By Dr Rossi Vogler, Global TVET Lead
British Council’s Going Global 2025 reinforced what many across the education and skills community already recognise, that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is no longer a peripheral strand of education policy. It is central to shaping the future of work, enabling green and digital transitions, and driving inclusive economic growth across the world.
Across multiple sessions, speakers and participants reflected a growing consensus: the next generation of skills systems must be globally connected, opportunity-driven, inclusive and adaptive. From new models of transnational education to the creation of Centres of Excellence and gender-inclusive pathways, TVET is redefining how education connects people to decent work and sustainable livelihoods.
- Transnational Education - expanding global skills pathways
The launch of the British Council’s research report Global Skills Partnerships: Exploring Transnational Education in TVET, marked an important moment for the sector. The findings signal that transnational education (TNE) is becoming a transformative force within TVET, opening new routes for collaboration, capacity building, and institutional internationalisation. What emerged clearly is that when TNE in TVET is designed around mutual benefit, quality assurance and shared standards, it can expand access to skills, enhance institutional sustainability, and strengthen the UK’s role as a trusted global partner in skills development.
- Opportunity-driven TVET: A paradigm shift
A key insight from the conference was the shift from supply-driven to opportunity-driven TVET. This new approach - often called ‘reverse-engineered’ TVET - begins not with pre-designed training programmes, but with real employment opportunities and economic value chains. By anchoring training in the jobs and growth sectors, countries can make TVET more relevant, impactful, and economically strategic.
The British Council’s work on the EU-funded VET Toolbox II project has demonstrated how this approach creates real impact - from developing local skills ecosystems to supporting women to break new ground in traditionally male-dominated sectors. Within the Going Global Partnerships Programme, our work in Pakistan focuses on developing sectoral approach to skills development and also follows this model, which offers a blueprint for aligning education systems with the future of work.
- Driving systemic change for gender inclusion
The conference also underscored the crucial role of TVET in advancing women’s participation and leadership. As a traditionally male-dominated sector, TVET has untapped potential to drive systemic change by fostering inclusive learning environments, challenging occupational segregation, and opening access for women to high-growth technical and digital fields.
Ensuring that women’s voices are represented at every level of decision-making is essential to transforming the system from within. Through our work in Malawi and Botswana, the British Council has been supporting this shift by building the capacity of women leaders in TVET to shape and implement inclusive skills policies. When gender equality is embedded as a core principle of TVET system design, it delivers not only social progress but also stronger, more innovative, and resilient economies.
- Centres of Excellence - engines of innovation
Around the world, countries are investing in Centres of Excellence to act as engines of innovation, collaboration, and internationalisation. British Council programmes such as Zantchito – Skills for Jobs in Malawi and TVET Sector Reform IV in Pakistan are demonstrating how model institutions can transform training quality, embed industry partnerships, and support women’s participation in digital and high-tech sectors. These initiatives are part of a broader shift towards networked excellence, connecting institutions to share practice, co-develop curricula and respond together to the changing world of work.
These are some highlights from the sessions and discussions during the conference. TVET is emerging as a strategic connector between education, employment, and economic resilience. What was once a national concern is now a global agenda - one that depends on collaboration between governments, employers, and training providers.
The British Council will continue to champion this agenda - strengthening systems, building international partnerships and enabling countries to deliver skills that are relevant, inclusive, and future-ready.
The message from Going Global 2025 is clear - TVET is not just part of the education landscape; it is shaping the future of opportunity worldwide.