6th High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET

Background

All Southeast Asian countries have positioned Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the mainstream of education systems and set it as a priority in their education agendas due to its crucial role in the socio-economic development of a nation (Paryono, 2013).

On the regional level, TVET has been acknowledged as a key element in responding to a faster change in skills demands due to technological advancements and thus in preparing human resources for the future of work. As a result, TVET takes up prominent roles in regional agendas such as the SEAMEO Education Agenda 2015-2035, the ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2021-2025, and the ASEAN Declaration on Human Resource Development (2020).

The Southeast Asian countries have promoted regional cooperation on TVET in the region by actively participating in the TVET High Officials Meetings since 2015.

• 1st High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET with the theme “Working Together towards Harmonisation and Internationalisation of TVET in Southeast Asia,” hosted by the Office of the Vocational Education Commission, Ministry of Education, Thailand, on 23-26 August 2015, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
• 2nd High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET with the theme “Strengthening Efforts towards Harmonisation and Internationalisation of TVET in Southeast Asia,” hosted by the Department of Technical and Vocational Education, Ministry of Education and Culture, on 12-14 May 2016, Bali, Indonesia.
• 3rd High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET with the theme “21st Century TVET in Southeast Asia: Advancing Toward Harmonisation and Internationalisation,” hosted by the Ministry of Education, and the Government of Malaysia, on 23-25 May 2017, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• 4th High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET with the theme “Moving Together Towards TVET 4.0,” hosted by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Education of the Philippines on 4-5 September 2018, Manila, Philippines.
• 5th High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET with the theme “Strengthening Efforts Towards TVET 4.0,” hosted by the Ministry of Education of Brunei Darussalam, Politeknik Brunei (PB), Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE), International Affairs Unit (MoE) of Brunei on 9-10 September 2019 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.

Since the 1st High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET organised in 2015, various new national and regional initiatives in TVET have been created and co-developed among the Southeast Asian countries and Development Agencies to improve the quality of TVET, promote partnerships among TVET institutions,to strengthen the involvement of industries, improve the capacity of TVET personnel, harmonise TVET curricula, and to promote the mobility of skilled workers, teachers and students.

This regional cooperation has gained significant importance in light of the COVID-19 pandemic's ongoing impact on the region. With countries facing similar challenges, the utilization of regional resources, the sharing of good practices as a mutual learning process, and the leveraging of advances in digitalisation to manage and centralize essential TVET knowledge are crucial.

At the High Official’s Round Table Meeting of the 5th High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET on 9 September 2019 in Brunei Darussalam, the High Officials proposed the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training of Cambodia to host the 6th High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 6th High Officials Meeting had been postponed to 2021 and will now be held virtually.

Organisers

Host Organisations:

• The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia
• The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training of Cambodia

Co-Organisers:

• Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat
• SEAMEO Regional Centre for Technical Education Development (SEAMEO TED)

Objectives 

The 6th High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET aims to:

1. Share and examine national and regional best practices, innovative approaches, and promising initiatives on the utilisation of technological solutions to ensure continuity of TVET during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Strengthen regional cooperation among TVET Ministries/Departments, TVET development agencies, TVET institutions, and other TVET stakeholders, and identify opportunities for collaboration on joint TVET activities.
3. Identify approaches and strategies to prepare TVET systems in Southeast Asia for the future world of work by enhancing the responsiveness of TVET systems towards changing labour market requirements and improving their digital readiness.

Theme: “Technological transformation and the digitalisation of TVET”

The COVID-19 pandemic has painfully highlighted key weaknesses of TVET systems and posed considerable new challenges to TVET stakeholders. In the past year, TVET institutions were faced with the challenge to remain functional under conditions of lockdown and social distancing. Remote learning solutions exacerbated the digital divide especially affecting low-income households, rural communities, and disadvantaged groups. Educators had to expand their skill sets to conquer new technologies and learning modalities and solve the puzzle of conveying hands-on demonstrations and practical training in remote settings. All the while, TVET systems were looking at the daunting task to equip young people and the existing workforce with competencies that make them more resilient to external shocks and that let them adjust to increasingly faster changing labour market demands due to technological transformation.

These challenges have been met with innovation, adaptation and creativity within the region and beyond. As the pandemic seems far from over, it is crucial to take stock of what has been achieved and how best practices can be leveraged through regional cooperation to address current and future challenges. Therefore, for this year's High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET, the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia are proposing the theme “Technological transformation and the digitalisation of TVET systems” with the aim to strengthen a joint learning process and regional approach to prepare the TVET systems of Southeast Asia for the future world of work and build long-term resilience.

Expected Outputs

The 6th High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET is expected to deliver the following outputs:

1. Collection of innovative practices, initiatives and approaches that improve the digital readiness of TVET systems to continue TVET during the pandemic;
2. Launch of SEAMEO Regional Centre for Technical Education Development;
3. Launch of the SEAMEO TVET Action Agenda 2021-2025.

Participants

The 6th High Officials Meeting on SEA-TVET is expected to bring together High Officials from SEAMEO Member Countries, Associate Member Countries, Affiliate Members, SEAMEO Centres, SEA-TVET Network, and development agencies. Participants will include:

• Secretary Generals/Director Generals/Directors on TVET of Ministries of Education, Ministries of Labour and Training, Ministries of Science and Technology, and other related Ministries from the Southeast Asian countries.
  
  

  Brunei Darussalam:	Ministry of Education Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports
  Cambodia:	Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training
  Indonesia:	Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology
  Lao PDR:	Ministry of Education and Sports
  Malaysia:	Ministry of Education Ministry of Higher Education Ministry of Human Resources
  Myanmar:	Ministry of Education
  Philippines:	Department of Education (DepEd) Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
  Singapore:	Ministry of Education Ministry of Manpower
  Thailand:	Ministry of Education Ministry of Labour
  Vietnam:	Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs (MOLISA)

• Representatives from partner countries such as Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, China, and Korea.
• Representatives of related Development Agencies and Industries such as SEAMEO, ASEAN Secretariat, GIZ, UNESCO, ILO, ASEAN-China Centre, KOSEN (Japan), KRIVET (Korea).
• Representatives from industry such as Chambers of Commerce, Industry Associations, TVET Associations.
• Directors and staff of TVET institutions from the SEAMEO TVET Network

Registration

The event will be held via Webex and live-streamed via YouTube.
Registration Link will be sent to invited organizations and institutes.
YouTube Live Link: https://link.seameo.org/6HOMSEATVET