‐income Countries

Trained and technically equipped human resources are the nations’ assets and an essential requirement for sustainable national development. The skilled labor force required for the industrial revolution can never be undermined while it can be used as a powerful weapon for poverty reduction. Women presenting almost half of the world population can be economically empowered through vocational and technical training and the fifth sustainable development goal “achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls with disabilities” can be achieved through this training. Different vocational and technical training programs have been proven to produce technically skilled human resources in different developing countries. However, such programs also have the limitations of accommodating a high percent of trainees in jobs or self-employment. The study aimed to sort out the determinants of these training programs’ low success rates in Sindh province of Pakistan. A total of 128 surveys were filled from randomly selected women who have completed their trainings in the last two years. Data were analyzed through cross-tabulation analysis on SPSS and AMOS. It is used to establish the relationship between training trades and employability, age group and employability and income group of the beneficiaries’ households, and their employability after completing the different technical and vocational training pieces. Results showed that around 35% of the selected women were ever employed after getting the training while significant relationships among the variables also resulted. It has been proven that the importance of technical and vocational training programs cannot be falsified. However, proper selection criteria must be followed, and only severe and needy beneficiaries should be selected through proper assessment. Need assessments for the training programs should be carried out while efforts for achieving employment as an outcome of such training programs are mandatory.

Unemployment has been a long-standing problem in many countries, including the Philippines, and the recent pandemic even worsened the economic conditions of Filipinos with a large part of the population losing their jobs. One way to create more platforms that will enable the employability of the population is through the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) program, whose goal is to produce middle- and high-skilled graduates ready to take on the demands of the rapidly changing economy. With the current gender gap in terms of employment, this study focuses on the employment status of female graduates of TVET and the possible factors that influence the employment of Filipino female TVET graduates were determined. The survey data collected by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in 2018 for their employability study of 2017 women TVET graduates was utilized in this study. Binary Firth logistic regression models were fitted on subpopulations of TVET female graduates who were employed before and after training. Results have shown a significant increase in the proportion of employed women after graduation, which was indicated in the estimates before and after the training. Among the unemployed Filipino female before the training, more than half of them (52%) were employed after the training. Age, education, region, and reasons for taking up a program showed to be determinants of the employability of female TVET graduates. The factors that hinder women from entering employment despite their TVET training is the primacy of their household and family duties. Their choice or nature of programs shows that women take stereotypical roles associated with women, an issue that is still present today because of prevailing traditional gender norms. With the huge decline in economic activities brought by the pandemic, the results of this study will be particularly important in creating more and better employment opportunities for Filipino women.

This research work examined the Parental and Learner Factors Affecting Teaching of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Programmes in Tertiary Institutions. TVET is an education that gives individuals the skills to live, learn and work as a productive citizen in a global society. The study was guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The population of the study is 589 which comprised all the TVET lecturers from the thirteen colleges of education in North-west, Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the two technical colleges of education from the thirteen colleges of education. 161 TVET lecturers from the two colleges of education selected, participated in the study. A questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. The findings revealed that poor attitudes of parents and low Interest of the learner to learn TVET with mean score of 3.4 and 3.7 respectively are key factors affecting teaching of TVET programmes in Tertiary Institutions. It was concluded that students’ interest need to be sustained in vocational technical subjects. The study recommended that successful entrepreneurs in all areas of technical and vocational education should be invited to give career-talks and serve as role models to create awareness to students.

Flexible workplace practices supported by collaborative institutional and industrial partnerships, together with the successful implementation of innovative training programmes, have enabled the bridging of skill gaps through Malaysian Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes. This initiative contributes to lowering Malaysia’s unemployment rate by training learners in competencies through real-world industrial settings. TVET fosters the development of globally accepted skilled human capital within formal, non-formal, and informal learning environments, adapting to the digital revolution that is transforming human lifestyles, work practices, and communication. As Malaysia advances from Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) toward Industrial Revolution 5.0 (IR 5.0), skilled workers become critical in accelerating national economic growth. Hence, transforming TVET with national and international credentials is essential to produce a holistic, globally competitive workforce aligned with the National Educational Philosophy. Recognising talent development prepares learners with employability skills, while integration of computer technology enhances innovative teaching and learning. Artificial Intelligence (AI), central to digitalisation in various industries, reshapes global talent development and workforce competencies. Automation and robotics are gradually replacing the human workforce, highlighting the importance of integrating AI into TVET education. This promotes engagement with critical competencies needed for employment and daily routines. Based on this conceptual review paper, this study identifies the roles, strategies, and barriers of AI and talent development within Malaysia’s TVET programmes in the IR 4.0 context. It recommends further research to design a framework for integrating AI skills into talent development through TVET.

ABSTRACTObtaining formal education is associated with a decreased risk of HIV transmission among youth in sub-Saharan Africa. However, little is known about the role vocational skills training programs may have on risk behaviors linked to HIV transmission among vulnerable youth in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined the characteristics and risk behaviors among vulnerable youth who receive vocational skills training by a community-based organization. Empirical analyses were conducted using a cross-sectional survey administered in 2014 to youth (ages 12–18 years) in the slums of Kampala (n = 1,134). Five multivariable logistic regression models were computed to determine the association between participating in a vocational training program and self-reported risk behaviors pertaining to alcohol use, lack of condom use, sex with multiple partners, and transactional sex. In our study, 29.6% of youth attended a vocational training program. Our findings show that youth who participated in vocational training were more likely to report often feeling hopeful (AOR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1, 3.0) and less likely to report alcohol use (AOR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.7) than those not attending vocational training programs, in multivariable analyses. Overall, findings varied for males and females. These findings, while preliminary, indicate that self-reported behaviors associated with risk for HIV transmission vary in some respects for youth participating in vocational training versus those who do not. However, additional research is needed, as are evaluations of the benefits and potential impact of vocational training in both the short and long-term for vulnerable youth in resource-poor settings and with limited access to formal education.

Technical and vocational education and training programs as a form of peace education are examined in this paper. It explores the notion of educating for a culture of peace through refocusing technical and vocational education and training programs on sustainable community development in the Solomon Islands. It further highlights the policy and practice mechanisms that contribute to advancing technical and vocational education and training as a peace education initiative. As a model of the applicability of the program as a form of peace education, the discussion describes a technical and vocational education and training centre in the Solomon Islands that has engaged in post-conflict livelihood projects – bringing about healing and restoration and creating the culture of peace. This is a practical and comprehensive model to peace education that extends beyond the centre and embraces the culture of peace in the community as a whole. The implications point to technical and vocational education and training as a means to achieve co-existence. Technical and vocational education and training as a form of peace education is capable of training people for a productive livelihood, creating a sense of national identity and unity, rehabilitating former militants and moving training programs outside the walls of the institutions. As a result, the pedagogy of technical and vocational education and training as a form of peace education is largely based on learning by doing which incorporates a number of peace activities.

This systematic literature review identifies women's leadership empowerment through various Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes. Women in leadership positions offer numerous advantages and play a crucial role in achieving gender equality and fostering a more inclusive and prosperous society. 20 articles based on qualitative and quantitative research from prominent research platforms such as Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journal (DOAJ), and Google Scholar were analysed using PRISMA guidelines. The review determines nine training programme domains and their impact on the development of women's leadership, such as Change Management, Coaching and Mentoring, Conflict Resolution, Communication Skills, Gender Equality, Inspiring workers, LeadingInnovation, Problem-solving, and Project Management. The findings reveal the significance of implementing and expanding specialised TVET programmes to ensure women's active participation and leadership in various sectors. This study highlights the transformative potential of TVET in empowering women and calls for further research and policy development in this field.

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs are most successful at supporting youth labor markets when they combine education and employment. Education-employment linkage theory describes this combination in terms of power-sharing between actors from the education system and their counterparts in the employment system over key processes in the curriculum value chain of curriculum design, curriculum application (program delivery), and curriculum updating. The KOF Education-Employment Linkage Index measures linkage at every function in a TVET program where actors from the two systems interact, aggregating those into processes and phases and eventually an index score. We apply that index to the largest upper-secondary TVET programs in Benin, Chile, Costa Rica, and Nepal. We find that Benin has relatively high education-employment linkage, while the other three countries score very low. Benin's situation is unique because its TVET program is moving from employer-led to linked, rather than the typical employer integration into an education-based program. Other countries with large informal economies, low formal education and training rates, and existing non-formal employer-led training may be able to implement similar approaches using functionally equivalent institutions. Furthermore, we summarize the results of discussions with policy-maker focus groups in the four case study countries.

Modernity and technological developments have necessitated the need to expose opportunities in e-learning for effective technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programme. The opinion of the teachers regarding availability of these e-learning opportunities raises concern in teaching circles. It could be that teachers appear not worried about the availability of these opportunities. Against this background, it becomes necessary to determine the opinion of teachers on the availability of e-learning opportunities for effective TVET programme in tertiary institutions in South east Nigeria. To achieve this, three research questions and one null hypothesis were raised. The study adopted a descriptive research survey using a sample of 98 TVET lecturers from Enugu State South. Instrument for data collection was validated by three experts and reliability established using Cronbach alpha statistics which yielded a coefficient index value of 0.71 and was adjudged as high enough. It was found out that in the teachers’ opinion, e-learning opportunities for effective TVET programme were not available, and that this opinion was not dependent on experience. It was further recommended that teachers be sent on capacity building programmes to get acquainted with the skills to exploit the availability of e-learning opportunities in higher institutions. Key words: E-learning, availability, opportunities.

The skill emphasis in the implementation of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes demands that conscious and concerted effort are made to put in place strategies that would guarantee hand – on learning experiences. Basically, a sure way of realizing these critical objectives is by the instrument of work – based learning (WBL) which implies the establishment of a synergistic relationship between TVET institution, business and industry as well as community – based resources inventory. This study has attempted to appraise the extent to which this synergy has worked in the Nigeria TVET system, using the seven (7) Federal Colleges of Education (Technical) in the South-Eastern geo-political zone of the country as study area. A total of 200 TVET instructors served as study sample while a structured questionnaire was used in generating data relevant to the study. Data analysis was based on the statistical tools of frequency, mean and percentage. Findings indicated among other things that, all emphasis so far is on the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) leaving other avenues or strategies almost unexploited. Such other strategies identified by the study included: cooperative work experience Programme, job shadowing, clinical work experience, youth apprenticeship programme, school-based enterprises, internships, to list a few. Factors responsible for this anomalous situation were indicated to include poor policy frame-work, curricular defects, and inexperience on the part of administrators of TVET programmes. Recommended important strategies emphasized awareness creation through government-industry forum, curriculum restructuring and regular retraining of TVET instructors and teacher -trainers. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n5p137

The goal of attaining a sustainable future has become a global crusade of leading world organizations/institutions due to the persistent threats to the sustenance of our planet Earth. The concept of a sustainable future is often depicted as maintaining a balance in intergenerational equity, using resources prudently, maintaining the health of living systems, applying economic activities that ensure a balance between productivity and consumption, implementing environmental protection and preserving and accepting cultural diversity. Education for a sustainable future becomes the backbone by which to transform and develop the knowledge, skills and values of all working people for sustainable living and work practices. Hence, three aspects of educational change are needed for this transformation towards a sustainable future: curriculum reorientation, pedagogy and teacher education. The focus of this paper is on curriculum reorientation in a teacher education program setting by reporting the prospects of technical and vocational education (TVE) programs in preparing pre-service teachers for sustainability. In this study we utilized a triangulation design by integrating findings from a qualitative documentary analysis with those of a survey, which allowed us to draw conclusions regarding the prospects of the TVE programs studied to prepare pre-service teachers for sustainability. Our findings reveal that the TVE programs in our case study do not substantially reflect sustainability and as such limit the programs’ prospects to prepare teachers for efficiently undertaking teaching tasks for sustainability. The educators and students of the TVE programs also perceive that the TVE programs do not sufficiently prepare pre-service teachers for sustainability. The lack of sustainability integration across technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs is worrisome, primarily because of the potential of such programs to provide education and training to skilled and semi-skilled professionals. Hence, we recommend that adequate and conscious efforts be taken to review existing TVE programs in order to increase the presence of sustainability education in these programs. We also recommend a number of useful strategies for implementing the needed changes within TVET programs for sustainability.