Report of Experts Meeting on Inte-

grating Transferable/

Soft Skills in Education

and Training (Ulaanbaatar, 26

March 2014)

In cooperation with:

Content

1. Background

2. Meeting Summary

3. Working Group Results

4. Conclusion & Next Steps

Background

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The experts meeting on “Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in

Education and Training” was organized in Ulaanbaatar on

26 March 2014 as follow up to the

collaborative research work on “Transferable Skills in

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)”

that UNESCO Bangkok Asia Pacific Regional Bureau for Edu-

cation and the GIZ Regional Cooperation Platform for Voca-

tional Teacher Education in Asia (RCP) launched in 2013.

Mongolia was one of the thirteen countries that

conducted case studies on the topic with UNESCO Beijing support.

In Mongolia, where the rapid economic transition has been

taking place, there is a growing concern about a mismatch

between what education and training systems offer and the

demands of the labor market; and acquisition of transferable/

soft skills is increasingly being recognized as an integral aspect.

Against this background, the objectives of the experts meeting

organized by Vocational Education Training Partnership (VETP)

together with UNESCO Beijing and GIZ project “Cooperative

Vocational Training in the Mineral Resource Sector” were as

follows:

1. Introducing the current global discussion on the concept of

transferable/soft skills and the role in TVET

2. Sharing findings from relevant studies and initiatives on

transferable/soft skills in Mongolia

3. Discussing possible strategies and partnerships to further

promote transferable/soft skills in education and training in

Mongolia.

Experts Meeting — Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in Education and Training

Pathways to Skills — Foundation, Transferable/Soft and Technical/Vocational Skills Source: UNESCO (2012): EFA Global Monitoring Re-port 2012. Youth and Skills. Putting Education to

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Meeting Summary

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WELCOME REMARKS

Dr. Juergen Hartwig, Programme Director of the GIZ project “Cooperative

Vocational Training (CVT) in the Mineral Resources Sector”, gave some

greeting words to the audience and shared some background information

on the cooperation with UNESCO and VETP regarding the organization of

the workshop.

Mr. Begz (Sc. Dc.), Director of Institute of Educational

Research, wished all participants a productive and successful meeting.

The Institute of Educational Research took a major part in the study done

on transferable skills in Mongolia supported by UNESCO Beijing and coor-

dinated by Ms D. Bujinlkham, a TVET expert.

.

Ms. Tungalag Chimid, TVET Expert of VETP, concluded the welcome

remarks with the introduction of the agenda and participants.

Experts Meeting — Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in Education and Training

CVT Project Webpage (VETP Website)

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UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT SKILLS

Ms. Miki Nozawa, Education Program Specialist at UNESCO Office

Beijing, presented an abstract of the EFA (Education for All) Global

Monitoring Report (GMR) 2012 which focused on the topic ‘Youth and

Skills’.

The report was dedicated to EFA Goal 3:

Ensuring that all learning needs of all young people and adults are met

through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills

programmes.

In the GMR 2012, skills are classified into the following three main types:

1. Foundation Skills — include literacy and numeracy skills necessary

for young people to stand a chance of getting jobs that pay decent

wages. They are a prerequisite for continuing in education and training,

and for acquiring other skills that enhance the prospect of getting good

jobs.

2. Transferable/Soft Skills — include the ability to solve problems, com-

municate ideas and information effectively, be creative, show leader-

ship, and demonstrate entrepreneurial capabilities. People need these

skills to be able to adapt to different work environments and so improve

their chances of staying in gainful employment.

3. Technical and Vocational Skills — many jobs require specific tech-

nical know-how, from growing vegetables to using a sewing machine,

using a computer, or serving as a nurse.

Experts Meeting — Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in Education and Training

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“Young people continuing in education at […]

need to learn transferable skills, such as the

ability to solve problems, take the initiative and

communicate with others. These skills will give

these young people the confidence to face the

world of work, and adapt their skills from one

workplace to another, keeping up with changing

technologies and different work environments.”

Miki Nozawa, UNESCO Office Beijing, Educa-

tion Program Specialist

Presentation ‘Understanding Different Skills and Pathways’ (English)

EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012 (English)

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TRANSFERABLE SKILLS IN TVET:

A REGIONAL SYNTHESIS

Ms. Barbara Trzmiel, in charge of TVET at UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional

Bureau for Education (Bangkok), provided a brief overview of the joint re-

search study conducted by UNESCO Bangkok and the GIZ Regional Co-

operation Platform (RCP). The objective of the study was to capture a re-

gional picture of transferable skills in TVET, based on findings from thir-

teen studies in Asian-Pacific countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei,

Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Republic of Ko-

rea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam) guided by a set of research ques-

tions. Special attention was given to policies and practices dealing with

vocational teacher education.

For transferable skills to be developed in TVET practice, the following key

issues need to be considered at policy level:

Clear definition and guidance from the policy level

Closing the gap between policy and practice (e.g. employer surveys

and further research)

Transferable skills need to forma an integral part of national TVET

curricula

TVET teacher capacities developed through pre– and in-service

training, as well as out-of-school training and retraining opportunities

Context-related ways of measuring and assessing transferable skills

Sharing and dissemination of good practices in teaching/learning

practice at international and regional levels

Experts Meeting — Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in Education and Training

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"There are different understandings and conceptuali-

zations of transferable skills across countries but in

general, transferable skills refer to a number of im-

portant competencies that can be learned and that

everyone requires to successfully adapt to changes

and to lead productive lives. Discussions are ongoing

with regard to competencies that fall under the um-

brella of transferable skills and terminology used to

refer to them.”

Barbara Trzmiel, UNESCO Bangkok

Presentation ‘Transferable Skills in TVET’ (English)

In many countries of the region, tradition, beliefs and

values play a key role and are often considered as

part of transferable skills.:

Soft Skills Life Skills

Key Skills Cross-cutting Skills

Employability Skills 21st Century Skills

Generic Skills

Core competencies Globalization Skills

Non-cognitive Skills

Cross-curricula competencies

Transversal Skills

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TRANSFERABLE SKILLS IN

MONGOLIAN TVET SECTOR

As part of the UNESCO-RCP joint regional research, Ms D. Bujinkham, a

TVET expert, and a group of researchers at the Institute of Education

Research under the leadership of Dr D. Benz, conducted a study on

transferable skills in TVET in Mongolia. Mr. Luvsanvandan, Researcher on

Higher and Vocational Education at the Institute of Educational Research,

presented main findings of the study.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the current understanding of

transferable skills in TVET schools in Mongolia and to analyze implications

for future training of TVET teachers.

The study comprised the following two components:

1. Analysis of Mongolian TVET legal and policy documents with regard to

transferable skills

2. Survey among Mongolian TVET teachers on the knowledge and

perception of transferable skills

The review of TVET related documents showed that the reforms of the

Mongolian TVET sector since 1990 have been focusing on structural

optimization, improvement of intersectoral coordination led by

competency based demands and the preparation of workers to meet the

requirements of the labor market. This said, the development and

application of transferable skills so far has not been clearly reflected in

key TVET policy documents and current training content.

Experts Meeting — Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in Education and Training

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“The majority ( 54%) of the teachers involved in

the survey became a teacher after graduation

from higher education institutes, 20% of the

teachers having work experience in enterprises,

and 17.83% graduated from vocational educa-

tion schools”

Luvsanvandan, Researcher on Higher and

Vocational Education Institute of Educational

Research

9

The TVET teachers who participated in the survey responded that the key

difficulties and challenges to teach transferable skills are as follows:

No common understanding of transferable skills

No reflection of transferable skills in curricula

Absence of methodology to assess transferable skills

Insufficient textbooks and training material in Mongolian language

Experts Meeting — Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in Education and Training

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Presentation ‘Transferable Skills in Mongolian TVET Sector’ (English)

Presentation ‘Transferable Skills in Mongolian TVET Sector’ (Mongolian)

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TRANSFERABLE SKILLS IN

MONGOLIAN SECONDARY & HIGHER

EDUCATION

Ms. Bayartsetseg (PhD), Head of Higher and Vocational Education

Research Sector at the Institute of Educational Research, outlined briefly

policy developments related to transferable skills in Mongolia, mainly fo-

cusing on general secondary and higher education.

The key facts are summarized below:

In policy papers of the Mongolian laws on higher as well as primary

and secondary education, work competencies needed for entering the

labor market and making a living are stated.

The term ‘transferable skills’ was firstly introduced into Mongolian

education studies in 2002; based on the European understanding of

the concept of transferable skills.

The curricula of some accredited Mongolian universities and

secondary schools don’t contain the concept of transferable skills at all.

In contrast, some foreign universities such as the Cambridge University

have defined and covered transferable skills as a special and separate

topic in their curricula.

According to a study of job announcements of big Mongolian

organizations and companies, the following requirements which refer to

transferable skills are commonly mentioned:

- Ability to use computer programmes

- Ability to speak and write in English

- Ability to communicate in proper manner

- Ability to work in groups

Experts Meeting — Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in Education and Training

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“A definition of ‘transferable skills’ needs to be

integrated in the Mongolian Education Law and

has to be covered separately in education policy

papers as well as school documents.”

Bayartsetseg, Institute of Educational Re-

search, Head of Higher and

Vocational Education Research Sector

Presentation ‘Transferable Skills in Mongolian Secondary and Higher Education’ (Mongolian)

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EMERGING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

NEEDS IN THE MONGOLIAN CONTEXT

Mr. Ellinger, Consultant to the GIZ Project “Cooperative Vocational

Training (CVT) in the Mineral Resources Sector”, presented the results of

a baseline survey undertaken by the CVT project to assess the quality of

TVET in the partner TVET Schools.

In total, 39 companies of the advisory boards of 5 TVET institutions were

among others asked to share their satisfaction with the quality of

graduates and trainees of long-term technician education as well as short-

term skills trainings (STST).

Major weaknesses of trainees and graduates of long-term education

according to quantitative data are as follows:

Reading drawings

Managing tools and machinery

Controlling work results

Planning independently

Reliability/Responsibility

Leadership

Qualitative information collected in the frame of the survey further revealed

the following weaknesses:

Working attitude/ethics (“thinking while working”)

Communication

Motivation (“lazy”, “lack of interest in work’”)

Language skills (English)

Application of learnt contents

Presentation ‘Assessment of the Quality of TVET in the partner TVET Schools of the CVT Project’ (English)

Experts Meeting — Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in Education and Training

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“There is a high demand for graduates/trainees

who can train themselves”

Monika Ellinger, GIZ/CVT Project,

Consulatant

Working Group Results

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3

OBJECTIVE

The working group session served the following two purposes:

1. Enabling the reflection and discussion of the inputs provided

2. Brainstorming of potential strategies and partnerships to promote the

integration of transferable skills in the Mongolian education and training

sector

MAIN RESULTS

The following strategies were suggested by the participants to overcome

the challenges regarding the development of transferable skills of TVET

students:

Development of a common understanding and definition of what is

implied in the term ‘transferable skills’

Introduce transferable skills as a separate topic in legal and policy

documents (General Education and TVET)

Integrate transferable skills in the education of as well as pre– and in-

service trainings for TVET teachers

Revision of the curricula, textbooks and training material used for the

teaching of TVET teachers

Development of methodology to assess transferable skills (incl.

certification, individual assessments, company surveys and tracer

studies of graduates)

Improvement of communication between Ministry of Education and

Ministry of Labor

Improvement of coordination through setting up of working groups to

encompass policy makers, employers, research institutions, TVET

schools, professional associations, graduates from TVET schools and

relevant NGOs

Experts Meeting — Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in Education and Training

Conclusion & Next Steps

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CONCLUSION

The inputs and ideas shared in the experts meeting proved that a range

of measures are already being implemented to promote the concept of

‘transferable skills’ and to adapt it to the Mongolian context.

However, to leverage the efforts taken and to achieve a better impact,

more cooperation and continuous communication between the relevant

stakeholders is needed.

In this regard, the experts meeting hosted by VETP together with

UNESCO and GIZ/CVT project made a first attempt to facilitate the

information sharing on transferable skills.

NEXT STEPS

Below are outlined activities which will be taken by UNESCO,

GIZ/CVT project and VETP as follow-up to the experts meeting:

UNESCO and VETP to collaborate on disseminating UNESCO's forth-

coming regional synthesis on Transferable Skills in TVET among part-

ners in the education and TVET sectors in Mongolia through the

VETP homepage with its Mongolian abstract to be prepared by VETP.

GIZ/CVT project will extend its cooperation with UNESCO, especially

with focus on the implementation (teaching, assessment, etc.) of trans-

ferable skills VETP will check the feasibility of setting up a working group on

‘Transferable Skills in Mongolian TVET’

Experts Meeting — Integrating Transferable/Soft Skills in Education and Training

Address: Arizona Plaza, 3rd floor,

Chingeltei District, 1st khoroo,

Baruun Selbe 5/3, Ulaanbaatar

Telephone: +976 70001531

E-mail: info@vetc.mn

Website: www.vetp.mn