4th African UNESCO-UNEVOC TVET Summit

“Flexible Learning: from TVET policy to skills training practice”

The 4th African UNESCO-UNEVOC TVET Summit: “Flexible Learning: From TVET Policy to Skills Training Practice” took place on 26 May 2010 at the 5th eLearning Africa conference in Lusaka, Zambia. It was jointly organized by UNESCO-UNEVOC and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), with support from the UNESCO offices in Dakar and Harare, the Zambian Ministry of Education and the German Federal Institute for Vocational Training (BIBB).

The Summit focused on the adoption by TVET institutions and skills training providers of a technology-supported, blended curriculum strategy that is not wholly dependent upon a sophisticated e-learning technology infrastructure and does not infer a wholesale transformation. Blended learning teaching materials and approaches can be used to support initiatives that improve institutional flexibility and access, and the Summit advocated that a long-term strategic focus to mainstream blended learning supports a broad range of TVET policy aims.

The 56 participants from 22 countries (mainly African countries, but also Canada, Netherlands, Slovakia and UK) investigated what is meant by blended learning in skills development and how it has the potential to improve the quality of learning and teaching. The workshop looked at those things that can be done differently using a combination of existing or easily developed resources alongside required organizational changes as an attempt to improve teaching quality as well as access for under-represented groups e.g. the workforce in the informal economy.

The participants also identified possible barriers to introducing technology-enhanced programme delivery and discussed

• Change management processes required to move an institution towards more blended, flexible learning approaches and
• Effective local strategies.

Report of the Summit on telecentre.org

Documents

Programme

Recap of the 2010 TVET Summit