Job Skills as a moving targetfor VET providers and programs

A new way of dealing with dynamics in labour demand and craftsmanship

By Nico van den BergBenPO, Policy & Staff Development

Overview

• Context, approach and workshop introduction• 3 workshops in 3 different sectors– Beauty care– Installation technology– Builders’ merchants (wholesale trade)

• 2 tools for transparancy– Sector map (jobs context)– ‘Skillsmanager’ (job content)

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JS Toolbox goal:Sustainable quality in VET programs

The better match to make• In the right amount of workers• With the right knowledge and skills

on the right mastery level

The challenge at stake is • (how) to get a grip on future needs… • in dialog with relevant stakeholders?

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• Predicting is hard and getting harder (if not impossible)So:• Education: It’s good to keep a some distance but…– the mutual commitment must grow… (partnership)– to keep the gap as small as possible (responsibility)

• Dialog: Be sure to know what you’re talking about– A well defined scope (sector and region)– A clear and common view

• on the type and level of jobs at hand• on the craftmanship• on dynamics• (and on each others’ intrest and expertise)

A modest approach

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A pragmatic choice

• Engagement– > we chose articulated issues and urgent situations

• Quantitative impotence– > we could only provide rough figures for context

• Qualitative power– > we had strong arguments for better content of

craftsmanship• Up to date qualifications• Up to date VET materials

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Three workshops

• Professional qualifications– Public and private VET programs for beauty care

specialists– Relevant core knowledge and differentiation for

project leaders in installation technology

• Material– Updating VET materials for builders’ merchants

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Workshop 1Redesign of beauty care qualifications • Agenda– Bottle necks in VET programs– Trends and changes– Redesign of VET programs

• Partners– Branche representatives– VET representatives (public and private)– Teaching and examining professionals

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Beauty care jobs

• Beauty care is a branche on its own, between hairdressing and pedicure.

• It concerns over 10.000 professionals, working in ± 9.000 beauty parlors

level Hairdressing Beauty care pedicure

5 - Skin therapist -

4 - Allround beautician (30%) Medical pedicure

3 Hairdresser Beauty specialist (70%) Pedicure

2 Junior hairdresser Nailstylist -

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Beauty care job content(inner circle = level 3, outer circle = level 4)

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Beauty care dynamics• Market pull– growing demand with higher expectations– new clients (male, young, old and dark skinned)

• Technology push– New products, methods, techniques and machines– Bigger added value on a wider range

• Bigger context– From classical beauty care

towards “full service”• Bigger professional dilemma’s– Client demands, technical possibilities, social acceptance,

economical riscs, etc.

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Beauty care problems

• Too many students with too little to offer for too little jobs

• Big differences between public and private– Private programs for older inflow– Public programs for young school leavers

• Too much tot do in too little time on level 3• Too much differentiation in level 4• Lacking possibilities towards higher education

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Beauty care results (1)

• One qualification structure for both public and private programs with an equal value of the diploms in both varieties.

• A clear difference between core programs and additional specialisation courses

• An extended basic/level 3 program of 3 years• A new allround/level 4 program of 1 year• A choice of 4 extra specialisations on both

level 3 and 4

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Beauty care results (2)

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Workshop 2Projectleaders installation technology• Agenda– Establishing job core and variation – Defining a (new) core VET program and

specialisations

• Partners– Association of technical engineers– VET providers (3 technical universities)– Business representatives (national coverage)

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Installation jobs

• In total it concerns around 60.000 workers in about 4.000 organisations

• About 5% (3.000) works as projectmanager

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Projectleader dynamics

• Overlap/integration of technical fields– A wider range of knowledge and understanding

• Flexibility in human resources• Changing roles and responsibilities– From type of product to type of business

(Advice, commerce, operations)– Need for more soft/general/social skills

• “The project is the business”

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Projectleader VET problems

• Reluctant/retracting government• Growing number and diversity of programs– Each university has its own program– Differences in name, in core and in specialisations– Emphasis on general competencies

(at the expense of specific professional knowhow)– Qualitative mismatch between business

expectations and VET supply

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Projectleader content (findings)• Professional identity

– abstract ánd social orientation, accuracy, extraversion and autonomy • Main behavioral competences

– Analysis, presentation, persuasion, collaboration, customer focus and creativity

• Main technical knowledge and skills– Mechanical engineering

• Fields:Sanitary, heating, air conditioning, production, distribution• Themes: Sound, heat loss, cool load, energy performance and efficiency

– Electrical engineering• Fields: Power engineering, data/telecom/ict• Themes: Voltage drop, short circuit protection, lighting and power behavior,

dimensioning supply, power systems and block diagrams, emergency power, frequency control, data transfer, bus systems, risk management, power quality

– General issues• System integration, measurement and control, information technology

• Project and process management

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Different learning time ratios

• Lower levels ask for more maths and fysics• Higher levels ask for more ‘soft’ skills – as long as presented in a technical context!

• The vocational attention is the same

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Workshop 3Updating learning materials

for builders’ merchants• Agenda– Review of learning materials for all levels

(concerning the application and processingof products in building components)

• Partners– Branche representatives– Industry and suppliers– VET program developers and teachers

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Builders’ merchant jobs

• It concerns around 10.000 workers in about 600 organisations– 50% works in a technical annex commercial job– 30% works in logistic jobs (with client contacts)

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Building trade job content• Logistics

– Storage and transport: a matter of just in time and just enough• Commercial skills• Product selection and cost awareness

– (thinking like a contracter)• Civil engineering

– Construction– Physics– Legislation/regulations

• Application and processing of products in building components/phases)– foundation and floors– internal walls– outside walls– (pitched) roofs– Finishing (installations, kitchen, bathroom, tiling floors and walls)

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Building dynamics

• Housing and building market is stuck– New buildings > renovation

• Air pollution/traffic congestion – Both a building and transport problem

• Sustainability– In labour, products, energy, etc.

• Failure costs put pressure on margins• Rapid product development– New products– Changing (and critical) application and processing criteria

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Merchants problems

• The structure of the programs is good and clear but: The devil is in the details

• VET providers seek input for up to date knowledge

• Product suppliers seek a platform for distribution of their knowledge

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Workshop findings

• A lot of details need addition and correction• Specific themes and issues– neutrality and objectivity of information– lacking knowledge concerning foundation– lacking european standards and regulations– lacking attention to acoustic isolation– lacking attention to ventilation– some new and some outdated methods and

products

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2 Frames of reference

• A “sectormap” providing a context for – types and levels of professions/jobs– careers and functional mobility– corresponding VET programs– statistics for labour and education

• ‘Skillsmanager ‘ JOB profiles for transparancy in– tasks– competences (knowledge and skills)– mastery level– impact of innovations on all three aspects above

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Make your own ‘sectormap’

• Choose a type of business• Distinguish three types of jobs on 3 levels• Fill the matrix with…– jobs– their quantities – the mobility between them– demand of new employers

(annual replacement and growth) – and the VET programs to supply them

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‘Skillsmanagement’ is about…

Innovations/changes

Means

Employer

Vocational education and training, professional development

Persoon

Competencies Tasks

Professional

Professional behaviorProfessional behavior

8 september 2008

changebility importance

skillsknowledge

general competences

attitude, values,moral standards, ethics

personality, psysical and mental capabilities, character, convictions, self-image, motives, …

higher

lower

past

present

Personal and professional qualities

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The model of the WEB application

task 1

task 2

task ..

task n

job 1

job 2

job

3

work

pro

cess

know

ledge

skill

s

att

itudes

chara

cteri

stic

s

program 1

program 2

program 3

guidance

innovation 1

innovation 2

innovation ..

innovation n

Make your own job profiles

• Take a range of jobs • Try to fill in the 2 tables

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Future needs?

• What are the (dominant) trends and innovations?– consequences for tasks – consequences for (level of) knowledge and skills

• Which consequences do they have?– for your VET program(s)

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