The
TVET is non-academic technical study and / or practical training that develop
the skills and knowledge of technical employees and trainees working in
different sectors of industry and TVET Institutions. The TVET is the part of
the education system that rovides courses and training programmes related to
employment. It is applied to training and development of students attending
vocational institutes as well as those who dropout from secondary schools.
The
TVET is best applied when industrial enterprises and vocational education
institutions give full attention to the performance of the employees and
students (trainees) by applying both Competency Based Technical and Vocational
Education and Training TVET as well as Competency Based Employees Assessment
and Assurance Quality Management Systems. These systems are applied by the
management of different sectors of industry and TVET Insinuations with a view
to have reasonable assurance of meeting their business objectives by assuring
that their employees and students (trainees) are well trained, assessed
verified and proved to be competent.
Taking
consideration of the above, we should stress that technical vocational schools
are applying Competency Based Training CBT, Competency Assurance Quality
Management System CAMS to provide guidelines that will enable management to set
valid and reliable controls in place to ensure students are trained, assessed
and competent and that they can discharge their responsibilities in a safe and
effective manner when joining work locations.
A
student in a formal school is studying subjects scheduled to last during one
year. Because the progression through the various subjects in the school is
time-based, at any given time during the year the teacher is expected to be at
a specific point in the textbook or course content. While not every student may
progress at the same rate, the schedule typically requires everyone to move at
the same rate as the teacher. Tests
(Assessments) in formal schools are administered periodically to ensure students understand the concepts and principles. Test scores often are compared to determine the grades of the students. Unfortunately, when a student does not do well on a test (assessment) there often is little time for individual assistance as the teacher / instructor must move on in order to adhere to the established time schedule. While traditional, time-based approaches to education have met with varying levels of success over the years, it is an ineffective system when the goal is to train individuals to perform specific, job-related skills at work locations (On-the-Job Training OJT / In-Service Training) under TVET.
(Assessments) in formal schools are administered periodically to ensure students understand the concepts and principles. Test scores often are compared to determine the grades of the students. Unfortunately, when a student does not do well on a test (assessment) there often is little time for individual assistance as the teacher / instructor must move on in order to adhere to the established time schedule. While traditional, time-based approaches to education have met with varying levels of success over the years, it is an ineffective system when the goal is to train individuals to perform specific, job-related skills at work locations (On-the-Job Training OJT / In-Service Training) under TVET.
For
example, will a Fitter student / trainee, attending the full course in a
technical vocational school to learn how to operate, maintain and repair a
certain pump, can effectively maintain and repair such machinery on site (at
work location)? Of course not! If the Fitter is unable to attend part of the
course; does this mean he can not maintain and repair the pump? Probably not.
If the Fitter does poorly on a written test (assessment) conducted during the
course, should he immediately fail the full course or
should his gaps identified, a ‘Specific Elimination Programme’ developed and the Fitter is re-trained, and re-assessed with a view to eliminate his identified gaps. If the Fitter can pass all written assessments (tests), does this indicate that he can operate, maintain and repair the pump? Of course no, as the Fitter has to demonstrate his awareness, knowledge, skills and mastery at work location (Observation) and not only through
written tests (assessment) and he has to provide evidences that he acquired the required competence(S) at the required competency level (standard). Do the tests (assessments) have to be administered periodically to ensure vocational students understand the concepts and principles? Of course not! The tests (assessments) are carried out on continuous basis and the students are assessed when a certain task or group of tasks are completed.
should his gaps identified, a ‘Specific Elimination Programme’ developed and the Fitter is re-trained, and re-assessed with a view to eliminate his identified gaps. If the Fitter can pass all written assessments (tests), does this indicate that he can operate, maintain and repair the pump? Of course no, as the Fitter has to demonstrate his awareness, knowledge, skills and mastery at work location (Observation) and not only through
written tests (assessment) and he has to provide evidences that he acquired the required competence(S) at the required competency level (standard). Do the tests (assessments) have to be administered periodically to ensure vocational students understand the concepts and principles? Of course not! The tests (assessments) are carried out on continuous basis and the students are assessed when a certain task or group of tasks are completed.
Obviously,
the time-based educational system used in educational schools is not
appropriate when conducting TVET. A more appropriate approach is Competency
Based Training CBT and which is performance-based.
In
a traditional school educational system, the unit of progression is time and it
is teacher-centered. In a CBT system, the unit of progression is the
performance and acquiring of specific competencies at awareness, knowledge,
skills and mastery level (standard) and it is trainee-centered.
The
traditional schooling bench marking and grading system is suitably applied only
for the Basic Training I.e. Of-the-Job Training through modular courses /
curriculum.
For
the On-the-Job Training OJT in technical vocational schools, we should use the
above continuous assessment. Such above Fitter student / trainee who passes a
certain OJT task is considered to be “Competent”. If the Fitter does not pass,
he is “Not Yet Competent” and his gaps have to be identified, a Specific Gap
Elimination Programme is to be developed and he is to be re-trained and
re-assessed. We can set a criteria for how many times the trainee can fail and
be re-trained.
Finally
it is very essential that industrial enterprises take part of the responsibility
as custodian of training, not only from the time the fresh graduated students
join the enterprise, but from the time they start their TVET in the vocational
institutions in what we all know as Dual TVET i.e. students study few days of
the week in the educational institution (Basic Training) and remaining days in
the enterprise (OJT).
by
Moustafa Wahba
Competency
Assurance & TVET Consultant
UNESCO-UNEVOC
e-Forum, http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/e-forum, March 3, 2010.
