UNESCO-UNEVOC organizes Guided Self-Assessment Workshops in 10 countries

August 2019

UNESCO-UNEVOC, in partnership with selected UNEVOC Centres, has launched a series of workshops aimed at testing and co-developing the Skills for Innovation Hubs (i-hubs) Project “Innovation Framework”.

The i-hubs Innovation Framework, as presently conceptualized, is used as a comprehensive collection of consultative processes, mapping tools and indicators, which aims to collect and register evidence of the current state of innovation in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions. At this stage of co-development (July-October 2019), the framework is actively drawing peer reviews and ideas for progression. Moreover, the framework is helping to measure the innovation achievements made by TVET institutions prior to becoming i-hub partners, and monitoring their progress in implementing their innovation action plans. The initial concept for the project was presented to a panel of experts at a meeting in Bonn, Germany in November 2018.

In March 2019, the project was officially launched with 10 partners from the UNEVOC Network. These partners agreed to co-develop the current version of the framework in practical institutional settings and document their innovative practices. Within the structure of the project and framework testing, the Guided Self-Assessment (GSA) process is supported and an Innovation Toolbox is utilized for testing and review. The GSA is a structured process through which the project partner and UNESCO-UNEVOC set the project’s context and goals; gather and process the i-hub’s preparedness to innovate; and present the results of the exercise to the internal stakeholders.

The Innovation Toolbox makes use of several components to register and assess evidence of innovation within the i-hubs’ innovation domains, which include leadership and organizational practices, teaching and learning processes, skills and innovation ecosystem engagement, and products and services. It also captures the i-hubs’ perspectives in terms of their skills and their commitment within the innovation ecosystem to skills development and potential innovation.

During each workshop, the team draws a map of the innovative practice that the i-hub would further develop for the project, and identifies opportunities for innovation and improvement. The project’s implementation has been further enriched by related knowledge generation activities. In 2018, UNESCO-UNEVOC undertook a trends mapping exercise on innovation in TVET. The preliminary results of its trends mapping exercise on innovation in TVET are currently being used during workshops to inform the process and provide guidance through concrete practices and examples.

In June 2019, with the support of UNESCO-UNEVOC, the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) hosted the first GSA in Europe. This was followed by workshops at RVTTI, Kenya, the Berufskolleg an der Lindenstrasse (BKAL), Germany and the Seychelles Institute of Technology (SIT), Seychelles. The workshops benefitted from support provided by TKNIKA, MCAST, Shenzhen Polytechnic and the Seychelles Institute of Technology, UNEVOC Centres and project partners, who served as peer reviewers at the testing of the working draft of the framework.

Innovation is a substantial change in the way TVET is delivered and implemented. This has been evident in the processes, outcomes, and practices registered at each institution. The GSA workshops will continue in September and October with four i-hubs: Shenzhen Polytechnic, China; OMNIA, Finland; TKNIKA, Basque Country, Spain and TESDA Women’s Centre, Philippines. More information about the calendar of activities and peer reviewers is available here.