Vocational education and training - VET

This paper explores whether Germany’s dual vocational training system might serve as a model for other countries, and under what conditions.
http://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/fileadmin/files/BSt/Publikationen/GrauePublikationen/GP_Germanys_dual_vocational_training_system.pdf

This report details the critical importance of skills and training; the success of the current programming under Labour Market Agreements; and concerns about the federal Canada Job Grant proposal.
http://www.flmm-fmmt.ca/CMFiles/FLMM%20Reports%20and%20Releases/FLMM_Booklet_English_Web_2.pdf
or Canada. Building Skills Together
http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/labourmarket/BuildSkills.html

The report shows how education and training for prisoners help reduce the social costs of crime and support the rehabilitation of prisoners and their reintegration into society. It further provides an overview of key European policies and funding programmes related to prison education and training, highlighting their added value and contribution to the development of innovative and new approaches to education provision in prisons. It then looks into the current ‘state-of-play’ with regard to provision in prisons across Europe, providing some concrete examples from individual Member States.
http://ec.europa.eu/education/library/study/2013/prison_en.pdf

Postsecondary tax credits cost the federal and provincial governments billions of dollars each year, but are not distributed equitably and may have no proven effect in boosting enrolment. The author finds flaws in the design of postsecondary tax credits and recommends they be better-targeted at low-income families that need them most.

This report highlights the challenges of skill development in India and presents new approaches that could be adopted to overcome these challenges. The purpose of the report is to encourage discussion that will evolve bigger and better ideas of overcoming the barriers in the skills development sector.

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

The purpose of this research was to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between apprenticeship completion, certification and outcomes. The main focus was on training and labour market outcomes, with a lesser emphasis on socio/demographic outcomes.

The report sets out how te government will accelerate its reforms to the skills system, to ensure that the its vocational training offer allows its citizens to compete with any in the world.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/186830/13-960-rigour-and-responsiveness-in-skills-amended.pdf

South Asia region is lacking 96 million of the 100 million trainees currently required to meet the requirements for continued economic growth.

This reports aims to identify, select and analyse current frameworks for the development of digital competence. Its objective is to understand how digital competence is currently understood and implemented in 15 cases, drawn from school curricula, implementation initiatives, certification schemes and academic papers. It develops a proposal for a common understanding of digital competence and identifies the sub-competences that compose it.
http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC68116.pdf

n 2011/12 academic year, international students in British Columbia spent close to $2.1 billion on tuition, to pay for accommodation and food, and on discretionary items such as participating in arts, culture, and recreation activities. This sum is translated to a direct contribution equivalent to $1.48 billion in provincial GDP; supporting over 23,410 jobs; and almost $75 million in government revenue generated. Enrolment of international students in Canadian education and training institutes has been increasing steadily over the past decade, and BC is not exception. During the period between 2009/2010 academic year and 2011/12 academic year where data on student enrolment is directly comparable, the number of international students in BC grew from 94,000 to 106,600, at an average growth rate of 6.5% per year. This rate of growth is much faster than enrolment growth of domestic students.
http://www.bccie.bc.ca/sites/bccie_society/files/Kunin%20Report%202013%28Web%29.pdf

The real demographic challenge for Canadian policymakers is adapting to a population growing “younger,” after taking increased life expectancies into account. In the report, the authors propose an alternative approach to population aging, which measures years to live instead of years since birth. Since 1950, Canadian life expectancy, on average, has increased. For example, a 65-year-old in 2010 had the same life expectancy as a 59.5 year-old in 1950. “Canadians are experiencing increases in longevity and are willing to work longer than previous cohorts” . “Public policy should aim to provide Canadians with the instruments to better manage retirement decisions.”

Around the world, governments and businesses face a conundrum: high levels of youth unemployment and a shortage of job seekers with critical skills. How can a country successfully move its young people from education to employment? What are the challenges? Which interventions work? How can these be scaled up? These are the crucial questions.

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