Vocational education and training - VET

This is an easy-to-read publication for low literacy individuals that are interested in learning about the trades or working within the trades as a career choice. Through answering two major questions - What are the trades? and How do people enter the trades? readers explore various trade options such as welder, mechanic, hairstylist, carpenter and cook through the stories of 7 people.
Publication http://alis.alberta.ca/pdf/cshop/aaet/tradesinalberta.pdf

Teaching notes http://alis.alberta.ca/pdf/cshop/aaet/tradesinalberta_TN.pdf

In the past few decades, nearly every major organization has implemented competencies in some form to communicate performance constructs, expectations, organizational functions or even values. Yet evidence of the reliability, validity and utility of this kind of organization-wide, competency modeling, especially when employing single item measurement scales is sadly lacking. This paper explores competency uses, types, and measurement challenges related to implementing competencies in military organizations.
http://www.internationalmta.org/Documents/2011/2011071P.pdf

UK Skills Minister, Matthew Hancock releases discussion paper on traineeships for 16-24 years old.
The new Traineeships programme would provide young people with a tailor-made package of support that will give them the confidence, skills and experience to compete in the labour market with more experienced adults.
http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/t/traineeships%20discussion%20paper%20-%20january%202013.pdf

New technologies, globalization, the information revolution, and labor market changes have affected the world economy on an unprecedented scale. As a consequence, the demand for a skilled workforce has increased, world trade and migration have intensified, and the divide between the haves and have nots has vastly widened.
This paper puts education under the lens of the changing demands of technology, the labor market, demography, and migration. It identifies the weaknesses in current education systems, such as restricted access, skills mismatches, and weak school-to-work linkages. It calls for making education systems more flexible and responsive to change so that they maximize human resources, equip people with updated skills, and prepare youth for the world of work.
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2012/05/23/000356161_20120523022400/Rendered/PDF/691040WP00PUBL0ability0WEB050110120.pdf

A large number of policies and reform packages often accompanied by large spending programs have been implemented, but progress remains slow and uneven.
This report provides a conceptual framework to rethink the development of a country’s unique skill policy; identifies for each EU Member State concrete education policies while taking into account the country’s national peculiarities and characteristics; reviews several skill policies and identifies the most influential institutions and describes the performance of the education system of the EU Member States.
http://www.eenee.de/portal/page/portal/EENEEContent/_IMPORT_TELECENTRUM/DOCS/EENEE_AR14.pdf

It simply isn’t acceptable to throw learners over the classroom and/or eLearning wall into the workflow and then hope that what we did during the online or class event will magically transfer to successful job performance. It doesn’t. We know full well that learning doesn’t stick unless you put in place provisions that support performance in the workflow, that the success that does occur isn’t all that could occur if we attended to the principles and practices of performance support. And the good news is that doing this doesn’t require more effort than what most are doing now. It does, however, require a mind-set shift. It also necessitates that we redirect current efforts to bring about this alignment.
http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/949/are-you-meeting-all-five-moments-of-learning-need

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a potentially valuable tool for India to bring millions of people back into training and education and set the country on a higher skills trajectory. However, implementing RPL is complex and challenging. In India, forward-thinking organizations are running their own pilot RPL initiatives to lay the groundwork for the introduction of the concept on a wider scale.
The report focuses on the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in the Indian context, by evaluating LabourNet’s RPL initiative in Bangalore.
http://www.skillsdevelopment.org/pdf/Credit%20Where%20Credit's%20Due%20lo%20res.pdf

European and national policy has set high expectations for VET modernisation. VET should be an attractive option for young people and adults to foster the acquisition of professional qualifications and their updating throughout working life. Professional competences and skills delivered through VET should be a model of excellence, while being transparent to relevant parties at individual, company and State levels.
http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/3043beta_en.pdf

Although apprentices enjoy a smooth transition from school to work and effectively help to reduce youth unemployment, many employers are reluctant to provide training places because of the fear of uncovered training costs. Recent empirical evidence shows clearly that – for many firms – this fear is not justified, as apprenticeship training can already pay off in the short run.
http://www.eenee.de/portal/page/portal/EENEEContent/_IMPORT_TELECENTRUM/DOCS/PolicyBrief3-2012.pdf