ASEM Symposium on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ASEM TVET Symposium)
During the third Asia-Europe Meeting of Ministers for Education (ASEMME3) in Copenhagen in May 2011, the Ministers "encouraged the exchange of experience on how qualifications frameworks affect lifelong learning and assure broad stakeholder acceptance of new forms of adult learning, thereby especially underlining the idea of enhancing and supporting the development of qualifications frameworks – including validation and recognition of informal and non-formal learning outcomes and flexible pathways. In this context, the Ministers welcomed … "Germany’s offer to organise the next Vocational Education Training symposium …”
Following this encouragement, about 60 experts from 22 ASEM member countries and various organisations dealing with vocational education met in Berlin from 27 – 28 February 2012 in order to exchange information on the respective state of development of National Qualifications Frameworks in ASEM member states. In different plenary sessions and workshops, examples of good practice in developing and implementing Regional and National Qualifications Frameworks were presented, commonalities and differences identified and further developments explored.
Photo Credits: Tobias Bohm/DAAD
Symposium documentation
All presentations may be downloaded as pdf files.
Monday, 27 Feburary 2012
Welcome Addresses
- Dr. Walter Mönig, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany
- Birgit Thomann, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
- Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, UNESCO-UNEVOC
Keynotes "National Qualifications Frameworks between Education and Employment"
- Dr. Madlen Serban, European Training Foundation (ETF)
- Prof. Dr. David Raffe, Centre for Educational Sociology, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Facilitator: Jan Ebben, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
Presentation of the Qingdao Declaration
- Liu Jian Tong, Ministry of Education, P.R. China
Introduction to the Working Sessions
- Dr. Georg Hanf, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
Parallel Working Sessions
1. Demand
Aims, objectives, targets of NQFs. Who wanted/wants them? What for? Who are the (main) stakeholders? Education and /or employment? What does/will NQF mean for qualification systems (shift to a learning outcomes approach)?
Chair: Diana Cáceres-Reebs, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
Input:
- Radha Chauhan, Ministry of Human Resource Development, India
- Sabine Gummersbach-Majoroh, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany
Rapporteur: Diana Cáceres-Reebs, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
2. Development
Who drives the development of NQFs? How – equation or criteria –based? What are the criteria/descriptors for learning outcomes? Is there a common language across sectors? How to define the necessary number of levels? How to reference qualifications: qualification types or individual qualifications? Who decided/decides on referencing?
Chair: Charlotte Geerdink, Netherlands House for Education and Research, (NETHER), Belgium
Input:
- Balakrishnan Vassu, Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA)
- Anne-Marie Charraud, formerly Ministry of Labour, Employment and Health, France
Rapporteur: Dr. Georg Hanf, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
3. Decision and Implementation
What is the (legal) status of the NQFs? Governance: What is/will be done with it? How to manage the process? Institutional set-up, tasks, procedures of communication and co-operation? Evidence of impact?
Chair: Elizabeth Watters, European Research for Intercultural Understanding (ERIU), Bonn, Germany
Input:
- Ann Doolette, Australian Qualifications Framework Council (AQF), Australia
- Simon Perks, Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), United Kingdom
Rapporteur: Jan Ebben, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Feedback from the Working Sessions
- Working Session 1:
Diana Cáceres-Reebs, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
- Working Session 2:
Dr. Georg Hanf, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
- Working Session 3:
Jan Ebben, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
Round Table Discussion
Will NQFs bring Asia and Europe closer together, increase education and/or work mobility, and support conversion of systems?
Chair: Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, UNESCO-UNEVOC
Panellists:
- Liu Yufeng, Central Institute for Vocational and Technical Education (CIVTE), P.R. China
- Reinhard Nöbauer, Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (BMUKK), Austria
- Dr. Paryono, Regional Centre for Vocational Education & Training (SEAMEO VOCTECH), Brunei
- Dr. Stavros Stavrou, Former Deputy Director of Cedefop
Closing Remarks and Presentation of Further Steps
- Christian Stertz, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany
- Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), Vietnam