TVET International Conference

Background: 

In the last few years, much has been happening in the area of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Southeast Asian Region. One of the salient developments is that many countries have placed TVET as mainstream education. Initiatives to increase the number of enrolments at secondary level indicate the level of attention and popularity that TVET is gaining. Considering that TVET graduates will embody future workforce, it is vital to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to sustain economic, cultural, and environmental development. This development is also in line with the regional initiative of ASEAN Integration whereby economic, cultural and political aspirations are highlighted. For SEAMEO VOCTECH, as the regional centre for technical and vocational education and training, it was timely to organize this conference with the general theme of Ensuring Greater Impact of TVET for Sustainable Development.

Objective(s):

• Establish links for national, regional, and international TVET initiatives, policies and practices to respond to the needs and programmes of the ASEAN Economic Community;
• Identify strategies in integrating concepts of sustainable development in TVET;
• Identify innovative ideas to help enhance the quality and image of TVET; and
• Create a platform that would enable the conference of participants, partners, and stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, and allow convenient and continuous sharing of innovative practices and policies.

Session Rationale & Methodology: 

The conference offered plenary and parallel sessions for researchers, lecturers, and policy makers to share recent findings and innovations, best practices, and policies relevant to vocational and technical education. Each plenary session covered one of the following five sub-themes that supported the main conference theme:

• SUB-THEME 1: TVET Initiatives in Support of the ASEAN Economic Community
• SUB-THEME 2: Strengthening Industry Collaborations
• SUB-THEME 3: Integrating 21^st Century Skills in TVET
• SUB-THEME 4: Preparing TVET Students for “Green Jobs”
• SUB-THEME 5: Enhancing the Quality of TVET
• SUB-THEME 6: Innovative TVET Policies and Practices

Profiles of Key Speakers: http://www.voctech.org/Conference2016/PlenarySpeakers.html