This edited volume explores how youth and informal sector workers in the global south are pioneering learning and livelihoods that exist at the intersections of, and beyond, the boundaries of the state, market, and other formal institutions. Underpinned by research undertaken in the global south, this book discusses how we might better theorise,…

The nature of global labor markets places new demands on the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector in developing countries. Capacity building programs have become a strategy for governments to increase the standard of TVET. The aim of this article is to analyze conditions for the formation of an intended and enacted…

The digital and professional teacher competency standards for blended TVET describe specifically the new and emerging skill development needs related to blended delivery. The standards are contextualised to take into account the technology and capability challenges common in TVET institutes in developing countries, the range of teaching methods…

This study was undertaken towards improving the quality of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) at the university level for the sustainable growth and development of Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study, and two null hypotheses were tested. The design of the study was a descriptive survey with a population of 116…

This study identified the motives for vocational education and training (VET) providers in different countries to collaborate internationally and the challenges they encounter by interviewing 16 teachers, program coordinators, and managers from four VET providers in China and Canada. The findings of this study highlight the difference in primary…

Purpose: This study aims to answer the following questions: (1) Why have attempts to transplant Western vocational education models failed? (2) Is there anything we can learn from the experiences of Eastern Asian countries when developing their own vocational education models? Design/Approach/Methods: This study reviews the history of…

Due to discrimination, crisis and conflict, and violence, many young people have missed out on opportunities to acquire the skills and education needed for employment. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) supports second-chance education programs to serve disadvantaged, marginalized, over-age, and out-of-school children and youth to…

This paper argues that Non-formal Education (NFE) has seen a remarkable revival of interest across both developing countries and the more highly developed countries. Among the factors causing this revival is the search for alternative educations to meet the needs of different groups in society. But in the process, NFE has been relocated -- not so…

'Recognition of prior learning' (RPL) has developed into an important instrument to support the permeability of education and training systems. Based on an extensive review of documents, this article analyses the global diffusion of RPL in vocational education and training systems (VET), with a specific focus on its diffusion through development…

This paper considers the inclusion of TVET and skills in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and analyses the key changes likely to impact on TVET and skill systems from now until 2030. It argues that despite SDG implementation and monitoring challenges, the new emphasis on TVET, skills and lifelong learning will reinforce efforts of…

Career development support comprises activities such as career guidance, careers education and staff development for workers. Career development support is key to the implementation of lifelong learning, active labour market policies and instrumental to successfully achieve social and economic targets. In the face of mounting challenges brought by…

This book addresses what is, perhaps, the single most important issue for vocational education; its relatively low standing in an era of high aspiration. The work explores the nature, extent and consequences for an educational sector that whilst having an increasingly important role in contemporary societies is seen to be of low standing across…

Despite the diversity of views in the literature about what employability skills are, there appears to be general agreement that employability skills are important. However, there are concerns about whether TVET graduates in developing countries are developing these skills and the onus falls upon TVET teachers to ensure they do so. In this…

Purpose: In Ghana, graduates often have limited entrepreneurial skills and rarely undertake entrepreneur initiatives as they are persistently in search of non-existing jobs in the formal sector. On this basis, this study was conducted to identify underlying strategies for improving entrepreneurial skill requirement of technical and vocational…

China has the largest population and largest labor force in the world. It has been highly successful in rapidly expanding both secondary and higher education to a significant fraction of the youth cohort. However, educational opportunities and standards across China are highly uneven. China has abundant labor power, but it will need a far more…