4-6 September 2013, UNESCO Hall, Korea UNESCO House, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Following the Shanghai Consensus recommendations and the outcomes of the UNEVOC International Forum (November 2012), the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre in collaboration with the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ GmbH) organized a Regional Forum on Advancing TVET for Youth Employability and Sustainable Development targeting Asia and the Pacific from 4 to 6 September 2013. Hosted in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the 3-day event aimed at strengthening regional harmonization for the advancement of TVET transformation through networking, partnerships and mobilization of expertise and resources, and provided a platform to showcase innovative and evidence-based regional promising practices in the fields of Youth and Skills and Greening TVET.

In her Opening Address, Dr. Mmantsetsa Marope, Director Division for Basic Learning and Skills Development, UNESCO highlighted youth unemployment as "a threat to principles dearly guarded by UNESCO such as equity and social justice, social cohesion, youth empowerment on multiple fronts,(…) inclusive and sustainable development." Panel discussions focused on sharing national and regional perspectives on strategies and initiatives that promote greening TVET and promising practices which address youth employment challenges in the region and beyond. As part of these sessions, eight promising practices were presented ranging from ICT-enabled career guidance to eco-entrepreneurship. Other sessions focused on interregional exchange and the role of regional and international organizations in shaping global policies for TVET. Day three involved a special session for UNEVOC Network Members as well as a study tour to the Incheon Campus of Korea Polytechnics and the Global Institute for Transferring Skills (GIFTS) as part of the Human Resource Development Service Korea (HRD).

The forum was attended by approximately 60 participants from 22 countries, including representatives from UNEVOC Centres, Mr Gwang-Jo Kim from UNESCO Bangkok Office, and representatives from other regional and international organizations, such as the ILO, ADB, SEAMEO-VOCTECH, CPSP and GIZ Field Office representatives.

Mr Shyamal Majumdar, Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC concluded the conference with an outlook to an international follow-up conference to be facilitated by UNESCO-UNEVOC in Bonn, Germany in 2014.

Documents

Meeting report: English
Programme

Related
Regional Forum on Greening TVET and Youth Employment in Latin America and the Caribbean
Africa Regional Forum on Advancing TVET for Youth Employability and Sustainable Development
Strengthening regional harmonization for the transformation of TVET