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The report “The Digitization of TVET and Skills Systems” [1] provides a global, high-level snapshot of the digitalization of TVET and skills systems in a set of countries and international organizations. The primary data are derived from a set of semi-structured interviews with experts and practitioners in the TVET and education sectors, as well as a desktop literature review. One of the conclusions looks at digitalization as one of the forces behind life long learning and flexible learning.
The evolution of technology is driving two associated trends. On the one hand, distance learning technologies, microlearning and evolution in support technologies, such as scheduling software, are significantly expanding institutions’ capacities to offer flexible learning opportunities at times and places that are driven by learner needs, rather than institutional needs.
On the other hand, continued digitization of processes within industry means that workers need to return to education or training at several stages across their working careers to remain relevant. Indeed, the notion of a single ‘career’ over a worker’s lifetime is gradually eroding. Typically, workers and companies prefer that such education or training is either seamlessly integrated into the workplace or can take place simultaneously to workplace demands, without disrupting normal workflows.
Taken together, these two trends are increasing ‘just-in-time learning’, whereby an individual will take initial training with a dedicated education and training institution to provide access to the labour market, and then continue to undergo additional training provided by employers or other educational and training institutions as career goals and job requirements evolve. This training might be integrated into an individual’s job as microlearning courses or take the form of evening classes, online courses or online pieces of training.
These lifelong education and training pathways are also significantly increasing the complexity of workers’ CVs. Innovations in digital credentials, e-portfolios and CV software are aiming to ensure that CVs can still be presented concisely while providing verification and visibility of the full lifelong learning pathways.
The requirements of just-in-time learning are also leading to significant innovation in the areas of skills assessment, with multiple companies and governments developing tools that can assess a student/ worker’s current skills and suggest new skills which may assist career development.
References
[1] “The Digitization of TVET and Skills Systems” ILO 2020
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