ICTs and Blended Learning in Transforming TVET

The Commonwealth of Learning (COL), UNESCO Section of Youth, Literacy and Skills Development, and the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre have launched a joint publication called Using ICTs and Blended Learning in Transforming TVET. It highlights the work of leading experts and case studies from around the world, and the need of a concerted action regarding changes in policy.

This resource aims to address gaps and examples from around the world in the use of ICTs and novel forms of open, flexible and technology-enhanced learning in TVET. The main focus of the publication is to present and discuss ways in which use of ICTs and open and flexible means of delivery help learning in different settings and enhance learning opportunities, highlighting the need for relevant policy reforms. It comprises of inputs from leading experts around the world, including case studies developed by experts from the following UNEVOC Centres:

The case studies demonstrate some of the ways in which different countries, TVET institutions and civil society organizations are using these technologies and methods to increase the reach, equitability and impact of TVET, improve learning outcomes and services to students and establish new paradigms and environments for developing the knowledge and skills required for tomorrow’s world of work.

With increasing global consensus on the importance of TVET as a transformative tool for grappling with the challenges of development, there is a need to re-evaluate conventional methods of education and training, and to explore greater integration of ICTs and blended learning models to facilitate access and deliver higher quality learning outcomes. Despite the wide-spread acknowledgment of this need across the TVET community, there is observable obscurity in the implementation of such reforms; either due to disparate understanding of utilizable technologies and tools, or due to suboptimal understanding of the needs and challenges facing the TVET sector.

COL, as an intergovernmental organization of the Commonwealth of Nations promotes, develops the use of open and distance learning (ODL) throughout the Commonwealth’s 54 Member States, which has synergies with the mandates of UNESCO and the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre.

UNESCO-UNEVOC has a long-standing engagement in highlighting the role of ICTs in TVET, particularly their potential to enrich classroom and workplace learning. This resource posits that ICTs and a blended approach to its integration in instructional design and pedagogy, whether in the classroom or the workplace, is an important element for realizing the transformational potential of TVET. The changing patterns of processes, products and services in the world of work are what drive the relevance of improving TVET delivery using ICTs and innovative learning models to prepare learners for vocational and generic skills they need for lifelong learning and gainful employment.

UNESCO-UNEVOC’s activities to support teachers in integrating ICTs

Employing these technologies in TVET structures optimally and effectively also requires teachers and trainers who can apply appropriate technologies in the facilitation of training and teaching of curriculum, while also fostering their own professional learning. Thus, any substantive value addition requires that the appropriate technologies be fully integrated in the curriculum design, pedagogy, and learning and assessment stages by the teachers.

As part of its ongoing projects, UNESCO-UNEVOC is also developing a resource material on ‘Improving Quality of TVET Teaching and Learning using ICT’. This resource will be available later this year.