Introduction and overview: TVET in the Middle East – issues, concerns and prospects

A rich and extensive research literature and a well-developed body of practical knowledge and case studies has developed, particularly over the past two decades, which identify, survey and elaborate upon key issues, concerns and prospects regarding technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in various countries and regions of the world.

A detailed, comprehensive, comparative overview of this research and related literature on TVET is provided, for example, by Maclean and Wilson (2009) and Rauner and Maclean (2008). The international publishers Springer also have a long-standing book series on Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, in which important TVET topics are examined in detail, some 32 volumes being published to date, with many more books being in the publication pipeline. (For more information see: http://www.springer.com/series/6969).

The available literature identifies TVET-related issues, concerns and prospects, both national and regional, which are widely and persistently regarded as being important over time. To briefly convey the essential flavor of this literature, it may be said that these include, but are not limited to, the status of TVET; changing workplace requirements and implications for education; education and training in informal and formal economies; the TVET profession and training the trainers; access and equity for all, with particular reference to girls and women, lower socio-economic groups and those living in remote areas; policy and management of TVET systems, including qualifications frameworks; the economics and financing of TVET; vocationalization of secondary and higher education; TVET in support of inclusive growth, green jobs and sustainable development; curriculum development and pedagogy in TVET; information and communication technologies in TVET; TVET for meeting the changing needs of youth employment, including youth employment and unemployment; and lifelong learning for livelihoods, citizenship and sustainable development.

Although the emphasis placed on these various TVET-related issues has varied in over time, and between different countries and regions, many of the matters referred to above have persisted over time and between countries. It should be noted that to date relatively little TVET research and writing relates to countries in the Middle East, and so one purpose of this Special Issue of the International Journal of Training Research on ‘TVET in the Middle East’ is to help correct this situation by shedding light on key aspects of skills’ development for employability in this region, including exploring effective ways of bridging academic and vocational learning.

What are currently the key issues in TVET worldwide?

Significant changes in the nature of work are taking place all over the world, in countries at all stages of development, and this has had an impact on the evolving and changing areas of emphasis within TVET research.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) and UNICEF hosted a Global Dialogue on changes in the world of work in Geneva in April 2017, where the aims were to develop a shared appreciation of the changes and develop effective policy responses to shape the future of work. ¹ The focus was on four implications of these changes: Work and Society, Decent Jobs for All, The Organization of Work and Production, and The Governance of Work. Surprisingly, at least to readers of this journal, TVET was not one of the themes. Yet, inside each of these four themes, there are profound implications for the organization, industry partnerships, curricula, learning pathways and pedagogies that characterize TVET as we know it today.

Supported by governments, regional and international agencies, and the private sector, TVET specialists have been exploring these changes in the world of work and the TVET responses at a number of conferences throughout 2017. Topics examined at recent TVET-related conferences provide a partial barometer as to current areas of interest concerning education for the changing world of work. In May, for example, a Caribbean regional TVET conference in Jamaica examined the theme of ‘TVET for Sustainable Regional Development’. Recognizing local priorities, especially for youth, in the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the conference addressed ways of responding to the challenging tensions between the shortage of skilled labor and skills mismatch in the labor markets, at a time of high youth unemployment and the emigration of skilled labor. Other themes included the responsibility of TVET in finding solutions to such tensions, as well as providing skills for responding to climate and environmental vulnerability. As one of the organizers argued, ‘The relevance of TVET to sustainable development in the Caribbean and further afield cannot be overemphasized. … The dynamic and interconnected nature of the world make it mandatory to position TVET as one of the principal drivers for sustainability, progress, poverty alleviation and improved quality of life’. ²

A south-east Asia regional TVET conference, held in Myanmar in June 2017, considered a similar theme: ‘Improving TVET – Priorities for Sustainable Growth in ASEAN’. There, TVET decision-makers and practitioners at national and ASEAN levels saw this challenge in three parts: Labor markets and skills in the digital era, Sustainable employer engagement in TVET, and Professional development for TVET Personnel for the twenty-first century. ³

Also in June, The European Training Foundation met in Turin, Italy, to consider more ways in which the Torino Process for catalyzing the reform of education, training and labor market systems in developing and transition countries bordering Europe can increase prosperity through sustainable growth and by encouraging social inclusion. ⁴

In July, UNESCO convened a major international conference, in partnership with the governments of China and Germany, in Tangshan, China, as a special five-year review of the achievements in TVET since the 3rd UNESCO International Conference in Shanghai in 2012. Discussions of the ways in which TVET can respond to the challenges of global change (discussed at the ILO dialogue) through the lifelong learning agenda of Education 2030 and the SDGs were of special significance. Thus, there were discussions of all aspects of skills for work and life, access to affordable quality TVET, the importance of skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, the elimination of gender disparities and problems for vulnerable groups in accessing TVET – all in light of the need for TVET to help address changing economic, social and environmental conditions in the world by equipping both young people and adults with the skills they need for employment and global citizenship in what are equitable, inclusive and sustainable societies. ⁵

And that was all in just the first half of 2017!

With the focus on the responses of TVET to challenges in different parts of the world, it is fitting that this issue of the International Journal of Training Research adopt a comparative education perspective. We do this through a series of papers that focus intensively on the types of issues and challenges for TVET being discussed around the world in one region, in this case, the Middle East.

TVET in the Middle East

Geographically, the Middle East comprises the area from the eastern Mediterranean to Iran, including Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Iran and Iraq, and sometimes also Egypt. Thus, the countries of the Middle East display great diversity in terms of demography, culture, economic development and levels of urbanization. Yet, there is also much similarity, as elsewhere in the world, especially in family aspirations and hopes for a better life, employment in decent and fulfilling work, and the positive future of their children and young people.

Accordingly, governments in Middle East countries are investing strongly in education to the point where universal primary education has been achieved for girls and boys in most countries (Samans & Zahidi, 2017). As a result, literacy rates for the adult population (defined as 15+years) have also improved dramatically in the last 20 years, rising from 59 per cent in 1990 to over 90% in Qatar, Jordan Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. And, unlike the rest of the world, there is a ‘reverse’ gender gap in the region with girls outperforming boys in Year 4 mathematics, a trend that generally continues into Year 8, surprising statistics perhaps in a part of the world not known for gender equity (World Bank, 2014).

While the investment in education extends to universities in most Middle East countries, TVET has not generally been as well served. Thus, a 2016 ILO-UNICEF consultation report argued that ‘the overall levels of access to TVET represent only a small fraction of enrollment [sic] in general education, also compared to other regions. TVET is … perceived as a “residual” category for those students who cannot make it to the general secondary path after completing basic education. … It is essential to instill [sic] positive attitudes towards TVET and vocational employment’ (p. 3). As a result, there is a growing skills mismatch in the region, ‘as young people fail to acquire the skills needed to succeed in today’s jobs, let alone tomorrow’s’ (Samans & Zahidi, 2017, p. 9).

As a result, several key problems characterize TVET in the region. First, there is a significant ‘youth bulge’. Demographic projections reveal that the number of young people (up to 24 years old) in the region will surge by about 10 million between 2015 and 2030. This sudden growth will not only place huge pressure on existing educational institutions, but will also pose questions about the quality and relevance of TVET if the growing number of young people are to ‘become an engine of growth for the region’ (World Bank, 2014).

Unfortunately, the prospects for this occurring are not good at the present time. For example, the ILO- UNICEF, 2016 Consultation reported that TVET in the region ‘is associated with low quality education that does not provide concrete prospects for employment’ (p. 15). Thus, youth unemployment in the Middle East (and North Africa) stands at 31 per cent with an extensive workforce participation gender gap ranging from just over 40% in Kuwait and Qatar to nearly 80% in Algeria and Jordan (Samans & Zahidi, 2017).

The skills gap exists across basic skills (such as creative and independent thinking), problem-solving skills and soft skills, as well as in sector-specific and functional skills. In their insightful report, Unlocking the paradox of plenty: A review of the talent landscape in the Arab world and your role in shaping the future, Jones and Punshi (2013) continue this argument by stating that subject-and sector-specific, work-relevant skills are not enough and that learning experiences need to be structured to promote skills such as communication, teamwork, resilience, self-confidence, negotiation and self-expression, through experiential project-based approaches. (See also Samans & Zahidi, 2017, p. 10).

Along with the World Bank (2014), they report that several surveys indicate only about one-third of TVET graduates in the region are ready for the workplace. Compared with other parts of the world, the Middle East invests little in pre-vocational and workplace training. The World Bank reports that ‘[s]tudents [too] are as aware as employers of this skills mismatch: when interviewed, only one-third believed that they were adequately prepared to enter the workforce. Interestingly, over one-third of students were willing to pay for their education if it were to lead to better job prospects’ (p. 2).

On top of such challenges, particularly to the relevance of current vocational education offerings, the World Economic Forum predicts that over 40% of all work activities in the region are susceptible to automation: Kuwait – 41%; Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – 46%; UAE – 47%; Egypt – 49%; and Qatar – 52%. In addition, whether jobs are declining, stable or growing, they are going through major changes to their skills profile. As a result, it is believed that, by 2020, 21% of core skills in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council will be different compared to skills that were needed in 2015 (Samans & Zahidi, 2017, p. iii).

Changes are afoot, however. For example, Egypt is working with the European Commission to draft new, comprehensive policies and capacity building initiatives in TVET. These include: improving the quality of TVET curricula and teaching; reforming TVET finances through partnerships between private and public TVET providers, companies and government agencies; and establishing national regulatory and support institutions for more decentralized and demand-driven TVET systems. The Gulf countries are already quite deliberate in building their TVET systems and guiding young people into training for positions in the oil and gas industries and in national security. Action is also being taken to redress key problems in TVET for people living in marginalized areas, such as Palestine, and for population groups not traditionally served well by TVET, such as women and girls.

Overview of papers in this special issue

The papers in this collection provide insightful explanations of the root causes of some of these challenges as well as accounts of various approaches for addressing them and reviews of progress in these efforts. The papers address the issue of gender disparities as well as disadvantages based upon disabilities and place of birth and residence. They discuss efforts in TVET to address these. One paper examines the significance of career guidance across the region while another explores how opportunities for TVET-University vertical integration can be addressed. One paper explores the wider contribution of TVET to the Learning City agenda and vice versa, while another provides empirical testimony of the value of TVET in empowering graduates to live more fulfilling lives for themselves, their families and communities.

Samah Gamar’s paper addresses an issue of great concern to TVET system managers around the world: how transition from vocational programs to university studies can be facilitated. She does this through a case study of a pilot trades’ program at the College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, where a Technician Certificate Program (TCP) was developed in collaboration with Qatar’s energy and industry sectors. The first section of the paper describes the technical institute in order to provide the context of the case study. This is followed by an outline of the practical measures adopted by the institution to create an unobstructed track for continuous learning and credential advancement. These steps included: the adoption of a semester system, the allocation of credit hours to courses, the careful documentation of program scope and outcomes, the integration and articulation of fundamental academic skills, and the development of an advance credit transfer policy. The paper also includes an analysis of the challenges to designing and implementing a trades program that promotes vertical permeability for its graduates. The final section of the paper highlights opportunities for further action and research, including the consideration of: credit transferability and vertical articulation between organizations, issues related to incorporating higher order cognitive skills into trade and apprenticeship programs to align with cognitive aims of universities, and ways of challenging the dichotomy between more passive, instructor-centered learning and applied, student-led learning.

Several papers in this collection illustrate how challenges such as these, and the others discussed in the previous section, are being addressed. For example, Ronald Sultana canvasses the enormous contributions that informed career guidance can play in helping students plan their studies to match available employment opportunities. However, his own empirical work, and his review of related studies, show that ‘the main driver for policy interest in career guidance in the region is reduced to the impact it might have on orienting recalcitrant students towards TVET pathways’. He argues that while this is common in many parts of the world, it could be seen as educationally unethical and, thus, offers a range of other strategies for making TVET more attractive. These include: improving the educational offerings in TVET institutions; increasing the permeability between TVET and non-TVET tracks (as in Samar Gamah’s paper); marketing TVET as a desirable option for high achieving students; and increasing the opportunities available for students to ‘taste’ courses in TVET colleges in order to allow experience, rather than prejudice, determine their further and higher education aspirations and choices.

A team of writers, consisting of Faryal Khan, Walid Aradi, Elizabeth Buckner, Wesley Schwalje and Maricel Fernandez-Carag, address the challenge of women’s participation in technical and vocational education and training in the Gulf States. Inspired by the leadership of UNESCO in promoting gender equality in education, this team considers the role of TVET in addressing the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 4 and Education 2030. The authors argue that, while governments in the Gulf States have ambitious goals to expand the number of women enrolled in TVET programs and working in technical fields, they are facing several barriers. These include: perceptions of appropriate work for females, vastly different salaries between public sector and technical employment that reinforce the low-perceived status of technical fields, and wider structural labor market features. The paper concludes with several recommendations for reforming this situation, including: expanding opportunities for TVET at the secondary level; providing comprehensive college and career counseling; more effective coordination of TVET governance systems; increasing women’s opportunities for training; and implementing several labor market reforms to provide equal pay, maternity benefits and childcare to female employees.

Leone Wheeler argues that the Learning City movement provides insights into one way in which the wider structural reforms needed to make TVET a more attractive proposition for all may be undertaken. She quotes the UNESCO definition of a Learning City as being ‘one that promotes lifelong learning for all …; mobilizes its resources in every sector to promote inclusive learning …; revitalizes learning in families and communities; facilitates learning for and in the workplace; … enhances quality and excellence in learning; and fosters a culture of learning throughout life’ (UNESCO, 2013, p. 2). Wheeler references four ways in which a Learning City approach intersects with the development of TVET in the Middle East. First, the high rate of urban expansion in many countries in the Middle East where between 60% and 90% of the population live in urban areas creates a strong demand for skilled employees in urban planning, health, education, construction, housing, transportation and other basic services. Second, a Learning City approach can provide a systematic framework for addressing improvements in educational outcomes both in schools and in communities in which many adults lack sufficient reading and writing skills for employment. Third, the approach is geared to local issues and helps make education relevant to local conditions. She cites the examples of Middle East examples of Amman in Jordan and Giza in Egypt, early adopters of the Learning City approach in the region, as using the approach to help deal with significant problems, such as an influx of refugees, security, youth unemployment and literacy issues.

Randa Hilal’s paper examines ways in which TVET is contributing to local problems through a case study of the impacts of TVET in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). She describes the very trying circumstances of life under occupation, for nearly 70 years, and the negative impacts of this on economic development and employment opportunities for people living in the oPt. She writes about the ways in which ‘Palestinian women are subjected to the full effect of the military occupation under such circumstances, especially due to the increased militarization and resulting economic deterioration as well as special social and cultural restrictions’ and describes these a ‘double system of patriarchy and violence’. From surveys and interviews with around 1,000 informants, Hilal finds extensive evidence that TVET can play a significant role in raising not only the economic prospects but also the self-esteem and self-efficacy – the empowerment – of graduates. Drawing on Amartya Sen’s notion of capabilities and feminist theories of agency, choice and power, Hilal provides empirical evidence that TVET makes a valuable contribution to family and community life, not just the economy, by providing graduates with various indicators of empowerment, including: ‘Power Within’ (self-confidence, skills confidence and financial confidence), ‘Power To’ (relationship and communication within the household and participation in decision-making), ‘Power With’ (participation in public life, organization in social group membership, unions, chambers, and participation in collective action) and ‘Power Over’ (freedom of decision-making of life choices). This may well prove to be a vitally significant contribution from research on TVET in the Middle East to the theory and practice of TVET worldwide.

The Editors and publishers of this Special Issue of the International Journal of Training Research on ‘TVET in the Middle East’ believe that this volume helps to showcase some of the excellent, cutting-edge, applied research currently being undertaken on key issues, concerns and prospects regarding TVET in the Middle East, in order to bring this excellent research to the attention of education researchers, policy-makers and practitioners both within the Middle East and worldwide.

Notes

1. http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/future-of-work/WCMS_541635/lang--en/index.htm

2. http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/go.php?q=Carribbean+Conference+May+17

3. https://www.regional-tvet-conference-myanmar.org

4. https://www.dcdualvet.org/en/dcevent/changing-skills-for-a-changing-world-konferenz/

5. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/conference_in_china_explores_skills_for_work_innovation_and/