On 18 December 2020, the kick-start meeting on the development of the New Qualifications and Competencies guide took place. The occasion marked the first meeting of the Senior and Lead Experts that are in charge of co-developing this practice-oriented publication. The overall aim of the guide is to increase the responsiveness of TVET systems with regards to the identification of new qualifications and competencies, their integration in curricula and training regulations, as well as their implementation in teaching and training.

The kick-start meeting set the main guidelines for the development of the publication, while clarifying the proposed conceptual framework. In January, the development of the guide will continue with the first working meetings of three expert groups. Each of them will address the needs of different stakeholders in a TVET system:

• The MACRO/Governance group includes ministries and statutory bodies.
• The MESO/Advocacy group includes business membership organizations (BMO), trade unions, research institutes, NGOs, teachers associations, etc.
• The MICRO/Delivery group includes TVET schools and colleges, companies, and other TVET providers.

Each group is led by a Lead Expert and composed of members from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe.

The publication of the practical guide on New Qualifications and Competencies is planned for December 2021. Once a final version of the publication is developed, it will undergo a validation process, in which the BILT project will count on the expertise of the UNEVOC Centres for confirming the relevance of the publication for its end-users.

Prof Dieter Euler from the University St. Gallen (Switzerland) leads the expert groups’ work as a Senior Expert. Alongside, representatives from UNEVOC Centres Phil Loveder (NCVER, Australia), Matteo Sgarzi (Céreq, France) and James Keevy (JET Education, South Africa) act as Lead Experts.