Focus themes: New Qualifications and Competencies | Greening | Digitalization | Entrepreneurship | Migration
Get involved: BILT community | Sign up | BILT events | Who we are
Knowledge base: Innovative and Promising Practices | Atlas of emerging trends | Expert Group | BILT Library | TVETipedia
This first on-site BILT bridging event in the Asia-Pacific region was organized by UNESCO-UNEVOC, BIBB and Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore, and co-hosted by the Ministry of Education of Singapore, Chair of the ASEAN TVET Council.
The conference brought together 65 onsite and 124 online participants including policymakers, industry representatives, and TVET providers, who shared insights on green and digital qualifications and competencies in the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on the hospitality and tourism sector.
Staying relevant to industry needs
The conference dialogues revealed that it is crucial for TVET systems to be adaptable and relevant to industry needs. To achieve this, key stakeholders such as industry, governments and training institutions must work in close partnership. Collaboration with industry experts and regularly updating curricula can help bridge the skills gap and ensure graduates are prepared for the workforce. One critical element is the need for TVET staff to maintain familiarity with the newest industry trends and insights to ensure instruction is up to date.
“In an effective TVET system amidst disruptive changes, it is imperative to ensure relevance to industry needs, quality of delivery, quality of our faculty members and the close partnership with industry and the government” - Mr Peter Lam, Principal and CEO of Temasek Polytechnic
International collaboration on green and digital skills development
Experts emphasized the importance of international exchange, alignment of curricula, and breaking away from stereotypes as prerequisites for relevant TVET in today’s rapidly changing world. Learning from innovative practices around the world helps identify effective strategies that can be implemented locally. To enable peer learning among participants, several online and onsite sessions of the conference featured cutting-edge practical examples incorporating digital and green skills and competencies into TVET training and learning.
Framed under the UNESCO TVET Strategy 2022-2029, the BILT project will continue promoting international cooperation and capacity-building in TVET by expanding the reach of the UNEVOC Network and the BILT community and fostering partnerships. Mark your calendars for the BILT Learning Forum, which will take place on 24-26 October 2023 at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany. On this occasion, UNESCO-UNEVOC and BIBB will welcome around 60 UNEVOC Centres and TVET stakeholders from Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe for three days of peer learning and networking.
and co-hosted by the
Chair of the ASEAN TVET Council
BILT Matchmaking Sessions offer an opportunity to build up and strengthen international partnerships among TVET institutions from Asia-Pacific, Africa and Europe. The objective of Matchmaking Sessions is to illustrate examples of institutional efforts that have helped to translate the TVET qualification and competency development from policy to practice. Participants join a session of their choice to share first-hand experiences, engage in peer learning and meet potential partners for future partnerships and collaborations.
Matchmaking Sessions I
This session brings together policymakers from Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Europe. They examine and compare global, regional and local TVET strategies and policies supporting the digital and green transformation. A keynote speech by the president of the German Federal Institute of Vocational Education and Training sets the scene for the ensuing panel discussion with participants from the ASEAN TVET Council, the African Union, and the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research.
Moderator: Mr Michael Wiechert, Deputy Head of Department 'VET International', Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany
Impulse talks byThe objective of these sessions is to share and discuss how critical core skills can be identified across current and newly emerging disciplines, within the hospitality and tourism industry, and how they can be integrated into general TVET frameworks.
Parallel session I (streamed online): Public and private sector: Jointly addressing labour and skills shortages
The intent of this session is to explore which core skills and competencies increase employability from an industry perspective. The panel discussion outlines the role industrial players have in the training of TVET students.
Moderator: Mr Benjamin Cassim, Temasek Polytechnic
This keynote address offers a discussion on Singapore’s approach to developing a future-oriented TVET framework based on the critical core skills that can be applied to not just the current business landscape, but also aid in future-proofing the existing workforce as well as those entering the workforce.
Moderator: Mr Benjamin Cassim, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore
The objective of these sessions is to present practical approaches to incorporating new industry requirements for digital and green skills and competencies into TVET training and learning. Participants join a session of their choice and have opportunities to discuss and share approaches and promising practices.
Moderator: Ms Franziska Wettstein, Expert, Development of Occupations and Mr Erik Swars, Head of International Affairs, Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training (SFUVET), Switzerland
Session I: Digital skills in TVET training and learningModerator: Mr Enrique Blanco, Projects and Communications Manager, École d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule (EHT), Cambodia (Expert Group Co-Lead)
This session places BILT in the context of international TVET strategies and policies such as the UNESCO Strategy for TVET (2022-2029). The goal is to explore ways for the BILT community to actively participate and contribute to project activities and to jointly discuss future milestones for the BILT project. Slides
Moderator: Mr Friedrich Huebler, Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC
Moderator: Ms Ken Barrientos, Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific, UNESCO-UNEVOC
The BILT project is implemented by
with support of
and sponsored by