TVET and its Integration into

Education at the University Level

AREAS ADDRESSEDLiberal arts education and professional developmentTVET and higher educationIntellectual discourse in TVET and higher educationTVET integration in higher educationThe Jamaican ExperienceConcluding points

LIBERAL ARTS ACADEMIC AREASHumanities—literature, linguistics, philosophy, artsLiberal arts education and professional developmentSocial Science—law, history, politics, geographyNatural Science—Physics, chemistry, biologyFormal Science—Mathematics, logics, statistics

CENTRAL POSITIONS Liberal arts education provides education for its

own sake and this approach was well entrenched in the higher education for many decades

In addition, liberal arts education prepares the individual with a rounded education for his/her intellectual acumen and personal prestige

Professional education is career oriented and it prepares professionals such as lawyers, doctors, economists, engineers, dentists among others

Proponents of LAE rejected skills training of all types, including the training of professionals

Some analyst saw liberal arts education as designed for the preparation of the elite, who looked down on all practically oriented education

Notwithstanding, practically oriented professional education grew up, separately, BUT along side liberal-arts education

 Reproshma:

A compromise came about because of the need to have education at the university level which prepares the learner for the world of work

It was only then that the undergraduate programme was designated the pre-requisite for graduate programmes

Period of decline for Liberal Arts Education with the emphasis on professional training in the Academy

Currently, we are experiencing a resurgence in the interest in Liberal Arts Education as a response to the demands of the Market Economy

Reasons of Re-emergence of LAE Need for multi-disciplinary approach to

address critical and complex problems faced by society; Need to prepare persons with skills

related to creativity and problem solving among others; and Need to educate persons who

demonstrate high ethical and moral values

Reasons for the Strengthening of TVET ‘Universalization’ of elementary

education especially in developing countries

Massification of secondary education in response to the achievements of universal primary education

Expansion of university education to accommodate the graduates from the secondary system

Reasons for the Strengthening of TVET Vocationalization of secondary

education is aimed at addressing issues such as poverty alleviation, unemployment, income inequalities, promotion of social welfare issue

Continuation of the vocationalization in higher education is responding to the needs for secondary school graduates

Reasons for the Strengthening of TVET

The expansion is also responding to the higher technical needs of the economy and workforce.

And the need to prepare persons with talents and skills related to employability to meet the needs of the competition state

Current discourses on vocational and higher education The relationships can be viewed at a

number of levels: Political and economic, Epistemological and Individual

Maclean and Pavlova (2013)

Current discourses on vocational and higher education At the Political/economic universities are

mandated to provide skills so that graduates can benefit from employment opportunities

Maclean and Pavlova (2013)

Current discourses on vocational and higher education At the epistemological level, the concern is with

the kind of Knowledge: universal versus the particular, formal versus experience-based, the search for truth versus utilitarianism, context-free versus context-dependent

Maclean and Pavlova (2013)

Current discourses on vocational and higher education Individual emphasis on the economic-

oriented view advocated by OECD or the human-oriented approach as advanced by the UNESCO

Maclean and Pavlova (2013)

Integration of TVET into Higher Education --CurriculumAmerican Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) (2010) divides core skills into three categories: Learning and innovation skills; Information, media and technological

skills, Life and career skills

Integration of TVET into Higher Education --Curriculum Vietnam introduces soft or life

communication skills: Teamwork skills, Skills of Leading others, Public speaking skills, Skills of conflict resolution and reconciliation, Skills of understanding and empathizing with others, Negotiation skills, Selling Skills, Team building skills, Influencing skills, Skills of wisely refusing

Integration of TVET into Higher Education -Assessment Competency-based approach:

Learning is focused on what the learner knows and can do

Learning is determined by assessing what the individual known and can do not the courses you have completed

Integration of TVET into Higher Education —Teaching and Learning Teaching and Learning moving from a

teacher-centered to a student centered approach and work-based focused

Emphasis: collaborative learning, cooperative learning, experiential learning theory (ELT), problem-based learning (PBL), project-based learning, and community of practice

Jamaica experience re TVET integration in Higher Education Curriculum

Mainstreaming of TVET in the liberal arts universities

Increased emphasis on training for Professional and greater level of collaboration with business and industry

Jamaica experience re TVET integration in Higher Education Curriculum

Establishment of TVET leadership programme at the School of Education

Integration of general education and professional training and TVET approach

Conclusion

The strengthening of TVET in HE is being driven by political, social, and economic factorsIntegration of TVET and liberal arts

education will benefit both the needs of the workplace and the learner

Conculsion

The massification and vocationalization of education at the secondary level is influencing the academic activities in the academy

The divide between liberal arts education is disappearing because critical knowledge and workplace-based skills are needed to support the modern economy