Enhancing international cooperation in VET

The future of work, skills and work-based learning are on the agenda when representatives from international development agencies meet in Turin on June 6-7.

The Inter-Agency Working Group on TVET is a platform to facilitate cooperation and knowledge exchange between key international players in skills and vocational education and training (VET).

This time, the high-level meeting coincides with the Torino Process, 2017 Changing Skills for a Changing World conference on June 7-8.

The ETF’s Peter Greenwood says the focus is on building a synergy among the leading international organisations involved in the delivery of policy advice, programmes and research in the field.

‘Collaboration is already having a positive impact on reform in ETF partner countries,’ he says.

‘An example is the joint policy analyses in partner countries with common indicators and shared priorities for implementation in the Western Balkans and Neighbourhood countries.’

The Working Group was convened by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 2008 to enhance knowledge sharing and a common understanding of key issues. The group seeks to help countries design and implement more effective policies to improve productivity, economic prosperity, sustainable development and employment opportunities.

The IAG-TVET comprises of UNESCO, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank. Regionally-based members include the African Development Bank, the European Commission, the European Training Foundation (ETF), the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), the Inter-American Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank.