The World Youth Skills Day falls on 15 July, at a time when Sri Lanka’s education system is in an unstable state. The country affected by the Covid-19 pandemic is struggling to figure out whether the ongoing and planned education reforms such as the Kotelawala National Defence University (KDNU) Bill and online education methods would actually contribute to uplift the country’s education system.
However, when it comes to education, vocational and skills-based education takes a special place, and it has been the best, and in most instances the only, form of education that has helped build the lives of hundreds of thousands of the country’s youth who do not acquire the qualification to pursue formal higher education courses.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), respondents of a survey of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, jointly conducted by UNESCO, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the World Bank, reported that distance-training had become the most common way of imparting skills, with considerable difficulties regarding, among others, curricula adaptation, trainee and trainer preparedness, connectivity or assessment, and certification processes.
While the importance of continuing formal education amidst dwindling resources or the lack of resources is on the rise owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, technical, vocational education and training, and the development of other skills relevant to both the local and global economies, are also becoming more important than before; however, in a different way, which concerns the post-Covid-19 pandemic era the world is expecting to see soon.
There is a widespread inference, even among scientists, that the pandemic is not going to be over anytime soon, even though with the ongoing vaccination drive, the world would soon return to something resembling normalcy. According to researchers, in the post-Covid-19 era, informal education and vocational and skills-based education methods are likely to face substantial changes, due to the changes in the people’s day-to-day lives, as opposed to formal educational methods. The job market, or the demand for those with vocational and skills-based training, is also likely to expand due to these changes.
What is more, when it comes to the Sri Lankan context, perhaps it is high time to educate the people, especially youth, about the role of vocational and skills-based training, as the importance assigned to them appears to be declining. In fact, the lack of knowledge about the success a person can achieve as a trained professional, instead of being a person who has merely excelled in formal education, is one of the reasons why Sri Lanka has so many unemployed graduates wasting their time demanding public sector jobs from a cash-strapped Government. In the traditional education system, they have not had an opportunity to be exposed to the plethora of career prospects that vocational and skills-based education and training can bring. The number of people who have changed the world with no formal education is proof of that fact.
Vocational and skills-based education and training play a vital role when it comes to filling the gaps existing in the current formal education system, and that is why the professionals this system creates are different from those with formal education. Not only are they unmatchable, but also have unique roles. Even though there is no assurance as to how the job market would evolve in the “new normal” or the post-Covid-19 era, it is certain that most of the jobs done by those with professional training are irreplaceable.
Strengthening the online education system and resolving the issues in the formal education sector are matters at hand. However, in the near future, Sri Lanka would have to look into reforming its formal as well as vocational and skills-based education systems as the job market and the country’s needs change, and those with vocational training and skills need to therefore be rewarded too.Creating skills-based professionals
12 Jul 2021
Creating skills-based professionals
12 Jul 2021
The World Youth Skills Day falls on 15 July, at a time when Sri Lanka’s education system is in an unstable state. The country affected by the Covid-19 pandemic is struggling to figure out whether the ongoing and planned education reforms such as the Kotelawala National Defence University (KDNU) Bill and online education methods would actually contribute to uplift the country’s education system.
However, when it comes to education, vocational and skills-based education takes a special place, and it has been the best, and in most instances the only, form of education that has helped build the lives of hundreds of thousands of the country’s youth who do not acquire the qualification to pursue formal higher education courses.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), respondents of a survey of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, jointly conducted by UNESCO, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the World Bank, reported that distance-training had become the most common way of imparting skills, with considerable difficulties regarding, among others, curricula adaptation, trainee and trainer preparedness, connectivity or assessment, and certification processes.
While the importance of continuing formal education amidst dwindling resources or the lack of resources is on the rise owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, technical, vocational education and training, and the development of other skills relevant to both the local and global economies, are also becoming more important than before; however, in a different way, which concerns the post-Covid-19 pandemic era the world is expecting to see soon.
There is a widespread inference, even among scientists, that the pandemic is not going to be over anytime soon, even though with the ongoing vaccination drive, the world would soon return to something resembling normalcy. According to researchers, in the post-Covid-19 era, informal education and vocational and skills-based education methods are likely to face substantial changes, due to the changes in the people’s day-to-day lives, as opposed to formal educational methods. The job market, or the demand for those with vocational and skills-based training, is also likely to expand due to these changes.
What is more, when it comes to the Sri Lankan context, perhaps it is high time to educate the people, especially youth, about the role of vocational and skills-based training, as the importance assigned to them appears to be declining. In fact, the lack of knowledge about the success a person can achieve as a trained professional, instead of being a person who has merely excelled in formal education, is one of the reasons why Sri Lanka has so many unemployed graduates wasting their time demanding public sector jobs from a cash-strapped Government. In the traditional education system, they have not had an opportunity to be exposed to the plethora of career prospects that vocational and skills-based education and training can bring. The number of people who have changed the world with no formal education is proof of that fact.
Vocational and skills-based education and training play a vital role when it comes to filling the gaps existing in the current formal education system, and that is why the professionals this system creates are different from those with formal education. Not only are they unmatchable, but also have unique roles. Even though there is no assurance as to how the job market would evolve in the “new normal” or the post-Covid-19 era, it is certain that most of the jobs done by those with professional training are irreplaceable.
Strengthening the online education system and resolving the issues in the formal education sector are matters at hand. However, in the near future, Sri Lanka would have to look into reforming its formal as well as vocational and skills-based education systems as the job market and the country’s needs change, and those with vocational training and skills need to therefore be rewarded too.Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!