International News Bytes from NSN – TVET, Apprenticeships and more

One of our endeavours has to been to keep our audience updated on news and happening in the skills space. Here’s our first edition of International News covering a cross section of initiatives, events and more across the globe.  These News Bytes curated and adapted from various sources* with the sole objective of keeping our readers informed about the issues and solutions from the global perspective.

International News on Apprenticeship: Europe

1. According to Geoffrey Makstutis perception is everything. The apprenticeship system will never succeed if we cannot make young people and parents recognise the value of a technical or vocational route – be it via a qualification or an apprenticeship. He would like to see education leaders, employers and government work together to promote a view of the industry that appeals to students and parents. This should include information to help schools’ careers advice and guidance teams to present the industry as a career of choice.
2. According to a survey carried out by YouGov on behalf of Alliance Manchester Business School, it was found that 29 per cent of employers who were aware of the apprenticeship levy viewed it as a tax on business and 38 per cent of them had no idea about it.
3. IMG Productions is launching a new apprenticeship scheme called IMG Ignite for school leavers aged over 18. The apprentices will get hands on exposure in media management, pre-editing, production management, graphic design, studio shows and live event production. Training sessions will include health and safety, media management, camera skills, presenting, single camera and studio directing, producing and editing.
4. Bletchley Park Qufaro and Global Knowledge Apprenticeships have launched a Level 4 cyber security apprenticeship. There is an increasing demand from employers who need to build greater in-depth knowledge of the cyber security issues facing businesses.
5. Youngsters wondering where to go from school are invited to an apprenticeship open day at Steve Willis in Burgess Hill on February 21. This will help them find out more about starting a career in the gas, plumbing and electrical trades with an apprenticeship.
6. Ian Pretty from the Collab Group, UK feels apprenticeships should be an option available to everyone, but careers and guidance system does not inform learners of the apprenticeship route. To encourage more people to undertake apprenticeships, there needs to be a compelling story to tell about how apprenticeships can improve careers and life prospects.
7. A new apprenticeship course was developed by engineering companies in conjunction with education and training boards in Original Equipment Manufacturing,. The managing director of Combilift said there is a perception among parents and careers advisors across Ireland that apprenticeship is a fall-back option. The idea that apprenticeships are only for those students that do not achieve high grades has to change.

Apprenticeships: North America

8. Birmingham Mayor visited software company offices in Germany to learn about their renowned apprenticeship program. Mayors and governors on both sides of the political aisle are exploring the German model of apprenticeship as a good way for youths to become gainfully employed without taking on college debt.
9. A one-year trades program has been introduced at Lower Columbia College that will help raise a skilled workforce to respond to a growing need for construction and heavy industry jobs. This will help students who complete this to be more competitive to get into an apprenticeship program and have the foundational skills to be successful in the industry.
10. Seventeen companies, including IBM, Ford, Canon, Sprint, Postmates and Bosch, have committed to expand apprenticeships to thousands of workers across 20 states in the United States to help fill a shortage of trained tech talent.

Apprenticeships : Australia

11. The Australian Apprentice Wage Subsidy will encourage employers who haven’t previously engaged apprentices to participate in apprenticeship programs. It will also re-engage employers who have disassociated themselves from the apprenticeship system for various reasons.

International Technical and Vocational Training TVET 

Middle East

1. In order to help Palestine refugees obtain jobs in a severely-hit economy, UNRWA offers 31 different trade and professional training courses. There are currently over 1,000 students enrolled in vocational training courses at four UNRWA centres across Syria. This is helping them in finding jobs.
2. The UNESCO Office in Doha advocates for stronger TVET education systems in the Gulf to enhance the life skills of individuals, improve learning outcomes, and provide adequately skilled labour market forces to changing local economies. UNESCO Doha is delivering training and orientation sessions on entrepreneurship education and “Green TVET” in schools.

Asia

3. According to Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong it is proven that the job market needs talents that have gone through TVET. He said a majority of the VTAR graduates had found employment.
4. National Vocational and Technical Training Commission in Pakistan has taken revolutionary measures to improve its standards for imparting technical education among the country’s youth in the last year. It has established employment centers, introduced accreditation system for improving technical education.
5. Deputy CM of Penang said the government was prepared to assist any ILPs to realise their roles to produce suitable manpower in line with Industrial Revolution 4.0.He said in the past, after form five, most students were not sure where to go or drop out of school but now they need to be exposed to TVET.

Caribbean

6. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education said – TVET Enhancement Project continues to facilitate the upgrade of the TVET spaces across secondary schools in their area. He said they are prepared to make the necessary investment to ensure that the laboratories and the workshops in the education system on both St. Kitts and Nevis are in a state of readiness to take their training programmes to a level where they can compete with the best performers.

Africa

7. Sixty bright young students have already been selected across Rwanda to join the first batch of the inaugural software programming school, adding impetus to the country’s efforts to become a regional tech hub. After training them, they will be linked with respective industries and some top tech-companies locally and international for further growth.
8. TVET is back in vogue with the education ministry in Kenya giving it increasing support and foreign donors enthusiastically coming forward to help to revive a sub-sector that had become moribund over the years. This will help, the young people get either blue-collar jobs or set up their own technical workshops.

Other news

Europe

1. Industries facing acute skills shortages, in the tech and construction sectors, are battling to attract school-leavers. In the tech sector, there are about 12,000 vacancies across the industry and the construction sector, too has thousands of vacancies for roles such as civil engineers, construction project managers, quantity surveyors, as well as in trades for carpenters, shift managers and glaziers in Ireland.
2. According to a report from Universities U.K. the key to solving future skills challenges include demand for lifelong learning that will allow people to adapt their skills according to the changes, greater focus to be given to adult education. In addition to technical skills things like resilience and ability to constantly learn are areas likely to be important, as will an ability to manage one’s career.

The government can also play a role in ensuring that societal focus doesn’t remain solely on traditional forms of education. The school>work>retire model will become defunct, and the future will see work and learning blend into one.

Asia

3. The Duterte administration plans to encourage returning Filipino household service workers to retool to become highly paid welders, or tradespersons who specialize in fusing materials together. While welding is considered a non-traditional occupation for women, many manufacturing and construction firms prefer women as welders owing to their calmer hands. A portion of this year’s P7-billion budget for the government’s Free TVET would be invested in the retooling of returning HSWs who are willing to shift jobs.

*IMPORTANT: These news bytes are curated and adapted from various sources, if any source has objections or other concerns, please write to us at contact@nationalskillsnetwork.in, giving valid reasons, we will immediately remove the link to your content.