Association of Canadian Community Colleges ACCC World Trends

Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) World Trends in Education for Employment (EFE) Paul Brennan VP, International Partnerships, ACCC @ ACCC Forum on EFE Edmonton, June 2011

Outline 1. 2. 3. 4. What are we talking about? The urgency of EFE The results possible with EFE A quick World Tour of recent developments 5. Common Challenges & Values 6. The key role of networking and exchange

1. What are we talking about? • ACCC chose the term Education for Employment (EFE) to mean Education and Training that is geared primarily to prepare learners to obtain jobs, to keep their jobs through skills upgrading or to create them; • It was also a reference to the 15+ year old world objective of achieving Education for All (EFA), which now needs a new focus; • At its core is a necessary close link to employers and a key performance indicator of the % of graduates who obtain jobs.

The College - Employer Partnership for Employment Employers/Employees and their Associations • Labour Market Information • Standards & Accreditation • Relevant Curriculum • Employability Skills • Faculty Updating • Internships & Co-op Ed. • Equipment & $ contributions • Tech Transfer/Applied Research • Evaluation of graduates (KPIs) Via - National HR Sector Councils - Provincial Ministries & Councils - College Boards & Program Advisory Committees Colleges/ Institutes Association of Canadian Community Colleges 2009

2. The urgency of EFE • People of Tunisia and Egypt, and ongoing. . . • Mohamed Bouazizi was the spark that lit the Arab Spring. Had a degree, but could not find any job, sold vegetables and got hassled for that Immolation! • In Egypt, millions had no access to practical education or training or revenues to support themselves and their families Die rather than continue in that manner! • Political oppression was also a major factor, but lack of employment for millions also key

CARICOM Youth Voices • "It's not realistic to dream - there are no opportunities to fulfill them“ • "My dream is illusory, it makes me suffer. Life is a jungle every man for himself, God for all, Young people are excluded. I dream to save my skin. " • "Conditions aren't the same. . . some countries have free education, travelling is a problem for many • "This is garbage education. " Source: EYE ON THE FUTURE: Investing in YOUTH NOW for tomorrow's Community, Report of the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development (January 2010) • • • Prevalent in the Americas region Made worse by the option of dropping out and joining the drug or arms trade Urgency of our action & collaboration

A Knowledge Society? • Knowledge and skills are fundamental to nations’ competitiveness and to the survival and prosperity of our citizens; • The service sectors are the growing employment sectors, and they need employees with increased knowledge, skills and attitudes (essential employability skills); • Canadian analysts estimate that all Canadians need secondary school and 70%+ need some post-secondary studies! • Media show the differences very clearly!

3. The Results with EFE • Mulheres Mil (MM) Project in Brazil: A Thousand Powerful Women; How to open up Technology Institute doors to learners with no secondary school diploma? • Objective is to rapidly provide them with functional literacy and skills in order to obtain or create employment. • Can be done, provides recognition, new skills and jobs, dignity, confidence; • MOE of Brazil taking MM national!

Evolution of Ifs & Inscriptions in Brazil

4. A Quick World Tour A) CHINA: Rapidly increasing the number of their Institutes of Technology (1, 200+) • Made it impossible for ITs to attempt to become universities! Focus is on EFE • Want to improve their pedagogy from more rote learning to student focused learning; • Vocational Education Leadership Training Program (VELT), with 6 countries including Canada, for leadership (not management) development, to prepare leaders of demand-driven, entrepreneurial and high quality institutions

4. A Quick World Tour B. VIETNAM: ”Innovation and Development of Vocational Training Sector: 2008 -2015” “A demand-driven system guided by labour market signals” “. . . delivering competencies in accord with nationally recognized standards” “. . . with multiple entry and exit points and flexible delivery. ” “. . . which recognizes competencies wherever and however they are obtained” “. . . with decentralized management. ”`

4. A Quick World Tour B. VIETNAM (cont’d): The INTEL story! • From 2008 to 2020 plan to go from 90 to 250 Vocational Colleges (MOLISSA) • With CIDA funding, ACCC supported the first post-secondary Community College in Vietnam (Trah Vinh); Now are 25? Colleges and a Vietnam ACC (introduce Mr Khan) • With ADB funding, ACCC helped MOLISSA to design their expansion of secondary level vocational colleges • VACC-ACCC SE Asia College Forum: Oct.

Vocational Training Plan Enrolment Plan 2008 -2015 Vietnam Year 2008 2009 2010 2015 TOTAL 1, 710, 700 1, 936, 900 2, 213, 300 2, 546, 600 Annual Increase - 13% 14% 15% Vocational Training Colleges 56, 000 105, 300 150, 000 255, 000 Intermediate Vocational Schools 255, 000 265, 400 293, 300 518, 800 Less than one year training 1, 399, 700 1, 566, 200 1, 770, 000 1, 772, 800

Vietnam: Development Strategy of Education and Vocational Training to Year 2015 “To improve training quality, expand training scale; adjust the structure of vocational training levels; enhance training effectiveness to be responsive to the demands for direct technical workforce in production, business and service activities, especially highly skilled workforce to meet the needs of the domestic labor market and labor exports; contribute in streamlining general secondary school and high school graduates. ”

4. A Quick World Tour C. EGYPT: Linking Vocational Training with Entrepreneurship support services • EFE in many countries means entrepreneurial skills AND the financial and non-financial support services; • Ten-year Business Development Support Services Program, with CIDA funding and ACCC support. Pilots in three regions of the country. Working closely with Egyptian Banks and associations (including women in Menia): Sustainability and Dignity!

4. A Quick World Tour D. SÉNÉGAL, TANZANIA & MOZAMBIQUE • Moving from a French-inspired academic system to a competency-based, decentralized one in Sénégal • Setting up a new Vocational Training System in a post-war context where nothing was left in Mozambique; • Moving from a British inspired university focused system to more of a college and skills focused one (Mining sector story of huge developments with no jobs!)

4. A Quick World Tour E. THE CARIBBEAN REGION (CARICOM) • Have set up a competency-based Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQ) Framework for all 15 countries; • Struggle with teachers and pedagogies which are still highly academic; • Low value of TVET amongst the youth; • Need to re-attract thousands of drop-out youths (boys often) to education, so programs must be very relevant & ‘cool’; • Jamaican Cultural Industries revenue story

UNESCO • UNESCO : “……… to make TVET a driver for lifelong learning and sustainable development in member- countries with a special focus on quality and equity” Three (3) core areas of involvement of ACCC as a focal point of Canadian experience: (i) Provide upstream policy advice and develop capacity at the country level (ii) Facilitate conceptual clarification and improve monitoring of TVET (iii) Act as a clearinghouse and inform the global debate Canadian Commission for UNESCO and ACCC have been in discussion to create a TVET (UNEVOC) Center for Canada and North America at ACCC to enable the sharing of Canadian experience.

Asian Development Bank Education by 2020: A Sector Operations Plan • strengthening TVET’s links to industry and workplace training and basing TVET on standards that are set or validated by industry • promoting inclusive growth such as more attention to skills development of women • learner placement, internships, and on-the-job training programs should become regular features of TVET delivery • due to large informal labor markets in South and Southeast Asia, emphasis should be on developing partnerships with communities, industry, and the private sector to improve the relevance and cost efficiency of skills training programs for women and youth • coordinate TVET development with government departments responsible for trade and industry, workplace relations, and science and technology, so that skills being taught are in line with the government’s economic and labor policy directions.

4. A Quick World Tour F. • • • CANADA Greater access for our Aboriginal peoples Keep our employability rate over 90% Increase our involvement in Applied Research and Innovation support for SMEs • Convince industry to contribute to our equipment needs in an ongoing manner • Include the Essential Employability Skills into all technical curriculum and teaching • Change the language and image of TVET: “ Advanced Skills for Employment”

Rise in college attendance Source : HRSDC

Completion of postsecondary education

5. Common Challenges • • From Academic to Competency-based From lecture-based to active learning Developing strong employer partnerships Changing the image of TVET to EFE Decentralizing management of institutes Ensuring Quality Standards & Assessment Increasing access to EFE for all Exploring the use of blended learning options (mix of distance, e-learning & F 2 F) • Leadership of institutions and ministries

Common Values to Build Upon 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Demand driven and job focussed Accessible to all who want to learn Closely connected to employers Entrepreneurial Open to the world Advanced Skills for Employment with great diversity

6. International Partnerships for better EFE • No time to waste or to repeat mistakes! • Have the electronic tools to accelerate the exchange of resources and innovations; • Innovation and sustainable adaptation occur best when ; • Have CIDA-funded institutional partnerships via EFE to build upon; • Have the World Federation of Colleges and • Polytechnics and its World Congress here in • May 26 -29, 2012 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. • Remember the voices of our youth!