Bridging Skills and Industry: HSE Open Seminar on Education Discusses Prospects for Public-Private Partnerships in Vocational Education of BRICS Countries
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a key element in human capital development in developing countries. During the seminar, colleagues discussed the features of TVET systems in India, China, Russia, and South Africa. It's important to note that the institutional landscape of TVET systems in BRICS countries is very diverse and reflects the characteristics of national labor markets. At the seminar, colleagues shared experiences in adapting TVET to the growing demands of national labor markets and interesting practices in building public-private partnerships.
Colleagues discussed several common challenges facing TVET systems in Russia and China – for example, the increasing popularity of transfer from vocational education to higher education. Supporting social mobility and increasing access to higher education are undoubtedly crucial missions of the TVET system. However, the growing popularity of the transfer pathway conflicts with the needs of local labor markets for qualified specialists with vocational education.
Colleagues agreed that today there is no relevant framework for comparing TVET systems in developing countries. "TVET systems are very complex in their structure. For us researchers, this is definitely an enigma — international statistics are of little use for developing and transitional economies. Today we have started an important conversation with you about what is needed from a political economy perspective to develop an adequate framework for comparing our systems," Professor Allais accurately noted.
The seminar continued a series of discussions with international partners of the Center regarding comparative studies of vocational education worldwide and its role in the socio-economic development of BRICS countries.
Presentations were made by:
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Vera Maltseva andMaksim Nikitin, staff members of the Center for Skills Development and Vocational Education at HSE University
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Jun Li, Associate Professor at the Institute of Vocational Education, Tongji University (China)
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Santosh Mehrotra, Visiting Professor at the University of Bath (UK)
Stephanie Matseleng Allais, Chair of Skills Development and Professor of Education at the Centre for Researching Education and Labour at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), participated as a discussant.