How Are Vocational Institutions Innovating, Evolving and Changing as a Result of COVID-19?: A Study of Practice and Perspectives in Five Countries

As an international problem, Covid-19 requires international cooperation. The social, economic and educational recovery from the pandemic can be enhanced by knowledge transfer and exchange. This research brought together 15 technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions from the five countries in the British Council’s I-WORK Programme (Improving Work Opportunities - Relaying Knowledge) to explore innovation, evolution and change stemming from the pandemic. TVET practitioners and leaders from Ghana, India, Malaysia, South Africa and the UK were asked to reflect on five key questions:

1. How are institutional policy and structures likely to change to reflect the changing situation? Is this different for private institutions?
2. What changes are proposed to the curriculum/ occupational areas to reflect the rapidly changing demand and how are they identifying this demand?
3. How will learners get the practical and work-based experience they need and what changes to work- based learning and apprenticeships are needed?
4. What changes are needed to the skills and type of staff in the teaching institution?
5. How can new delivery models and ways of working promote more inclusive practice?

The research took place as institutions approached almost a year of adapting their teaching, learning and support to localised lockdowns and the restrictions of the pandemic. The national policy context may have been different in each country, but the research findings pointed to a single conclusion: that across the board, the move to digital learning and teaching had brought benefits, opportunities and challenges that might not otherwise have been realised.