Across the world, millions of people, particularly youth are unemployed, with many in developing countries underemployed. At the same time employers struggle to fill jobs as TVET and university graduates do not have the skills they seek. COVID 19 has exacerbated this situation with an estimated half a billion jobs lost during 2020.

The pandemic has also made it more difficult to develop skills. Like other educational institutions, TVET providers have tried to move online.  But they face extra challenges with limited technology infrastructure, having a poorer student base less likely to have mobile devices or afford data, reaching youth in more remote locations and the inclusion of practical skills which are hard to teach online.

For more than 30 years, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) has focused on the potential for open and distance learning to increase access to quality education in developing countries.  Even before the pandemic, COL was piloting a model blending online and workplace learning to make TVET more accessible and relevant to help solve the global skills development challenges. However, the pandemic has broadened interest in online methods.

This webinar will share COL’s experiences thus far, including:

• The opportunity to innovate to overcome existing TVET challenges building on decades of experience in Australasia, Africa and Asia,
• COL’s model of online plus workplace learning,
• Lessons from projects that worked on teaching practical skills in trades like construction, woodworking and cell phone repair in Nigeria, Zambia and Tuvalu.

This webinar is part of S4YE’s ongoing learning series that supports youth employment practitioners to share practical insights and learn from one another. 

Click on the link to join the webinar: Join Using WebEx

The recording and slides will be available on S4YE website after the session.