VET Toolbox International seminar

The VET Toolbox International Seminar took place from 23-25 November. The interactive online seminar, which was implemented by the British Council, included contributions from international TVET experts, policy-makers, lead educators, employers, NGOs and training agencies, as well as over 300 delegates.

The seminar was formally opened by Antti Karhunen, Director Sustainable, Finance and Jobs at the International Partnerships Directorate of the European Commission. Among the speakers was Daniel Susskind, Fellow in Economics at University of Oxford, visiting Professor at King’s College London, author and co-author of the best-selling book The Future of the Professions who spoke about ‘Training the future workforce for automation and technological change’.

The EU-funded VET Toolbox is a partnership of leading European development agencies. It provides eligible countries with targeted expertise, grant funding, tools and advice to improve the effectiveness of national VET reforms to respond to labour market needs and enhance employability for all.

Overview

With millions of young people entering the workforce every year, fast-changing economies are poised to benefit from a demographic dividend which could lead to great gains in poverty reduction, employment generation and economic growth. One of the biggest challenges for such countries is finding a sustainable model of unlocking the latent potential of its young people. In this context, the importance of skills development as a driver of socio-economic development is paramount.

This VET Toolbox, seminar provides a forum for policy-makers, experts practitioners and employers from the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector to explore and discuss their common challenges in developing the skills that will drive prosperity.

VET Toolbox is a partnership of leading European development agencies, including Enabel (Belgium), GIZ (Germany), LuxDev (Luxembourg), Expertise France (France), AFD (France) and the British Council. The project is co-funded by the European Commission and by the German Government.

Who was it for?

TVET experts, policy-makers and lead educators
Employers and futurists with and interest in TVET and Apprenticeship NGOs and training agencies.

What was it about?

This was a free modular event where participants could hand pick sessions to attend.  This seminar explored the principles and practice of private sector engagement in TVET in detail and reflected on how this can be best shaped to different contexts. There were opportunities for quizzing experts and for participants to contribute through interactive polling and networking.

Seminar topics included ‘how to’:

create an enabling environment for private sector engagement in TVET 
enhance skills through different approaches including Public Private Partnerships and Sector Skills Councils 
support the creation of new jobs and industries within the informal economy and Small to Medium-Scale Enterprises.