Canada. Talkin’ ’Bout My Generation: More Educated but Less Skilled Canadians
Canada’s working-age population is experiencing a troubling decline in adult skills. This E-Brief shows that aging and generational differences, such as in education quality and work environment, largely contribute to these declines. Skills erode with age at an accelerated rate, intensifying the negative impact of aging population on average performance. As well, recent generations of Canadians achieved lower scores in literacy and numeracy, regardless of education level.
Tags : Briefing note 2017; Canada; Skills; Source: C.D. Howe Institute;

Canada. The Development of Vocational Education in Canada, 1991
Our article considers the roots of prejudice against vocational education, surveys its history, and examines constitutional dilemmas that have inhibited its development. We emphasize that as technological advances draw the world more closely together, vocational preparedness becomes increasingly important. In an era of international cartels and free trade associations, “muddling through” no longer works. Since Canada cannot expect immigration to solve its labour problems, it requires a national system of vocational training, a systemic solution that ensures young people see vocational education as challenging and worthwhile.
Tags : Canada; History - VET; Paper 1991; Source: Canadian Journal of Education; VET - history;

Finland. Finnish WorldSkills Achievers’ Vocational Talent Development and School-to-Work Pathways
This paper examines the perceptions of vocational expertise and school-to-work pathways among WorldSkills Competition (WSC) achievers and their co-workers and employers within the Finnish context. 
Tags : Finland; Paper 2017; School-to-work transition; Source: International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training; VET - vocational education and training; Youth 18-23;

Italy. The Effect of Immigrant Peers in Vocational Schools
This paper provides new evidence on how the presence of immigrant peers in the classroom affects native student achievement. Vocational training institutions provide the ideal setting for studying these effects because they attract not only disproportionately high shares of immigrants but also the lowest ability native students. We adopt a value added model, and exploit within-school variation both within and across cohorts for identification. Our results show small negative average effects on maths test scores that are larger for low ability native students, strongly non-linear and only observable in classes with a high (top 20%) immigrant concentration. These outcomes are driven by classes with a high average linguistic distance between immigrants and natives, with no apparent role played by ethnic diversity.
Tags : Analysis - comparative; Comparative analysis; Immigration; Italy; Paper 2017; Source: IZA – Institute of Labor Economics; VET - institution; Vocational schools;

Norway. Short-Term Benefits, Long-Term Harm? Alternative Training to Apprenticeships in Norway
This paper discusses the effects on the VET system of a recent Norwegian attempt to organise alternative training primarily as workplace training. Norway has attempted to make alternative training as similar to apprenticeship-based learning as possible. Most training in the pilot projects takes place in the work environment of a company, rather than in vocational schools. Our paper shows that the students in the pilot projects experience many of the learning and motivational benefits offered by workplace learning in general, and apprenticeships in particular. In certain circumstances, such schemes can improve the chances of completing VET despite for young people without an apprenticeship. However, such training schemes also generate important dilemmas. In particular, there is a risk that full-scale implementation of a system of alternative workplace-based training could reduce the number of new apprenticeships, potentially undermining the apprenticeship model on which Norwegian VET is based.
Tags : Apprenticeship; Norway; Paper 2017; Source: International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training; VET - vocational education and training;

USA. A New Kind of Tech Job Emphasizes Skills, Not a College Degree
As the United States struggles with how to match good jobs to the two-thirds of adults who do not have a four-year college degree, experience shows how a worker’s skills can be emphasized over traditional hiring filters like college degrees, work history and personal references. And elevating skills over pedigree creates new pathways to employment and tailored training and a gateway to the middle class. 
Tags : Article 2017; Skills; Source: NY Times; United States of America; 

USA. Marijuana Workers in Need of Higher Learning
As the market for legal cannabis grows rapidly, training opportunities for workers in this budding industry struggle to keep pace. 
Tags : Article 2017; Marijuana workers; Source: Chief Learning Officer; Training - needs; United States of America;

How To Keep Employees Engaged With Continuing Education
Think your employees are too busy to care about continuing education? Try again. Lack of growth opportunities is one of the key reasons for employee turnover, and 87% of millennials say professional development is important in a job.
Tags : Article 2017; Continuing education; Education - continuing; Source: Forbes;

DOCUMENTS

Australia. Work-based learning and work-integrated learning: fostering engagement with employers
Work-based learning and the inclusion of the world of work into tertiary students' learning lie at the heart of the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system. Despite the strong emphasis of work-based learning in post-secondary education, both VET providers and universities faces challenges when it comes to engaging industry and employers in these educational provisions. This research synthesis draws on the literature on work-based learning and work-integrated learning to identify how engagement with industry and employers can be fostered, and what the two sectors can learn from each other.
Tags : Australia; Report 2016; Source: NCVER - National Centre for Vocational Education Research; VET - vocational education and training; Work-based learning;

Australia. VET applied research: driving VET's role in the innovation system
VET has largely been ignored as a player in the innovation system but with its ties to industry it has the ability to help translate new knowledge into the workforce. Through discussions with VET institutions, applied research organisations, industry bodies and policy-makers, this research looks at how applied research can help VET to become more active in the innovation system.  The report also explores the capabilities that are needed and how registered training organisations and practitioners can build off their existing connections and skills.
Tags : Australia; Report 2017; Source: NCVER - National Centre for Vocational Education Research; VET - vocational education and training;

UK. The UK skills system: an introduction
This document provides a summary of the UK’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system and how it provides the UK economy with highly skilled people.
Tags : Document 2017; Skills; Source: British Council; United Kingdom; VET - vocational education and training;

Latin America and the Caribbean. At a Crossroads: Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean
Higher education (HE) has expanded dramatically in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) since 2000. While access became more equitable, quality concerns remain. This volume studies the expansion, as well as HE quality, variety and equity in LAC. It investigates the expansion’s demand and supply drivers, and outlines policy implications.
Tags : Book 2017; Education - higher; Higher education; Latin America and the Caribbean; Source: World Bank;

Education at a Glance 2017
OECD Indicators is the authoritative source for information on the state of education around the world. With more than 125 charts and 145 tables included in the publication and much more data available on the educational database.
Tags : Annual report 2017; Education - indicators 2017; Indicators - education 2017; Source: OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development;

The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030
This report maps out how employment is likely to change in the future - including the implications for skills - and anticipates a number of new occupations.
Tags : Employment trend 2030; Report 2017; Source: Nesta; Trend - employment 2030;

Creating access to technical and vocational education for young people with disabilities: I am Employable
80% to 90% of young people with disabilities in low-income countries are unemployed. The report has new findings on inclusive vocational training.
Tags : Annual report 2017; Lower-income countries; Source: Light of the World; VET - vocational education and training; Youth living with disabilities;

OTHER

Asia-Pacific region. Guidelines for the quality assurance of TVET qualifications in the Asia-Pacific region
The overall aim of these guidelines is to propose principles and indicators that can assist Member States in optimizing their quality assurance mechanisms for qualifications achieved through TVET. They provide a framework for documenting, developing, monitoring, evaluating and improving the currency and comparability of certificates, diplomas or degrees in TVET.
Tags : Asia-Pacific Region; Guidelines; Quality assurance; Source: UNESCO; VET - vocational education and training;

Promoting Your Mentoring Program Toolkit
The promotional toolkit is full of best practices, customizable content, and an overall guide to aid you in successfully promoting and launching your mentoring program. With this toolkit, you’ll be equipped with the materials and timelines needed to plan the launch of your mentoring program. Together, these assets will help you excite and engage prospective mentors, mentees, and organizational stakeholders.
Tags : Mentoring; Source: Chronus; Toolkit;

Greening technical and vocational education and training: a practical guide for institutions
This Guide is designed to help leaders and practitioners of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in improving their understanding and implementation of education for sustainable development (ESD) using a whole-institution approach to greening their institutions.
Tags : Green economy; Guide 2017; Source: UNESCO; VET - vocational education and training; Vocational schools;

How to facilitate the recognition of skills of migrant workers: Guide for employment services providers
This guide draws on good practices and interesting initiatives from around the globe to demonstrate ways employment service providers can make better use of Recognition of Prior Learning systems in their countries to the benefit of migrant workers and refugees. It provides concrete information, examples, checklists and other tools to assist service providers to better understand, raise awareness and facilitate use of RPL where it exist.
Tags : Foreign workers; Guide 2017; Migration; Prior learning recognition; Recognition - prior learning; Source: ILO - International Labour Organization;

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