Trudi van Wyk Alison Mead Richardson Education Specialists Commonwealth of Learning Flexible Skills...

Trudi van WykAlison Mead Richardson

Education Specialists

Commonwealth of LearningFlexible Skills Development

eLearning Africa, May 2011, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

UNESCO-UNEVOC ICT in TVET summit

Strengths20 year track record strong leadershippartnerships with countries

To help Commonwealth governments and institutions to

expand the scope, scale and quality of learning by using new

approaches and appropriate technologies

COL’s Mission

COL Funding

Voluntary contributions from Ministries of Education of member countries

Major contributors: Canada India New ZealandNigeria South Africa United Kingdom 40/5

4

COL Programme Structure

EducationOpen schoolingTeacher EducationHigher EducationVUSSC

Livelihoods & HealthSkills DevelopmentLearning for FarmersHealthy CommunitiesIntegrated eLearning

COL Flexible Skills Development

Partnership with CAPASupporting development of skills in ICT in TVET

Change management and organisational development

Policy and strategyTechnologyMedia & technology in TVET teaching

Characteristics of TVET in AfricaFull-time, face-to-face programmesPre-employment training for secondary

achieversSmall numbers benefitMany disadvantaged learners

ICT in TVETNecessary for expanded accessQuality improvementsImproved efficiency and increased

income Greater ICT skills of teachers and staff

Why Flexible Skills Development?

We believe that the appropriate use of ICT can:

help institutions to be more efficientImprove the teaching and learning

experienceMake it possible to offer new courses to

new learnersIncrease access to TVSDImpact positively on skills training for the

informal economy

Why the informal sector?

Sub-Saharan Africa• 60% of population is < 25years

• 90% of work is in the informal economy

• Governments are achieving great successes in EFA Goal 2 – UPE

• Governments need support to address EFA Goal 3 and Goal 6

Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programmes

Education for All Goal 3

Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills

Education for All Goal 6

Overall purpose of FSD

To increase access to skills development

Informal sector and other disadvantaged learners

To improve quality in TVSD

To contribute to poverty alleviation

FSD activities – progress

• Introductory workshops – Zambia, Kenya & Nigeria

• Identification of 10 key institutions – Baseline report

• Online Community Learning Network• Online managers & policy makers’ training• Support for management of technical

infrastructure• Online training for teachers in flexible

approaches

FSD Key Institutions

Online TVET managers &teacher training courses

Educational social media platformBuild a community of practiceResourcesDiscussionsOpportunity to share and provide

evidenceInstitutional group spaces

flexibleskills@col.org

CLN – content focus

Planning and policy making

Organisational management and change

Technical infrastructure and resources

TVET teaching with technology

165 members 80 discussions

FSD activities to come

Online teacher trainingMaterials development trainingNational policy workshopsCourse design for the informal sector

workersTVET course materials

Monitoring & evaluation

Important activity for COL and for CAPA

Needed to document the process Formative evaluationBaseline studyInstitutions are partners in M&ECapacity building for M&E

Aiming for:Development of flexible approaches, programmes and teaching which enable us to give

The COL FaB stamp of approval!

Thank you

www.col.orgflexibleskills@col.org