This paper considers the inclusion of TVET and skills in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and analyses the key changes likely to impact on TVET and skill systems from now until 2030. It argues that despite SDG implementation and monitoring challenges, the new emphasis on TVET, skills and lifelong learning will reinforce efforts of…

A recent International Labour Organization (ILO) report has documented the limited opportunities for women in the labour market (ILO, 2016). The report shows that women face higher unemployment and underemployment than men, are more often employed in the informal labour market and in family enterprises, and are overrepresented in lower skill…

The one-year research project on the implementation of NQFs in developing countries was launched by the ILO 2009 in collaboration with the ETF. This article reviews some of the educational issues that arose from the project. The findings of the case studies raise issues that are important for how future research and policy on NQFs is taken…

Vocational education and training (VET) can contribute to the attainment of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. A key to economic and social progress is the training of better-qualified individuals and skilled enterprise staff who will be more productive, improving goods, increasing incomes and adapting to changing markets. Experts…

Under the Post-Primary Project, Trinidad and Tobago may legitimately claim to have achieved some educational expansion under difficult economic circumstances. Although top-down curriculum management and a strong remediation emphasis limited program success, the school clustering concept, along with increased vocational training, offers a promising…

The author defines competency-based individual and mediated instruction and argues that it should be used in developing countries' training programs. He cites barriers to implementation of competency-based instruction, including translation problems, the need for inservice teacher training, and geography. Possible solutions are presented. (CH)

A comparative study was made in 10 states in Nigeria to find out whether the 53 Vocational Centers established by various agencies meet the real needs of the beneficiaries (especially disabled persons). Questionnaires were distributed to all the 53 centers in the 10 states, all staff attached to the centers, employment agencies that have employed…

This paper deals with a case study of secondary curriculum diversification as a vocationalization strategy in Sierra Leone. It explores diversification issues from four crucial standpoints that are distinct but highly interrelated. First, diversification is dealt with as a policy that was adopted and actively pursued by Sierra Leone for over a…

The Leventis Foundation (Nigeria) Agricultural Schools (LFNAS) are schools established to train youths to develop their state and their nation in the area of food production. This study sought to assess the trainability of enrollees in the three operating LFNAS. Five research questions were posed. The CIPP evaluation model was adopted. The…

A study investigated the goals, implementation strategies, and possible obstacles to implementing vocational education in secondary schools in Zimbabwe. All 13 secondary schools that were piloting vocational education were used as the base for this study. Three of those schools were selected as case study schools. Data were collected through…

Technical and vocational education in the developing countries of the South Pacific region vary from the well-established to just commencing. Within the region as a whole, facilities exist to meet all the needs for semiskilled and skilled workers as well as for most middle and higher level needs; additional needs not catered to within the region…

Since India gained its independence in 1947, three important commissions have examined the issue of educational reform. The first (in 1948) recommended a vocational emphasis in the intermediate (predegree) courses without sacrificing emphasis on preparation for university education. In 1954, the Secondary Education Commission resulted in the…

An evaluation was made of two Nigerian pilot junior secondary schools, established in accordance with the directions of the National Policy on Education, which advocated that pre-technical/vocational subjects be given equal weight with academic studies. It was felt that such policy would make education functional and relevant to the Nigerian…

This paper presents an overview of educational policymaking in several developing countries in Africa by (1) examining the nature of various educational policies in these countries; (2) drawing comparative generalizations from the outcomes of the objectives of these policies; and (3) recommending ways to avoid the failure of educational reforms.…

The number of entrants to the labor market today in most sub-Sahara African countries far exceeds the number of new jobs generated by the economy. This mismatch is one of the most serious problems the region faces. With too few jobs to go around, vocational training should focus on the generation of self-employment possibilities. In the mid-1970s…