Disruptions to TVET During COVID
The ILO and partners have recently released a report on the disruptions faced by the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector due to lockdown and social distancing measures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While some programs were able to adopt distance learning practices, the hands-on nature of many technical and vocational training courses meant that the delivery of effective training was severely hampered.
Practical modules were suspended worldwide, resulting in one of the most critical components of technical training not able to be delivered, in many cases, at all. The study, conducted by the ILO, UNESCO, and the World Bank, found work-based learning disruptions were widespread. Workplace closures were significant in driving those disruptions.
Furthermore, where a move to online learning models was implemented, existing digital inequalities were exposed, with those most in need of upskilling and skills training affected acutely.
Overall, COVID-19 had an unprecedented impact on the delivery of TVET programs, with skill training, work placements, and even learning material sourcing capabilities all suspended, postponed, or moved to online environments where reach was dramatically hampered by access to IT equipment and internet connections.
COVID-19 exposed the vulnerability of TVET to such shocks and crises.
Nevertheless, the disruption to traditional TVET delivery accelerated a shift that had already been underway toward the digitization of training and learning. Remote learning has been the default fallback for all education sectors during the pandemic, and in TVET it was no different.
Delivering education remotely and relying on digital technologies faces a number of obstacles. Firstly, many types of vocational skill training modules naturally lend themselves to hands-on, in-person training. Distance-based learning cannot fully compensate for the lack of hands-on workshops.
Secondly, the reliance on internet connections and ICT access meant that many students were unable to participate in learning at all.
TVET providers were largely unaccustomed to distance learning models according to the ILO’s study. Over a third of those surveyed had never used distance learning prior to the pandemic. Just over ten percent used it regularly. COVID-19 forced the sector to resort to methods to which it was largely unfamiliar.
Yet, the enthusiasm to meet the challenge was quite high. 66 percent of institutions developed distance training modules during the pandemic, according to the report, indicating a willingness to continue delivering training and assessment despite the significant obstacles.
Problematically, that transition was limited in low income countries, exacerbating global inequalities. Around 25 percent of participating institutions in low income countries implemented full or partial distance learning practices. That contrasts with around 90 percent in high income countries.
The coronavirus pandemic had a negative impact on TVET worldwide, with that impact felt most acutely in low income countries. However, if the deployment of adaptive and alternative methods of skill training continues, the TVET sector may be better served to deal with future crises.
The impact of COVID-19 on the TVET sector is not unlike that experienced by most industries. It was dramatic. It forced entities to adopt untried technologies and methods. Those new methods are generally less effective when relied on exclusively or near-exclusively. And the poorest nations were hardest hit.
Integrating technology into blended models that harness the benefits of ICT but acknowledge its shortcomings, and ensuring that integration takes place in less developed economies is vital for a post-COVID future.
(Findings taken from ‘Skills development in the time of COVID-19: Taking stock of the initial responses in technical and vocational education and training’, International Labour Organization and World Bank 2021)
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