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Jansen, J and Taylor, N. (2003). Geneva: World Bank.

An op-ed by Zaahedah Vally

Employability and Learning Pathways in the Green Economy

In separate initiatives to test new models for increasing employability and skills in the Green Economy, the J.P. Morgan Foundation, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, along with, the Nedbank Foundation, National Business Initiative (NBI), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the Institute of Plumbing South Africa, undertook interventions to leverage employment opportunities for young people and labour market mobility for those who were already working. This paper presents lessons from three of those interventions that can contribute towards developing a framework for entry and mobility within the Green Economy. Two of these programmes targeted unemployed youth, and one targeted employees in the plumbing sector, who did not have a formal sector-specific qualification. All three programmes used a combination of knowledge training and practical learning, with two of them offering a workplace learning component. Of the three programmes, the one without the workplace learning component showed the least desirable outcomes, with only 5 out of 25 being employed, according to a tracer study 6 months after the programme ended. Skills programmes that have a workplace learning component optimise the candidates readiness, and also the match between the candidates capacity, and occupational roles. It creates the opportunity for the industry itself to identify what skills are in demand. This kind of responsive and demand-driven training can enhance employability and entry into the labour market.

Enhancing Teacher Training through Innovative Distance and blended Learning Models: Insights, Collaborations, and Research

Two higher education institutions (HEIs) shared their models for the B.Ed. programme in initial teacher education (ITE), with inputs on online/blended learning. The discussion then explored how providers of extended student teacher internships (ESTIs) who offer diverse forms of wrap-around support to distance education students could partner with HEIs through activities related to the work integrated learning (WIL) component of the B.Ed. or in other capacities. The focus was also on the type of evidence required to show the value of the ESTI model and the work of the non-government organisation Implementing Partners (NGO IPs) in order to motivate for these partnerships or service offerings. This report is a summary of the discussions during the TICZA Community of Practice (CoP) Series COP #15 Summary Report: 3 October.

Enhancing TVET through digital transformation in developing countries

Digital transformation is a complex process that with varying impacts across economic sectors. In the education and training sector, digital transformation in TVET can involve TVET operational systems (administration, finance, human resources, building infrastructure and maintenance, student registration, etc.); classroom delivery (learning management, instructional delivery methods, etc.); and the actual knowledge and skill component of the curriculum, for example by integrating productivity software such as word processors or spreadsheets into students’ learning outcomes. The integration of digital skills in the TVET curriculum allows learners to acquire the changing skills and knowledge (tacit and explicit) required to function in a digitalizing society, economy and labour market. Digital transformation in TVET is also transforming the dominant modalities of traditional face-to-face learning and teaching to involve multiple configurations of actors (learners, teachers and technologies/apps) in space and time (when, where, who, how). This means that digital transformation in TVET offers opportunities for teachers to reconsider their pedagogical assumptions, behaviours and relationships with students.

Keynote address delivered at Rhodes University PhD Symposium, July 2015 by Yvonne Reed, School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand. Presents an overview of findings from several research studies, including the Initial Teacher Education Research Project (ITERP).

Taylor N. (2007). Also published as Chapter 29 IN: International Handbook of School Effectiveness and Improvement . Springer International Handbooks of Education , Vol. 17. Townsend, Tony (Ed.). Dordrecht: Springer.