Transcript Regulating VET - TAFE Directors Australia

Role of international networks in
informing TVET policy and practice
Rod Camm
Managing Director
UNESCO-UNEVOC Regional Forum
31 August 2014
#150526
Presentation structure
• Funding TVET projects: A problem or opportunity?
• The policy and decision making environment
• The importance of research to advise investment and
resourcing decisions
• Role of networks in mobilising research effort and supporting
evidence-based policy and practice
NCVER’s vision
To inform and influence vocational education and
training in Australia through credible, reliable and
responsive research and statistical services.
The policy environment
• The growth of evidence-based decision making and policy
• A trend toward donors and governments funding what can be
measured – the impact of aid and investment in light of public
accountability for funds
• Attention to ‘Value for Money’ propositions in deciding on official
development assistance (ODA) or government expenditure
• Multiple countries and agencies are involved in funding and
supporting educational development programs in countries and
regions; cooperation can be ‘hit and miss’
A problem or opportunity?
• Lack of understanding of the sum of individual aid/funding allocation
decisions on national and global development goals – a role for
research?
• Certain areas of education are under-funded; for example TVET
despite its close connection to economic objectives in most countries
• Research evidence on the benefits of investment in TVET is
‘scratchy’ and understanding what it means for the individual,
employer, community, country, regions and international community is
difficult
• A gap still exists between TVET policy and practice and TVET
research – how to connect?
Impact versus Publication
Connecting research and policy
• Research is important to help:
 Learners to make better choices
 Providers to ensure they have capacity to meet demand
 Industry and employers to have confidence they have
access to appropriately qualified labour
 Governments to make wise investment decisions
 Training markets
 Entitlement
 Quality
 Role of industry
Connecting research and policy
• Researchers are often naïve about how policy development and funding
decisions are made
Independence versus Independence
• Relevance and timeliness of research is important in aiming to provide
the evidence base for policy – understand the cycles
Synthesis pieces
Engagement
• Producing research in a way that decision makers understand – layering
the message
• Adopt multi-disciplinary approaches – not just an educational problem!
• Determining priorities and projects
Assessing the impact of NCVER’s
research
• Quantitative and qualitative measures to identify where
research has made a difference in terms of:
-
knowledge production
capacity building
informing policy, and
informing practice.
Good practice guide for measuring and
maximising research impact in social
science research settings
• Approach to measuring impact across four domains:
-
producing knowledge
building the capacity of researchers and end users
influencing policy, and
influencing practice.
A regional and global perspective
• Need to make best use of research to understand the multiple
benefits of investing in TVET
• International interest in understanding common issues; for example
funding and financing challenges, recognition and mobility,
attractiveness of TVET, returns to investing in training
• Need for pooling of resources and information sharing; especially
around what works in different contexts
A regional and global perspective
A regional and global perspective
• Increasingly, a regional approach to TVET development; mobility,
recognition of qualifications, transferability of skills
• Need for whole-of-region approaches rather than country-specific
interventions
• Need for pooling of resources and information sharing on some
issues; especially around what works in different contexts
• Big issues sometimes require harnessing global research
resources
A regional and global perspective
• Considerable interest in funding and financing issues – current joint
study between Australia and Germany looking at ways of
encouraging employer investment
• Funding and financing TVET in the Pacific Island region (an AusAID
initiative)
• Understanding returns to investing in TVET – UNESCO initiative (to
be discussed later in the forum)
What is needed
• Harnessing better the research talent in the international community
• Focussing research around real solutions to big issues
• Provide leading evidence of the extent to which certain models and
interventions work or make a difference
• Share the results widely through available networks
• Impact versus Publication
International TVET research networks
• UNESCO-UNEVOC network
- regional clusters
• European Research Network
in Vocational Education &
Training
• SEAMEO centres
• International Education
Research Network
• Country specific – NCVER,
AVETRA (Australia), FERA
(U.K)