Transcript Slide 1
Vocational Education: Lessons for
India
Nalin Jena
World Bank
Delhi
May 06, 2010
Global trends related to skills
• Wage differentials are rising between skilled and
unskilled workers in many regions, driven by skillbiased technological change
• Skilled jobs are growing faster than unskilled
employment
• Knowledge-based industries are expanding
rapidly and with them the demand for skills
• Unskilled workers are increasingly more
vulnerable to job loss, extended unemployment,
and declining real wages
2
Countries in Asia place more emphasis on
general secondary education than TVE
Secondary Vocational Enrolment as a Percent of
Total Secondary Enrolment: 2005
Oceana
Region
Europe
Asia
South America
North America
Africa
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Percent Vocational Enrolment
UNESCO Global Education Digest, 2005
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Uzbekistan
Turkey
Thailand
Tajikistan
Syria
Saudi Arabia
South Korea
Pakistan
Nepal
Mongolia
Malaysia
Lebanon
Lao PDRC
Kirgizstan
Kazakhstan
Jordan
Japan
Israel
Iran
Indonesia
India
Georgia
China
Cambodia
Bangladesh
Azerbaijan
Armenia
Percent Secondary Vocational
India is part of this trend with more emphasis on
general secondary education
Secondary Vocational Enrolment as a Percent of Total
Secondary Enrolment in Asia: 2005
25
20
15
10
5
0
Country
UNESCO, Global Education Digest, 2005
4
Comparing South and East Asia suggests 20-year lag in human
capital stock of education
India
Malaysia
India: population 15 years and over
5.5%
16%
2004
Malaysia: population 15 years and over
5%
32%
4.7%
36%
42%
2000
47%
16%
16%
27%
2000
53%
4.7%
2%
1980
46%
12%
27%
25%
1994
58%
2.9%
1984
8.5%
1.5%
1960
10.1%
24.5%
38.6%
50%
64%
V - illiterate,
V
25%
- primary,
V - secondary,
V
- above secondary
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Despite progress, India’s human capital lags far behind China (pop. aged >
15 years)
"Stock of Skills"
"Stock of Skills"
50
50
45
45
40
40
30
25
35
Percentage
Percentage
35
30
India (2004)
25
China (2000)
20
China (2000)
15
20
10
15
5
10
0
Illiterate
5
0
Illiterate
India (2004)
Primary
Primary
Secondary
Educational Level
Secondary
Educational Level
Above
Secondary
Above
Secondary
Preparing youth in schools for entry to the
workforce
Payoff to TVE is highest where an economy is creating jobs
A little vocational content in secondary education(<20%) doesn’t help
with jobs
When compared with general secondary education TVE impact on
chances for employment is stronger than on wages
Post-secondary TVE provides strong impact on wages and employment
Working in jobs that use the skills acquired pays higher returns
TVE is unlikely to solve all social problems: gender, demand for higher
education, unemployment and disadvantage
TVE can increase educational attainment even where it does not
increase employment and earnings
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Key areas of global reform in skills
development
Government strengthening of market institutions
Registration and accreditation
Testing and certification
National qualification frameworks
Labor market information
Regulation
Carrying out school-based reforms
Strengthening links between schools and industry
Curricula reform
Strengthening school management
Improving facilities and equipment
Upgrading of instructors
Developing public-private partnerships
Promoting lifelong learning with flexible entry and exit from training
Focusing on skills outcomes rather than inputs in measuring results
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Lessons from around the Globe
TVE provides short-term gains in employment over
general secondary education
Apprenticeships provide similar benefits
The share of vocational enrolment offers no guarantee
to smooth the transition from school to work, but it
does expand choice and promote retention
TVET reforms are taking place at two levels:
School-based reforms
Market-based reforms
Governments play key role in promoting effective
markets for skills development
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Thank You!
Good international practices
Australia and South Korea: building a learning culture to guide TVET
policy
Singapore: providing students with choices in curricula, plus vertical
and horizontal mobility; excellent use of public-private partnerships
Chile: using the role of government as a financier to promote
competition (INSE)
Mexico: good example of pre-employment training and excellent
use of monitoring and evaluation for learning (PROBECAT)
Germany: dual training linking school and work
U.K., Australia, South Africa: expanding apprenticeships to new
trades linking school and work
Malaysia and Singapore: use of training funds to promote training
that reaches small enterprises
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