Core-Elements-4-2-Teachers-and-trainers

 
Understanding and analysing vocational education and training systems  –  An introduction

​​​​​​​​​​​​Chapter four:  Key inputs for VET delivery

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←​​​​ 4.1 Curricula, training material and media​

4.2 Teachers and trainers


4.3 Training infrastructure​​​ →​​​​


Teachers and trainers are the backbone of any VET system and any educational intervention. They are the ones who convey knowledge, skills and attitudes to the participants, according to the curricula – if there are any – and according to their own levels of competence. This is why the quality of VET programmes significantly depends on the competences of the teaching staff. 

​VET teachers and trainers need a balanced mix of technical, methodological and pedagogical skills, and the VET system as a whole needs teachers and trainers who are competent to cover subjects not just related to occupational competence but also personal development and educational mobility. And at least a part of the teaching staff should be prepared for working with special needs groups. 

What makes teaching in VET a real challenge is the fact that, because of the speed of innovation and technological change, technical knowledge and skills become outdated much more quickly than they do in general education. For VET teachers and trainers, catching up with technological trends and developments is crucial, and this requires a good system of inservice teacher training, which includes exposure to the world of work. 

​However, the reality in most of our partner countries is far away from this. The majority of the teachers and trainers in VET have made a purely academic career and have hardly ever gained practical experience in the occupational fields they train in. In-service training is a rare​​ exception. Moreover the status, employment conditions and remuneration of teaching staff in VET are often poor, which reduces their motivation, readiness and capability to invest time and effort in further developing their competences, since many pursue alternative income g​enerating activities in parallel with their teaching work. 

​All this makes the teaching staff a real bottleneck for any progress and improvement in a VET system. VET reforms or donor interventions in the field that do not adequately take this issue into consideration are bound to fail. ​


Consider these key analytical questions concerning teachers and trainers: 

  • Is the level of competence of the teaching staff (in terms of technical, methodological and pedagogical aspects) adequate for the delivery of high-quality VET? 
  • Is there an appropriate in-service training mechanism in place? 
  • Is the teaching staff able to cope with the requirements of updated or new curricula reflecting recent labour market trends? 
  • Do the status, employment conditions and remuneration of VET teachers and trainers allow well-qualified and motivated staff to be recruited? Can well qualified staff be kept in teaching?


​​​​​​​​​​Chapter four:  Key inputs for VET delivery

Back to o​​verview​​​​
​​​​​ ​ 
←​​​​ 4.1. Curricula, training material and media​

4.2 Teachers and trainers


4.3 Training infrastructure​​​ →​​​​​