Competency-based technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is described and the role of the private sector outlined. The changing role of the private sector in different socio-economic contexts is stressed. The article points to the need for a national policy which integrates public and private initiatives. Finally an agenda for action for TVET in the 21st century is proposed.
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References
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This paper is based on an invited presentation to the Colombo Plan Staff College for Technical Education (CPSC) Senior Administrators' Conference (SAC) in Manila, in 1995, on ‘Meeting the Challenges of Human Development and TVET in the 21 st Century’, a theme which has been vitally important during the last quarter of this century. Other conferences have addressed similar themes. For example, concurrently with the 12th SAC, ‘Vocational Education & Training in a Global Context’ was the theme of the annual convention of the American Vocational Association (AVA) in Denver, Colorado, pp. 1–5 December 1995. The International Vocational Education & Training Association (IVETA) is affiliated to AVA and holds its annual conference and business meeting as part of the AVA Convention. At the IVETA Conference, a paper by the author discussed recognition of higher vocational qualifications (diploma level) granted by higher educational institutions (HEIs) (ImrieB.W., ‘International cooperation with higher vocational qualifications: an example’, Innovations in Education and Training International, forthcoming 1996).
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