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Increased migration between Asia-Pacific countries and the rapid pace of regional integration are leading to increasing calls for quality assurance in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) qualifications. The third International Congress on TVET held in Shanghai in 2012, for example, recommended the development of guidelines to assist Member States in this process. To this end, UNESCO Bangkok with Asia-Pacific Member States developed this set of guidelines. The guidelines focus on the quality assurance of TVET qualifications based on findings from 13 country studies. The study was carried out through a participatory process involving consultation with Member States to best respond to their diverse contexts and needs.

The aim of these guidelines is to propose principles and indicators that can assist Member States in optimizing their quality assurance mechanisms for TVET qualifications. They provide a framework for documenting, developing, monitoring, evaluating and improving the currency and comparability of certificates, diplomas or degrees in TVET. Member States are strongly urged to make efforts to implement the guidelines as appropriate to their specific national contexts.

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The competencies of graphic design graduates are always a concern for design educators and industry professionals. However, limited evidence has been offered by past studies on the existence of a set of competency standards for new entrants to graphic design profession. Also, there seems to exist a very few studies on the tool used to measure the graduates' competency levels that can be found from the literature review. This paper intends to describe a conceptual framework used to develop a model and instrument for competency assessment of graphic design graduates in the context of Malaysia. The conceptual framework described in this paper will include the factors that constantly affect the competencies (knowledge, skills, personal traits, self-concept, and motives) of graphic design graduates.

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The transition from a post-industrial society to a knowledge-based economy is driving the integration of vocational education and training (VET) and human resource development (HRD), resulting in new systems for lifelong learning. In the perspective of lifelong learning, VET and HRD are no longer separate systems but part of a common developmental approach. This approach supports people in developing their employability and transferability and acknowledges that learning may take place anywhere and can take different forms. The challenge is to develop systems, models and learning arrangements in which VET and HRD are seen as parts of a common frame for lifelong learning. This volume presents perspectives on the policies, dynamics and effects of VET and HRD systems. The introductory chapter is: Emerging research approaches in the European VET and HRD arena / Loek F. M. Nieuwenhuis & Wim J. Nijhof. Section one, 'Analysing systems', contains the following chapters: The VET system between private demands and public interests: the Dutch challenge / Wim J. Nijhof; 101 initiatives but no strategy: policy on lifelong learning in England / Frank Coffield; The learning-oriented company and policy perspectives for VET and HRD / Lorenz Lassnigg; Continuity and change in pathways from education to work / David Raffe. Section two, 'Organising learning processes', contains the following chapters: Competencies in a post-industrial society: the imperative of bringing professions back in by integrating work and learning / Ben Hovels and Paul den Boer; Action-taking orientation of vocational education and training in Germany: a dynamic concept or rhetoric? / Gerald A. Straka; Work-related learning: elaborate, expand and externalise / P. Robert-Jan Simons & Manon C. P. Ruijters; Some hints on the success or failure of self-directed learning at the workplace / Frank Achtenhagen; Innovation and learning in small companies / Loek F. M. Nieuwenhuis. Section three, 'Assessment of output', contains the following chapters: Authentic assessment in vocational examinations: approaches within the German dual system / Klaus Breuer; Assessing institutional effects of colleges: the labour market success of their graduates / Roel J. Bosker, Rolf van der Velden and Peet van de Loo; Vocational education from an economic point of view / Hans Heijke.

Individual chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 71.215 to TD/TNC 71.226. Show less

This paper discusses the impact of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic on the learning experience of students at a VET (Vocational Educational Training) Higher Education Institution in tourism education, namely the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) in Malta (EU). A sample of students who attended ITS between March 2020 and January 2022 generated the primary data. This revealed the students' experience in terms of their academic performance (both theoretical knowledge and practical skills), their personal well-being, and their perceived evaluation of the educational institution during the emergency caused by COVID-19. There is particular emphasis on e-learning / remote learning and the challenges of conducting school-related practical work, going on work placement or work in the tourism industry (both part-time and full-time) apart from their studies.

The data analysis revealed that the student experience at ITS was, in many aspects, similar to international trends. This was seen in terms of the impact of the pandemic's restrictions on face-to-face learning and the sudden shift to pure e-learning in all courses. Students confirmed that since ITS had, in previous years, invested in the e-learning infrastructure, e-learning systems in place proved extremely effective when they were needed most. However, not all subjects were considered suitable for delivering online. In fact, students stated that most practical subjects and certain theoretical subjects are better delivered face-to-face. The way forward recommended by students is a blended system where the courses have both a face-to-face component and an online component. The latter not only provides more flexibility in learning, which is especially sought by mature and part-time students, but also reduces time wasted in travel to and from campus.

Although research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education is widely available, little research focused on VET and Higher Education in Tourism, especially through the experience of learners. For this reason, this paper seeks to address this gap in knowledge. The major limitation of this research is that it was conducted in a volatile situation with ever-changing COVID-19 conditions, restrictions and challenges that had a direct impact on education.

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The concept of learning outcomes is at the heart of many research programs and policy responses. International surveys (from the International Adult Literacy Survey, back in the mid-90s, to the forthcoming Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes two OECD surveys), National Qualifications Frameworks or the European Qualifications Framework engineered by the European Commission and the most recent laws and policies on recognition of non-formal and informal learning outcomes (RNFILO), all rely on the concept of learning outcomes. This paper claims that it is no coincidence that the concept of learning outcomes is at the core of these seemingly unrelated policies, programs and research projects. Learning outcomes provide a base for equitable assessment in the world of education and lifelong learning. Learning outcomes also are relevant to the labour market and the expectations of end-users such as employers. It also claims that, beyond the hype and some misunderstanding, approaches relying on learning outcomes bring more equity to the world of education and training and to the world of work. This paper aims at focusing on RNFILO as a policy tool, and insists on possible applications and policy implementation. It proposes a definition of the key terms, a possible rationale for organising recognition programs, and a list of pros and cons for doing so.

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Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a signature feature of study in many higher education institutions. In business degrees, industry feedback is recognized as an integral part of the assessment of WIL, yet the role played by industry in appraising student performance in the workplace has not been clearly defined. Based on interviews with industry supervisors and academic mentors, this paper addresses the integration of academic and industry supervisor assessment practices designed to maximize student learning outcomes and capture the depth of the learning experiences during a work placement. A model of industry feedback was developed to incorporate planned assessment practices that achieve the learning outcomes agreed to at the start of the placement by all stakeholders: the student, the academic mentor and the industry supervisor.

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The purpose of the project was to develop ways of formulating examination exercises which shed light on various aspects of competence to perform occupational activities. The first part of the project, which sought to establish how far this can be achieved by programmed exercises, is now complete. The approach was to be so general that its applicability was limited neither to certain subject matter nor to specific forms of examinations and exercises. Show less

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It was implemented for the OECD by an international consortium led by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). ACER also conducted the PISA survey within Australia. PISA is a new survey of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds mainly in industrialised countries. The survey seeks to determine: how well students are prepared for future challenges; which skills they have to help them to adapt to change in their lives, e.g. the ability to analyse, reason and communicate their arguments and ideas to others; whether some ways of organising schools and learning within them are more effective than others; if the quality of school resources has an influence on students' learning; and the extent to which student performance is dependent on their home backgrounds and ways to improve learning opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. PISA assesses the learning domains of reading, mathematical and scientific literacy along with some other areas such as students' familiarity with computers, their learning strategies, and their attitudes towards their schools. The first of a planned three-yearly cycle of assessments was undertaken in 32 countries (28 OECD member countries and four non-member countries that chose to participate) during the year 2000 in randomly selected samples of schools and students. This pamphlet summarises the Australian national report, providing results of student performance and insights into factors that influence the development of their reading, mathematical and scientific skills at home and at school, and discussing the implications of the results for policy development.

The full Australian report is indexed at TD/TNC 69.532 and the international report is indexed at TD/TNC 67.328. Show less

Australia has declared its ambition to be within the ‘top five’ in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) by 2025. So serious is it about this ambition, that the Australian Government has incorporated it into the Australian Education Act, 2013. Given this focus on PISA results and rankings, [the authors] go beyond average scores to take a close look at Australia’s performance in PISA, examining rankings by different geographical units, by item content and by test completion. Based on this analysis and using data from interviews with measurement and policy experts, [the authors] show how uninformative and even misleading the ‘average performance scores’, on which the rankings are based, can be. [The authors] explore how a more nuanced understanding would point to quite different policy actions. After considering the PISA data and Australia’s ‘top five’ ambition closely, [the authors] argue that neither the rankings nor such ambitions should be given much credence.

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After reviewing research concerning student transition from Vocational Education and Training (VET) to Higher Education (HE), which mostly focussed on enablers, this paper examined the role of graded assessment within a competency based training (CBT) framework and its relationship to subsequent performance in HE studies. From this background, the key question was derived; is there a relationship between grades awarded under CBT and HE academic performance? The academic results of 34 students were reviewed for both VET and HE studies, and correlations analysed using the Spearman Rho calculator. A Likert style survey was used to gauge student perceptions as to their investment in assessment activities and the extent to which VET studies prepared them for HE.

Results indicated that a positive correlation existed between performance in VET studies and those in HE. This correlation was supported in that most students reported that they did attempt to achieve the highest grades possible across both sectors. It was concluded that using VET grades as predictors of success in HE was valid for this cohort and that students believed that VET assisted in preparing them for HE studies. The findings add to the argument calling for retention and indeed refinement of grading within the CBT system.

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