Vocational education and training - VET

Fundamentally, decent work is purposeful for the individual, leverages their talents and aligns with their values. This leads to more satisfied, more productive workers — a boon to employers and the economy.

Lifelong career supports help people clarify their career aspirations and be agile amid labour market turmoil. It can also build bridges between those whose talent and potential are being underused (such as newcomers) and employers that need their contributions.

Unfortunately, awareness of and access to lifelong career development as a public good is uneven in Canada. Career education across the K-12 system varies widely. Few adults access career services.

Technology for Teaching (T4T) is the World Bank’s program to assist countries implement effective, scalable teacher professional development (TPD) programs that use low- and high-technology solutions to train and support teachers/Pedagogical Leaders (PLs). T4T provides practical tools to policymakers and practitioners for designing and implementing operationally feasible tech-based TPD in their contexts, thus contributing to build inclusive and resilient education systems. This Note presents common barriers that teachers/PLs face at each TPD stage and offers operationally feasible, tech-based mitigation strategies. These will enhance access to and engagement with TPD, will improve application of skills and knowledge in the classroom, and can be implemented in low-resource contexts. Drawing on emerging research and successful on-the-ground programs that support teachers/PLs from across the globe, this Note can be used by policymakers and practitioners to consider a range of options to address implementation barriers and scale up TPD programs using technology.

Brahima Coulibaly recommends policies for how African countries can maximize the benefits of digitization while limiting risks from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Look anywhere in the media today and you’ll find people talking about how upskilling and ongoing professional development is a core component of any 21st-century profession. On top of that, many believe that positive attitudes toward professional development can be a key indicator of the health of a certain profession.

The skills gap is currently one of the defining features of the labor market. There are hundreds of thousands of middle-skill jobs available but few individuals with the skills and education to fill them. These jobs need less education than a full degree program, and alternative providers like bootcamps have been active in helping to serve this market. Now, Google has entered the fray.

The Great Resignation and digital transformation are putting IT leaders under increasing pressure to strengthen and develop their teams.
Leaders from McKinsey & Company, Mercer and Zoetis share insights on how to build a successful talent development system.
These include starting with a skills inventory, building design thinking into the process and committing to cross-organization upskilling and training.

The COVID-19 crisis has accentuated the need to use data to refine education and career pathways for students and workers, but that need arises out of longer-term trends already well underway.