Learning for Life, Work and the Future Initial ... - Unesco-Unevoc

Page 42 Participants’ Papers Learning for Life, Work and the Future
of DACUM occupational profiles for the development
of a demand-driven, market-oriented system of occupational
competence assessment and certification. The
trade testing system provides an open and accessible
way of assessing, recognising, accrediting and certifying
job competence at different levels. It represents
the only available opportunity of integrating and
recognising competencies acquired in the informal
sector.
The link with trade testing is designed to facilitate the
following:
• Review of testing instruments and procedures based
on occupational profiles in order to enhance their
validity in the labour market
• Re-organisation of the trade testing system in order
to open it up to more occupations and candidates.
6. Conclusion
The innovative experiences involved in the development
of ZOSS concepts, procedures, products and
services are invaluable to other countries in the region
that have already embarked or intend to embark on
CBET. ZOSS is a post-modern learning organisation
which is committed to sharing experiences, expertise
and resources within the framework of regional integration
on the introduction of CBET, with particular
emphasis on the development and implementation of
standards-based education and training based on
DACUM.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
ACCC Association of Canadian Community Colleges
CBET Competency-Based Education and Training
CIDA Canadian International Development Agency
CZI Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries
DACUM Developing a Curriculum
EMCOZ Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe
GTZ German Agency for Technical Co-operation
MoHET Ministry of Higher Education and Technology
NAMACO National Manpower Advisory Council
NVTD National Vocational Training and Development
SQA Scottish Qualifications Authority
ZCTU Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
ZIMDEF Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund
ZNCC Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce
ZOSS Zimbabwe Occupational Standards Services
5 FOUDRAINE, Anthony (Botswana): Quality of TVET
1. Introduction
The need for quality in Technical and Vocational Education
is in principle no different from the need for
quality in education in general. However, in this
particular paper we want to focus on Technical
Education, and we shall see that the yardstick for
measuring the quality is different in each type of
education.
In this introduction, we shall try to give a sharper
description of quality when used in relation to
technical education.
When we compare education with an industrial process,
the students 1 that enter the process can be
compared with the raw material, and those that are
delivered at the end can be compared with the finished
product. The product may be of a high quality, getting
a very positive reception in the professional periodicals,
but it may not sell. The quality of a product is not
enough: it must also fit the market. What is considered
to be quality education in Kazakhstan is not necessarily
quality education on the Fiji Islands. We therefore
need to define quality in TVET as the manner in which
a society is willing and able to absorb the graduates of
the technical education system.
1 In this paper, when the male form is used, the female form should
always apply as well
2. Modes of Learning
2.1 Outcomes-based learning
The traditional way of learning is still practised in
thousands of technical schools all over the world.
Students sit in the classroom, listen to the lecturer,
make notes, and prepare themselves for examinations.
In the workshops they all make the same work-piece,
and all have to be ready before the end of the month.
Marking is either on a sliding scale or in percentages,
where the pass mark is usually 50%. But as soon as
the student walks into his first job, he is told that the
work he does should be 100% correct. The outcome of
his work is either right or wrong.
Another form of learning is the outcomes-based
system. The student knows exactly what is expected of
him, what is the range of the work, and what the
tolerances are.
In technical education, this system has been introduced
with varying degrees of success. It is not successful
when the standards that are used to measure the performance
of the students are not clearly defined, or are
too high. It is impossible to expect a novice to do a job
as well as a craftsman with ten years’ experience.
The system can be successful when the standards for
the work, also called the criteria, are adapted to the
level of learning. It should also allow for an individual
approach, in which the student is given the chance to