effective education for employment- a global perspective

Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

By James Playfoot Director of Strategy & Ideas White Loop

Ross Hall Director of International Edexcel

May 2008


Contents

Foreword 4

Note on language 6

Executive summary 7

Chapter 1: Our approach 11

Chapter 2: Context – the high level issues 15

Chapter 3: Findings – key global issues 20

Chapter 4: Findings – ideas for positive change 32

Chapter 5: The Ideal Employee 37

Chapter 6: Country report – Brazil 40

Chapter 7: Country report – China 47

Chapter 8: Country report – India 54

Chapter 9: Country report – South Africa 61

Chapter 10: Country report – United Arab Emirates 70

Appendix: Participants in provocation meetings 77

Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 3

Foreword

I can trace the roots of this report back to a single, illuminating day in early 2007. In my quest to find ways of improving education programmes, I had decided to visit a number of key countries to meet with government decision-makers, employers, educators and learners.

My very first meeting in this tour was with the Minister of Education, who was very quick to tell me how bright his school and university graduates were. As our conversation progressed, however, he told me that too many high school graduates were not getting into university or into employment and that ‘vocational’ education was not considered a positive option by either employers or young people.

Later, I met with the headmaster of a highly respected school who was very proud of his achievement – delivering a higher than average proportion of students to top universities, and showing great creativity in the use of curriculum and facilities to produce what he termed ‘well rounded, socially responsible’ children. Much of this work was inspiring and his students seemed like model citizens. However, very few ended up choosing a vocational education route.

Finally, I met with the CEO of a key business for the region who told me about the challenges he faces in recruiting individuals who were ‘job-ready’ - especially from top universities – that too much focus is placed on academic study - and that, as a result, he was having to invest heavily in bringing new staff up to speed.

These themes continued to feature heavily in meetings I had over the following weeks in quite different parts of the world. Everywhere I went, I discovered great examples of successful, progressive initiatives having real impact on individuals and businesses. However, I also felt that more could be done: there was clearly a need to reform education for employment programmes, improve quality and relevance and build stronger relationships between education and business.

I decided to commission a piece of research to help crystallise, in my own mind, the issues; to put them in some sort of order; and to guide which problems I could practically address.

Our first challenge was scope. Working with partners in around 100 countries and having a strong interest in around 25 of these - as well as wanting to capture the thoughts of governments, industry, educators and learners - we decided to conduct broad brush, sometimes informal, research in 25 countries and to focus heavily on 5 high growth economies in the hope that any commonalities we found there would be relevant everywhere. With a few minor exceptions, it would seem that almost all of our findings are relevant in some way to every country we have surveyed.

Our second challenge was complexity – to engage people easily and stimulate debate, I developed the concept of the Ideal Employee. This is conceived as a practical, easily understood model that will resonate with

Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective4

people from government, industry, education and, of course, individual learners and employees. This has turned out to be highly successful and is covered in more depth in Chapter 5.

I am happy to say that after much hard work and anxiety, the results of our research have proved to be wide-ranging, hugely stimulating and extremely useful – at the time of writing, we are using our findings to develop real-world, practical solutions to a number of the issues we have uncovered.

However, realistically, we can never tackle all of the issues and there are some clear omissions from this report – for example, we have not covered issues around technology, educational facilities, funding or governance. Also, the ideas for positive change in Chapter 4 are far from comprehensive, being simply a collection of the principle ideas that were suggested by our respondents and some initial thinking of our own. Many of our findings beg more questions than suggest answers.

For these reasons, I decided to make our research publicly available in the hope that it will stimulate thought, debate, further research and certainly positive action.

I hope you find it useful.

Ross Hall Director of International, Edexcel Ltd

May 2008



Note on language

One of the key challenges to emerge during the course of this project is that of language. With this in mind, we have constructed a taxonomy to use in this report that we hope will be adopted more widely to overcome these issues. Choosing words is never a precise activity and an element of personal preference is inevitable. We are also conscious that the terms we have chosen are all English words – the simple result of English being our native language.

Specifically, we believe that the term ‘vocational’ often carries negative connotations and the phrase ‘vocational education and training’ is both cumbersome and seems to make a distinction between educational methods that is neither useful nor particularly easy to define. We have introduced the term ‘education for employment’ in the title of this report. However, this is, perhaps, also a little too cumbersome for general use. Instead, we have adopted the phrase ‘professional education’.

While ‘professional’ is used by some people to denote education programmes that lead learners into certain ‘high status’ jobs such as law, accountancy, medicine etc, we don’t feel that this is very helpful and is, in some ways, divisive, contributing to the lower status of education programmes that are directed at ‘non-professional’ or ‘vocational’ jobs. In our view, any education programme that successfully delivers people with the right knowledge, skills and behaviours into gainful employment is as valid as any other and should be classed under the same name – ‘professional education’.

We also found significant reference, throughout our research, to ‘soft’ or ‘employability’ skills. This, again, is problematic as there is no commonly accepted term or meaning to describe these particular attributes. Instead, we propose adopting the phrase ‘portable qualities’. This refers to qualities that can be used by an employee in any role with any employer in any industry in any country. In other words, qualities that are not specific to any sector, role or employer.


Executive summary

7

Executive summary

The aims of the Effective Education for Employment project are twofold:

First, we seek to identify the key challenges around developing •talented, capable people to fulfil the workforce requirements of businesses and organisations worldwide.

Second, we seek to begin the process of addressing these •challenges.

Consequently, this report represents a contribution to the debate and a starting point for further discussion and action.

The basis of our findings is an integrated research project that has been running for over six months. Our geographical focus is on five of the world’s fastest growing economies: Brazil, China, India, South Africa and United Arab Emirates. This work is supported by significant engagement within the UK and informal discussions with individuals in 25 other countries.

Interaction has been with the key stakeholders in this debate: governments, educators, employers, employees and learners. We have adopted a variety of research methodologies to inform our findings: face-to-face interviews, round table discussions, quantitative surveys, telephone interviews, online questionnaires and bulletin boards.

Due to the scope of the project, and the complexity of the issues addressed, it is difficult to briefly summarise our findings. However, it is clear that there are key challenges around the following five areas:

Increasing the quality, relevance, status and accessibility of •professional education.

Creating stronger connections between business, education and •government as a means of improving education design and delivery.

Developing better methods of assessing the quality of professional •education provision and linking this to an internationally recognised framework.

Improving the way that ‘portable qualities’ are developed, nurtured •and assessed and embed these into every level of education.

Creating better approaches to identifying, communicating and •scaling up examples of best practice.

Beyond this, we have summarised our findings in the following diagram. This identifies both the specific issues we face (developed further in Chapter 3 – key global issues), and some of the ways in which these issues might be addressed (expanded in Chapter 4 – ideas for positive change).

6 in 10 employees believe their academic and professional qualifications prepared them for workSource: Edexcel Research 2008

We will need better people in 10 years time; this will be about the demands of the market placeEmployer, Brazil



Maximising impact

ProgressionAssessmentEducation delivery

Education design

Workforce requirements

Economic policyEconomic /

educational cycle

Issues

Ideas

Low status of vocational education

Recruitment processes fail employers

Learning not assessed

Quality of teaching

Quality & relevance of programmes

Employer voice needs amplifying

Globalising economy

Best practice not shared / celebrated

In-work progression not effective

Assessment methods ineffective

No collective responsibilityProgrammes

not connectedDifficulty in defining required qualities

Skills race

Need to scale up best practise

Learners misinformed

Inadequate certification

Quality assurance standards lacking

Teach people to learn

Develop Ideal Employee concept

Pace of change

Profile global education successes more widely

New tools to empower learners towards understanding employer needs

Learning not benchmarked across borders

Ineffective in-workeducation

Educate portablequalities moreeffectively

Businesses to take wider responsibility for supporting skills issueswithin their industry

Increasing competition

Set up an Institute of International Professional Education

Instigate an international quality system for professional education

Revive & incentivise apprentice-ships

Educate behavioursmore effectively

Increasing mobility

Government funded campaign to tackle negative perceptions of professional education

New methods for assessing strengths & weaknesses of current staff

Teach managers to become educators & incentivise this

Improve basic education in schools

Increasing expectations

Govts. to legislate for business involvement in education

Transform universityeducation

Poverty

Transform approaches to teaching

Develop positive company cultures

Expose teachers to business environment & train them better

Build relationship between business & educators

Instigate Code of Conduct for educators

Embed teaching of portable qualities into education

Redefine & communicate definition of basic skills

Create general skills curriculum focussed on ability to learn

Figure 1: Effective professional education: global challenges and possible solutions

What next?

The issues we identify in this report, and the ideas we present are a starting point. Over the coming months, Edexcel will begin to address some of these issues by developing new products and services, building on existing relationships and further investigating how best to tackle the challenges we all face.

Specifically, Edexcel will

Develop and communicate the concept of the Ideal Employee •amongst businesses, policy makers and learners/employees.

Work towards better mechanisms for quality assuring qualifications •globally.

Design education programmes that help educators develop the •knowledge, skills and behaviours needed by business and industry worldwide.

We welcome input and debate and relish the challenge ahead. Aptitude is something you can test but attitude is 100% to be seen after the interviewEmployee, India



Chapter 1: Our approach

11

Chapter 1: Our approach

Objectives

This project is underpinned by a simple and singular premise: that education is not currently developing appropriately skilled workers in sufficient numbers to meet the demands of business and society.

Following informal interviews in over 25 countries, it seems that this premise holds true for many parts of the world. The project set out to address the following questions:

Why it is that education is failing to meet the rising demand for •skilled individuals?

What, specifically, are the key challenges facing businesses, •governments, educators and individuals?

What needs to change in order to address the key challenges?•

Can we identify the attributes and characteristics that form the Ideal •Employee in the 21st century?

Can we articulate a positive vision for the future and describe •pathways to get there?

The project is particularly interested in presenting an international comparison of some of the world’s fastest growing nations. The issues in these countries are, arguably, most acute. Not only is the pace of change creating unprecedented demand for skilled labour, but also these new economic powers are predominantly developing nations who are facing significant challenges around reforming their education systems. By looking at these countries in detail, we can discover most about the demands of the new economy and can characterise the drivers for change.

Five countries were chosen as a focus for the project:

Brazil•

China•

India •

South Africa•

United Arab Emirates•

Within each country, the project communicated with the key stakeholders in this debate: employers, employees, educators, learners and those involved in shaping policy.


Methodology

In order to gain the fullest picture of the realities within each target country, we adopted a range of methods and approaches. These are described below:

Secondary researchThe project began with an extensive assessment, through secondary sources, of current thinking and approaches to professional education. The specific focus of this exercise was to analyse comparative studies of professional education globally and identify some of the key themes emerging from this analysis.

This activity culminated in a secondary research report that informed the design of all subsequent research content. In addition, this study allowed us to identify a number of expert academics within this field who were consequently invited to participate in the project.

International provocation seriesTo enable us to engage with a wide range of leaders from business, education and policy, and to ensure that we received a cross-section of opinion, we instigated a series of round-table discussions, or provocations, in each of the five target countries. These took place between November 2007 and March 2008.

Prior to the first of these events, a provocation meeting was held in London. This acted as a pilot, allowing us to test the format and approach for the meeting and shape the direction of subsequent discussions. This meeting also provided valuable input for the contextual picture described in the next chapter.

Each provocation meeting involved between 10 and 15 individuals, drawn from a range of backgrounds, reflecting the different reference points through which the debate is filtered.

Representatives from government and those responsible for making policy were joined by business leaders from corporations and small to medium sizes enterprises (SMEs) and individuals working within the education field, both in terms of education provision and academic study.

Each meeting lasted around three hours and open and honest discussion was encouraged, with facilitators concentrating on capturing country-specific context and experiences.

The findings from each meeting have formed the basis for much of the analysis within this report.

Following the last of the international provocation meetings in Brazil, a second meeting was held in London to reflect on the initial findings and to add further input to the wider debate.

The results of this meeting contributed significantly to the thinking in chapters 4, 5 and 6 of this report.

All participants attended voluntarily. Overall, 85 people took part in the provocation series across six countries. A list of those attending each of the events can be found in the appendices at the end of this report.

Primary research projectTo augment and support the findings from the international provocation series, a multi-stage research project was commissioned. Qualitative depth interviews were initially conducted in October, November and


early December 2007. This activity was augmented by quantitative and qualitative bulletin boards in February and March 2008. In addition, an extensive online quantitative survey of employers, employees, learners and training providers was carried out across the five target countries.

Primary research was undertaken in three stages:

Stage 1: A qualitative stage of 75 telephone or face-to-face depth interviews with employers, employees and training providers.

Stage 2: A quantitative online study of 1723 respondents – respondents were screened to ensure they matched one of the following criteria: they worked for a company employing 250 or more staff; were decision makers within a private training company or university; were students pre-work.

Online interviews were conducted with the following groups:

514 employers•

530 employees•

165 training providers, including 38 universities•

514 learners•

Spread across the following countries:

340 in Brazil•

346 in China•

349 in India•

350 in South Africa•

338 in UAE•

Each interview lasted between 15 and 30 minutes.

Stage 3: An online bulletin board of approximately 100 participants was convened to further discuss key issues from the research.

Results from this primary research project are integrated throughout this report, both in the generic findings and in the specific statistics and quotes that appear in the margins of each page.



Chapter 2: Context – the high level issues

15

Chapter 2: Context – the high level issues

The diagram below provides an overview of the global context within which this debate sits. Beneath that is an explanation of the key issues facing governments, educators, business/industry, and individuals.

Irrespective of the business models they adopt in response to ongoing global change, the war for talent remains a key concern among CEOs worldwide, ranking second only to a potential economic downturn as the biggest threat to business growth. Employer, Brazil


Global skills race

Globalising economy

Unprecedented rates of change


Individuals are increasingly mobile

Poverty

Individuals have increasingly high expectations

Shortage of people with the skills that industry needs

Education systems struggling to meet industry needs

Disconnect between industry demand and education design

Not enough businesses taking education role

1Economic/

policy factors

3Where are

we now

2Educational

factors

DISC

ON

NEC

T

Figure 2: Global context

Summary of contextual issues

1. Economic/policy factors

1.1 Globalising economy

The economies of the world are diverging – global outsourcing •within the manufacturing and service sectors increasingly predominate. Businesses now see no boundaries to setting up wherever they think their interests will be best served. This process has seen the emergence of new economic powers.

The knowledge economy, and the emerging concept of the •experience economy, require a workforce that has flexibility and creativity at its heart.

The demand for talented people has never been higher, and the •opportunities for individuals and businesses never greater.

1.2 Global skills race

Many countries are involved in a ‘global skills race’ that will •determine economic fortunes in the foreseeable future and this race is intensifying.

The nature of skills demand is increasingly consistent – more and •more, businesses and organisations worldwide are looking for the same type of people with a core set of portable qualities.

1.3 Unprecedented rates of change

There is widespread recognition amongst businesses and •government that future economic success rests significantly on the ability of educators and industry to develop and nurture a highly flexible workforce.

Economic growth rates in China, India and Brazil are outstripping •those of established economies by two or three times, creating significant challenges for education systems in these countries.

1.4 Increasing competition

With the intensity and scale of competition increasing rapidly, •industry needs workers who excel in quality service provision, innovation and leadership.

Organisations want to recruit work-ready employees and believe •that the cost of recruiting, mis-recruiting, developing and retaining a competitive workforce inhibits their competitiveness.

1.5 Individuals are increasingly mobile

Significant challenges around moving a predominantly rural •workforce from agricultural to industrial and knowledge-based activities in emerging economies like China and India.

Desire amongst many in emerging economies to experience study •and work in other countries and a sense that there are no barriers to educational or professional mobility.

Only 50% of employers provide learning & development certification which demonstrates levels of competence Source: Edexcel Research 2008

2 in 10 current employees acknowledge that their qualifications did not prepare them for the job they do nowSource: Edexcel Research 2008


Increasing mobility of the workforce, coupled with the rapidity of •change within particular roles or sectors, is creating demand for a more flexible, adaptable employee.

1.6 Poverty

Despite astonishing rates of economic growth, many emerging •economies are still facing significant issues of poverty – for example, United Nations figures estimate that 21% of the population of Brazil is living beneath the poverty line.

Provision of access to education for all remains the goal but is still •some distance away for many.

Unemployment is also high in many emerging economies – South •Africa has seen significant economic growth but without this being matched by growth in employment.

1.7 Individuals have increasingly high expectations

Economic growth is funding the expansion of educational •opportunity. This, in turn, is raising the expectations level amongst learners/employees – they want better jobs and faster progression.

Growth is also creating unprecedented employment opportunities •and, in many countries, an expanding wealthy middle class who become the aspirational blueprint for those in work and those entering employment for the first time.

2. Educational factors

2.1 Disconnect between industry demand and education design

There is a disconnect between industry and educators that needs •to be systematically addressed in order to improve the effectiveness of education programmes and increase collaboration around the delivery of these programmes.

A relationship between course content and the world of work is •often lacking, particularly in academic (university) education.

The imperative for employers to articulate what they need is •accepted by all.

Beyond articulating demand, the need for business to engage in the •design and delivery of professional education is vital.

2.2 Not enough businesses taking education role

Despite complaining of the ineffectiveness of educators, industry is •not taking collective responsibility for education.

Not enough engagement with educators and work-related •education programmes.

Business leaders are often sceptical towards the effectiveness of •public initiatives and prefer to invest in their own solutions.

Generally not providing adequate in-work education.•

45% of employees are receiving limited or very little training from their employerSource: Edexcel Research 2008

Exam assessment continues to be the most popular method of assessment – 73% learners assessed through examinationSource: Edexcel Research 2008


Where in-work education is provided, this is done in isolation and is, •therefore, not scaleable.

Not enough linking education to progression.•

2.3 Education systems struggling to meet industry needs

While there are many examples of progressive and successful •initiatives, by and large, systems of education are not effective in developing the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for modern employment.

Many countries are facing an ongoing struggle to provide access to •basic education – in South Africa it is estimated that 70% of those leaving the education system lack basic literacy and numeracy skills.

Need to address basic education comes before the requirement to •develop the ‘higher’ skills required by business and industry.

Employers and industry are increasingly disillusioned with the quality •and skills of those entering the job market following academic study.

Perception of academic study as superior to professional education •persists, particularly amongst learners and potential employees.

3. Where we are now

3.1 Shortage of people with the skills that industry needs

There is a clear and significant shortage of appropriately skilled •individuals to meet the demands of business and industry in most countries.

Governments in all major economic centres recognise the acute •need for improving and expanding their professional education strategies.

Technical knowledge and an ability to carry out a role remain key •requirements.

Behaviours and attitudes needed to succeed in a commercial, •service-oriented environment are seen as deficient.

‘Employability’ skills are increasingly on the agenda in the UK/•Europe and the US, and will inevitably be more in demand in the global marketplace.

There is evidence to support the contention that middle and senior •management roles are not being filled by appropriately skilled individuals, perhaps, in part, due to the speed of promotion that goes hand-in-hand with rapid economic growth.

Creativity and innovation are highly valued qualities that are ever •more relevant to the modern business environment.

Only 3 in 10 learners expect to develop portable qualities from their studies – the expectation is that these will be developed when in workSource: Edexcel Research 2008

Only 6 in 10 employees are satisfied with learning & development they received from their employerSource: Edexcel Research 2008


Chapter 3: Findings – key global issues


Chapter 3: Findings – key global issues

The concept of globalisation is often used to refer to the blurring of international economic boundaries and the increasing connectivity of the world’s economies. It seems now that professional education sits firmly within this paradigm.

While country-specific skills demands still exist, the focus of education is ever more on portable qualities that individuals can use in any job, in any sector, anywhere in the world. The irony is that in the knowledge economy, knowledge alone is not enough and, in fact, is less important than having the right attitude and understanding how to learn and how to behave. In one sense, the challenges for education are very much social and are therefore culturally defined.

However, the overall picture of demand and need is remarkably similar across the world. And it is possible to characterise both a set of common issues (which we do below) and propose a series of actions to improve the impact education can have on the ability of a workforce to support and grow the economy (which we do in chapter 4).

Finally, we develop the definition of the ideal 21st century employee in chapter 5 as one mechanism to catalyse change.

Many good things are already happening, and it will be some time before the impact of policy changes, as well as business-led initiatives, will be known. However, new thinking, new ideas and new approaches are required.

The global issues

The diagram in Figure 3 gives an overview of the issues identified during our research and maps these to the various stages of economic and educational progression that typically exist within an economy. The detail around these challenges is then expanded upon.

Discussion of key global issues

The issues identified overleaf relating to economic policy are discussed in Chapter 2 – context. Further issues exist in the following areas:

1. Workforce Requirements

1.1 Need to amplify employer voice

There is, generally, a sense of scepticism from business leaders •towards the nature and level of their involvement in professional education strategy and policies.

On the job learning is the backbone of most employers’ training programmes. It is used by 7 in 10 employersSource: Edexcel Research 2008


In some cases, there are simply not the mechanisms in place to •facilitate this interaction. In others, the structures are seen as cumbersome, irrelevant or ineffective.

The need for industry to articulate what it needs and then to •contribute to the design of any solution is starkly apparent. This should be policy-led and should involve significant initiatives aimed at generating impact across the board.

The example of Sector Education & Training Authorities (SETA) •in South Africa is apposite in this context: many agree with the principle of sector-driven authorities. However, perceptions of the effectiveness of this set-up vary – in some sectors, the representative SETA is seen as proactive, dynamic and valued. In others, this is not the case.

If government and policy makers can provide the political and •economic support for these initiatives, businesses certainly seem positive about contributing.

Those who manage this process most effectively will see long-term •benefits accrue from having a policy driven by need and not by guesswork.


Maximising impact


Education design


Economic policy

Issues

Economic /educational cycle

Low status of vocational education

Recruitment processes fail employers

Learning not assessed

Quality of teaching

Quality & relevance of programmes

Employer voice needs amplifying

Globalising economy

Best practice not shared / celebrated

In-work progression not effective

Assessment methods ineffective

No collective responsibilityProgrammes

not connectedDifficulty in defining required qualities

Skills race

Need to scale up best practise

Learners misinformed

Inadequate certification

Quality assurance standards lacking

Teach people to learn

Pace of change

Learning not benchmarked across borders

Ineffective in-workeducation

Educate portablequalities moreeffectively


Educate behavioursmore effectively

Increasing mobility

Improve basic education in schools

Increasing expectations

Transform universityeducation

Poverty

1 2 3 4 5 6

Figure 3: Findings: global issues

1.2 Difficulty in defining required qualities

Because of a fundamental disconnect between employers, •government and education/educators, there are significant problems around communicating business needs and requirements.

However, before even that, there are issues around the specific •definition of requirements with businesses ill-equipped to identify specific skills gaps.

Whilst employers often have an idea of the qualities and attributes •they are looking for in an Ideal Employee, they more often than not fail to articulate this into a coherent vision.

Without clearer definitions of required qualities, education will •struggle to meet demand and potential employees choosing educational pathways will do so without the benefit of knowing what sort of abilities and attributes they should be acquiring and developing.

2. Education design

2.1 Quality and relevance of programmes needs to improve

Raising the standard, and, in particular, the relevance of course •content is paramount.

The issue is not, predominantly, one of availability. Many of the •training and education markets studied are vibrant. However, the quality and relevance of what the market delivers is inconsistent.

Employers are increasingly sceptical of the value of qualifications in •teaching individuals how to do a specific job.

There’s widespread acknowledgement that the pace of change •in industry is far outstripping the ability of policy or education systems to react. This means that education programmes are often outdated by the time the student has completed the course.

There are instances where courses in new niche areas are not •actually available through public institutions. For example, the Managing Director of a hugely successful animation studio in Delhi explained that there are currently no publicly funded animation courses from which he can recruit. The education system is constantly playing catch-up.

Quality and relevance will only increase if there are structures in •place to facilitate industry and business involvement in the design of curricula.

2.2 Programmes are not connected

As training and education markets become more fragmented and •deregulated, education programmes increasingly lack relativity to one another not only internationally but within specific countries and even within certain sectors.

Furthermore, there is a trend towards businesses ‘doing their own •thing’ in response to what they see as endemic failures in the education system. This increases the sense of disconnection.

Skills gaps exist for both new joiners and more experienced staff. Gaps around leadership, teamwork and creativity and innovation persist and continue to present employers with difficulties in training and development irrespective of experience levelSource: Edexcel Research 2008


This isolationism in the design of qualifications creates problems as •individuals may find themselves learning the same thing more than once thereby wasting their, or their employers’, time and money.

This also impacts on an individual’s ability to plan their professional •development as it becomes difficult to navigate an appropriate pathway through the ill-defined and disconnected educational landscape.

2.3 We are not teaching people how to learn

The ability to learn is both highly prized by employers and extremely •valuable to individuals.

There is evidence that this is often an attribute that’s overlooked, •difficult to teach or impossible to quantify.

If an individual lacks the facility or attitude to learn, there is only so •far additional education and training can take them.

As globalisation generates opportunities for talented individuals, a •demonstrable ability to learn equates with adaptability, another key quality valued by employers in the knowledge economy.

How you teach people to learn, and how you then assess their •ability to do so, are issues that need addressing urgently.

2.4 Need to educate portable qualities more effectively

The issue of portable qualities and their role, now and in the future, •dominated discussions in every country.

There is a need to address the language around this as there is •no unified definition of what we mean by soft skills, particularly in a global context. Some people referred to employability skills and some talked about job-ready skills.

It is clear is that the mix of portable qualities needed is wide and •varied and increasingly forms the basis of what constitutes an Ideal Employee.

Enthusiasm and capacity to learn; a positive, progressive attitude; •a sense of responsibility – are seen as essential qualities, alongside more traditional soft skills – communication, leadership, team working.

The challenge is, in part, to do with the complexities of teaching •and assessing these qualities. There is some debate around whether certain skills can even be taught at all, or should even be considered skills in the traditional sense – can you teach attitude or respect? The design and delivery of professional education programmes must reflect the need to address significant gaps in developing these qualities.

We need a better understanding of the way people learn portable •qualities, and we need to develop more effective mechanisms for measuring the breadth and quality of an individuals’ portable qualities.

Employers everywhere rank attitude as a key factor when recruiting •and developing staff.

When we hire, language and communication skills are basics... and also a person’s attitude and whether he is going to stay or notEmployer, India


2.5 Need to focus more on behaviours and attitudes

Employers everywhere highlighted their experiences of young •people leaving education and entering work lacking a fundamental awareness of how they should behave and how important a positive attitude is in being an effective, productive employee.

There are some differences within this: in the UK and India •expectations of what a job should give the individual – personally and financially – are, generally, extremely high and do not relate to levels of skill or experience. In South Africa and Brazil, expectations of entry-level positions tend to be much lower. However, attitude is still a key issue.

There is a sense that many young people entering work for the first •time feel they have achieved enough simply by securing a job and are not motivated to work hard or to progress. For some, retaining their job is the limit of their ambition.

In China, loyalty and commitment to the company are cited as •growing concerns for employers. The reasons for this are not entirely clear. Interestingly, many employees do not see themselves as lacking these qualities.

The disconnect between what an employer considers a good •attitude and what that means to an employee/potential employee is significant. Perhaps this is partly about a lack of consensus between employers and employees around common standards of behaviour, but this also has to be seen as a reflection of social issues.

It is society as a whole – families, schools, communities – who have •to take equal responsibility for encouraging and fostering more appropriate attitudes amongst those beginning their careers.

2.6 Need to improve basic education in schools

The quality and provision of primary and secondary education is •paramount. Without an effective grounding in basic skills from a young age, the impact further or higher education can have in preparing appropriately skilled individuals for the world of work will be severely reduced.

The challenges around the quality and provision of basic education •in the developing world are acute and it’s easy to forget, amongst talk of record growth and economic miracles, that many of the world’s fastest growing economies are still fighting a huge battle against poverty and providing educational opportunity for all.

The rewards of economic prosperity are already fuelling huge •investment in basic education across the world. While the social imperatives for sustaining and increasing this investment are undeniable, the long-term impact on the quality and size of the workforce will be profound. However, it will be years, if not decades, before the impact of this investment is discernable.

2.7 Need to transform university education

While there remain notional and real divisions between the •‘academic’ world and the ‘vocational education’ world, these distinctions are increasingly unhelpful or even misleading.

Many universities now teach what may be considered ‘vocational’ •

Nearly 1 in 2 employers say that staff turnover is highSource: Edexcel Research 2008


degrees (as well as continuing to provide the majority of entrants to the traditional ‘professions’ – doctors; lawyers etc). However, the quality and content of these courses is often poor and needs to be transformed.

There should be an attempt to influence the curricula of diploma •and degree courses everywhere so that they include some element of portable qualities teaching.

Pure academic study is not irrelevant, rather the reality is that many •graduates do not, during the course of their studies, develop the basic portable qualities so sought after by employers.

3. Education delivery

3.1 Quality of teaching should be improved

If the quality and effectiveness of professional education is to •improve, the ability and the methods of teachers and trainers needs to be addressed.

Although there are many examples across the world of great •teachers delivering quality content in dynamic and engaging ways, the demand for good teachers that accompanies rapid economic growth and the broadening of access to education is not being met and the quality of learning is suffering as a consequence.

Many countries are aware of the need to invest in this – Brazil •is pursuing a significant programme of upskilling teaching staff. However, more needs to be done.

There is a need to reform teaching methods, particularly in relation •to professional education. Reliance on a traditional teaching approach – class-based learning by rote – prevails.

Activities within the classroom setting should be focussed more on •engaging and involving learners in experiential activities.

There needs to be significantly greater opportunities for interaction •between learners and employers. This could take many forms but must lie at the heart of professional education.

3.2 Responsibility for education delivery should be shared

An exchange during the provocation meeting held in South Africa •provided an illuminating insight into a critical issue: one voice stated that it was not the job of schools to prepare people for work. This was swiftly rebuked by another who said that it was not the job of businesses to give people an education. The answer, it seems, lies somewhere in the middle.

For education to begin to meet the needs of the world’s economies, •business and industry have to play a significant role in delivery. The reality is that the vast majority of businesses, from corporations to SMEs, are already having an impact on the education of their own staff and, to a lesser degree, their future workforce.

The nature of this involvement is complex and varied. In many •instances, the participation of business is voluntary. There are places – Brazil for example – where business participation in

There is a training culture now in India and in the next ten years it will be very big.Training Provider, India


education is written into legislation. Elsewhere, many companies are assuming significant responsibility for educating their own workforce because they see the education system as ineffective and have little faith it will change in the near future. The only way to get the workforce they want is to build it themselves.

This is creating a parallel system – one where publicly funded •initiatives operate in isolation from private/corporate education programmes.

Within this, the emerging trend is for professional education to start •at the point when a candidate begins working for an organisation. The education received by the new employee prior to recruitment is sometimes disregarded or viewed as largely irrelevant.

The growth of corporate universities and institutes demonstrates •this new reality – businesses are effectively replacing the education system with their own solutions.

The quality of business-led training is, in some cases, considered to •be high. As it’s happening in-house, learners often receive greater access to real world experiences. It is also theoretically much easier for a business to design and then fine-tune their own course content to ensure relevance.

Although quality can be high, the impact on the wider education •system is negligible as this approach is happening predominantly in isolation the education and training offered at a corporate level is often seen as part of a company’s competitive edge.

Although the education and training that individuals receive within •company walls does feed the skills pool, the lack of cooperation within sectors mitigates against greater achievements in this area.

It is only by finding economic and practical models for sharing the •responsibility for professional education that the requisite impact will be felt.

3.3 Quality assurance standards are lacking

In an increasingly fragmented marketplace, the need for recognised •quality standards is greater than ever.

As course quality and teaching methods improve, quality assurance •becomes vital in promoting good practice and rewarding those who offer genuinely effective education programmes.

Quality assurance is as much an issue for the learner or employee •as it is for employers: the learner needs to know where they can best spend their time in education and the employer needs to have a better understanding of the value of professional qualifications.

3.4 In-work education programmes are often ineffective

Research results show that the gaps that exist in an individual’s skill •set when they start work tend to still be in evidence some years later. This suggests that many in-work education programmes are failing to deliver effective skills development.

In some cases, the reason for persistent skills gaps is that many •employers provide little or no education to their staff. Some employers see it as the role of the individual to up-skill themselves.

1 in 4 employers admit that it is difficult to recruit the right staffSource: Edexcel Research 2008


Part of the problem lies in the fact that there are not currently •effective measurement techniques in place to identify where an individual is in terms of their skills needs.

There is also evidence to suggest that many in-work education •programmes are not linked to effective or validated assessment models, even if the quality of the learning may, in some cases, be high.

4. Assessment

4.1 Learning is not being effectively assessed

It is only by assessing the effectiveness and impact of learning that •an individual can understand what they have learnt and appreciate where it is they should go next with their education.

In many cases, education and training is provided within a work •context and in an informal way. Consequently, no assessment of learning is carried out. Although this does not inherently reduce the impact of the learning, assessment provides a vital mechanism for measurement and grading.

Even within structured training programmes, learning itself (or •rather what has been learnt) is not directly assessed. This relates to the next point.

4.2 Assessment methods need to improve

Currently, there are significant challenges around the way in which •learning achievements are assessed with particular gaps in terms of practical assessment.

There need to be better mechanisms for businesses to assess the •current strengths and weaknesses of their employees to support more effective development and progression.

Particular focus should be given – for both learners and employees •– to developing more appropriate and effective ways of assessing portable qualities.

4.3 Certification is inadequate

In too many cases, certification is not representative of a particular •level of competence but is simply proof of attendance or, at best, an indication of an ability to pass an exam.

Often, learning is not certified at all – particularly within the context •of in-work education programmes, many courses are not certified (or are not accredited by a recognised body). This makes it difficult for the employee or learner to prove what they have learnt.

Employers still value certification as a way of understanding or •measuring competence but they are losing faith in many certificates – too much certification currently has little perceived value to the employer.

4.4 Learning is not benchmarked across boarders

We will need better people in 10 years time; this will be about the demands of the market place.Employer, Brazil


The increased mobility of workers has created a need for •more meaningful international standards of accreditation and certification.

Within certain businesses, staff can be moved between countries but •country-specific technical requirements sometimes force employees to retrain locally to receive the qualification they need in order to practice, in spite of the fact that they may be perfectly well-qualified to do the job.

This is also an issue of progression for employees – as more •individuals cross international boundaries to work, they want to be able to take their qualifications with them and ensure that they will hold value wherever they go.

Additionally, there is a need to develop ways of benchmarking the •qualifications of one provider against those of another.

5. Progression

5.1 Recruitment processes are failing employers

As the value and importance of portable qualities increases, •and the workforce becomes ever more mobile, the way in which organisations recruit staff must change.

One of the principle problems facing many businesses currently •is that they find it extremely difficult to assess the level of portable qualities an individual has during recruitment.

This is, in part, down to a paucity of relevant and respected •qualifications that effectively teach and assess these sorts of qualities.

There is also a legacy of out-dated recruitment methodologies.•

Many businesses rate the ability to work in a team as one of the •most valuable skills a new recruit can have. However, very few have a clear idea of how to assess this quality at interview. The most common approach to assessing the ability an individual has to work in a team is to ask them directly whether they feel that they work well in a team. The answer one receives to this question is, arguably, of little or no value.

Some organisations have developed more sophisticated practical •interview procedures that allow them to get a much fuller picture of the characteristics and traits an individual would bring to a role. However, these examples are the exception and tend to happen in larger businesses with the resources to support such an approach.

If organisations are to make the most of the talent that exists, •they must develop better ways of understanding and assessing the qualities a candidate possesses.

5.2 In-work progression is not effective

Currently employers are not providing their employees with effective •mechanisms to articulate and map their job progression. This is having a negative impact on professional education choices.

There is a paucity of formally recognised professional development •

The majority of employers find it difficult to assess candidates’ soft skills and therefore find it most difficult to find candidates with appropriate leadership skills, able to multi-task and with the right level of commitment to the roleSource: Edexcel Research 2008


planning taking place within businesses – employees often feel left alone to identify what educational options they should take.

Professional education within work is, as a consequence of the •ineffective (or non-existent) frameworks currently in place, struggling to match the expectations or aspirations of either employer or employee.

A more considered framework, supported by better assessment •methodologies, may significantly increase the relevance and impact of employees’ professional education activity.

5.3 Learners are not adequately informed

Due, in part, to a disconnect between education and industry, there •are growing problems around the poor choices learners are making in regard of their educational progression.

Without a steer from business, there are certain areas of study that, •in relation to job opportunities, are hugely oversubscribed leaving too many qualified individuals fighting for a small number of jobs.

There are many examples of learners pursuing what they believe to •be a high-potential educational pathway only to discover that their qualification has little or no perceived value in the labour market.

The value of specific qualifications is often related to the issue •of relevance. However, whilst employers may be aware of the relevance of specific qualifications, learners often are not and can find themselves without the necessary applicable knowledge when they start work.

There should be better generic advice about the direction in which •an individual should travel if they want to become a successful employee, and more specific advice within certain sectors about the quality and relevance of the various qualifications available.

6. Maximising impact

6.1 Professional education has a low status

Despite the reality, clearly articulated by business and industry, •that academic study does not address the skills needs of modern economies or adequately prepare people for the workplace, learners persist in the belief that an academic education is of greater value than professional qualifications.

Standards of content and teaching must be raised in order to •change the perception of professional education as second class.

In emerging economies, where educational opportunity is still more •of a privilege than a right, learners automatically look towards the top of the educational ladder and will seek to secure a place at the best academic institution they can. This fulfils their own aspirations and those of their family.

The common perception is that professional (vocational) study is •where you end up if you cannot make it academically.

Perceptions of the value of professional education should focus on •the knowledge, skills and behaviours learnt during the course and


the way in which these elements will actually help the individual do the job.

Employers have a key role to play here: if the ultimate objective for •those entering further and higher education is to secure a good job, employers need to better articulate and communicate the value they see in professional education and need to be significantly more involved in design and delivery in order to demonstrate this.

There also needs to be a re-evaluation of what academic study •offers, by both employers and learners. Examples of academic qualifications becoming much more work-focussed (and, consequently, much more successful in producing job-ready individuals) are not uncommon. This work should be continued and amplified.

6.2 Best practice is not shared or celebrated

There are many examples of incredibly successful policies, •initiatives, and projects that are educating and nurturing highly skilled, talented individuals who will contribute value and creativity to their organisation and, by extension, the community and the country they live in.

Every country examined during this project has positive stories to •tell.

There need to be more opportunities to openly share practical – not •theoretical – experiences.

Success should be celebrated more openly and more vocally than is •currently the case.

6.3 Best practice not being scaled up effectively

Having identified examples of best practice, there is often a failure •to effectively scale up these initiatives.

There should be better ways of measuring the impact of education •programmes and initiatives. This is likely to lead to increased funding (which is essential if projects are to be successfully scaled up.)

Information sharing, between businesses and across international •boundaries, should be encouraged. Projects in the private sector are often not rolled out more widely as this may be seen as anti-competitive by the business that instigated the project. There needs to be greater incentives for this type of information sharing.

Scaling up often involves a multi-agency approach – relationships •need to be built between relevant stakeholders in order to facilitate wider roll-out of successful initiatives.


Chapter 4: Findings – ideas for positive change


Chapter 4: Findings: ideas for positive change

During our research, a number of future activities were put forward. In addition to this, and in response to the challenges laid out in the previous chapter, we have begun to develop a set of ideas for effecting positive change. The list below is not comprehensive. Rather it reflects some of the thinking from project participants across the world, and a starting point for a discussion about what we believe should happen and where the focus for activity should lie. These points are also mapped to Figure 4 below:


Maximising impact


Education design


Economic policyEconomic /

educational cycle

1 2 3 4 5 6

Ideas

Develop Ideal Employee concept

Profile global education successes more widely

New tools to empower learners towards understanding employer needs

Businesses to take wider responsibility for supporting skills issueswithin their industry

Set up an Institute of International Professional Education

Instigate an international quality system for professional education

Revive & incentivise apprentice-ships

Government funded campaign to tackle negative perceptions of professional education

New methods for assessing strengths & weaknesses of current staff

Teach managers to become educators & incentivise this

Govts. to legislate for business involvement in education

Transform approaches to teaching

Develop positive company cultures

Expose teachers to business environment & train them better

Build relationship between business & educators

Instigate Code of Conduct for educators

Embed teaching of portable qualities into education

Redefine & communicate definition of basic skills

Create general skills curriculum focussed on ability to learn

Figure 4: Findings: ideas for positive change

1. Workforce requirements

1.1 Businesses should develop and implement a vision for their Ideal Employee (see Chapter 5) and place this at the heart of their human resources, education and professional development programmesBy articulating the specific knowledge, skills and behaviours required of its employees, organisations can increase the success of their recruitment process, and can support the education and development of existing employees more effectively.

1.2 Businesses should take a wider responsibility for supporting skills issuesWithin their industry – businesses must be encouraged and incentivised to invest in education and professional development for the sake of their industry or sector, not just the their own business benefits.

2. Education design

2.1 Businesses should develop and nurture positive company cultures that demonstrate and place value on portable qualitiesThe challenge of teaching or training attitudes and behaviours, and dealing with issues of motivation and personal responsibility, can all be addressed through the development of positive and proactive company cultures. Rather than telling someone what is expected of them behaviourally, they learn through observing and experiencing first hand. Although this takes time to implement, any organisation of any size can achieve this.

2.2 Industry and education should build stronger relationships to collectively address issues of responsibility, attitude and commitment in relation to workWe cannot ignore the wider social context within which this challenge resides. By building long-term connections between local businesses and schools and colleges, all stakeholders can begin to collectively promote some of the behavioural aspects of the Ideal Employee concept and demonstrate to young people how far they can get if they approach work in the right way.

2.3 All education institutions, from primary schools to universities, should build portable qualities teaching into the curriculumWhile there is evidence that suggests many portable qualities are developed prior to primary school, the nurturing and encouragement of these qualities should happen throughout an individual’s educational life. By embedding portable qualities teaching into primary and secondary education, and then fine tuning these qualities during higher or further education, the chances of building a job-ready workforce will increase significantly.

2.4 Educators and industry should redefine the language around ‘skills’ and propagate this new terminologyIf we consider basic skills as ‘the skills everybody needs’, this definition should include some fundamental portable qualities – communication; team working etc – as well as basic attitudinal and behavioural attributes. Also, we suggest rebranding ‘vocational education’ as ‘professional education’ – the word ‘vocational’ does not translate well into every language and actually has largely negative connotations where it is understood. Vocational study is also seen in many countries as a separate and distinct branch of education. By talking about professional education – as we have done in this report – we are trying to remove the boundaries within which ’vocational’ education operates.


Over time, professional education will become associated with quality, opportunity and achievement.

2.5 Governments and educators should develop and implement a general skills curriculum, aimed at school leavers, at the heart of which is the ability to learnIf we accept the notion that there are a set of generic skills or attributes that most employers are looking for in their employees, it follows that a curriculum developed specifically around these requirements could provide a solution to helping individuals become work-ready. An essential part of this curriculum should be the ability to learn.

3. Education delivery

3.1 Apprenticeships/internships should be revived and incentivisedApprenticeships represent a highly successful model for involving business and industry in education and results are almost universally positive. Many countries are already beginning to see the value in this approach but more needs to be done, particularly in terms of incentivising business involvement and encouraging/supporting investment.

3.2 Managers and leaders should become better educators of their own staffMentoring is an extremely effective mechanism by which employees can gain both functional understanding and business socialisation. Not all training has to be formal: engaging managers and leaders in the ongoing education of their own staff is a high-impact, low-cost approach that can be easily adopted in any size of organisation.

3.3 Governments should legislate for the compulsory involvement of business in the design and delivery of professional education programmes and provide incentives for them to participateEngagement between industry, policy and education is absolutely vital at every stage. It is only by industry clearly (and continuously) defining the demand, and then playing a significant role in developing and delivering the solution, that professional education will meet the challenges.

3.4 Governments and educators should transform the approach to teaching professional education by placing greater focus on practical and experiential learningLearning by doing has long been accepted as the most effective way of teaching someone a skill. Classroom-based teaching must focus more on practical exercises, group work and creative activities. Supplementing this should be a considerable increase in the time students spend gaining hands-on experience of the work environment.

3.5 Teachers should be exposed to the business environmentThe relevance of education programmes to the workplace is, in part, due to a disconnect between the world of business and those who teach. By facilitating greater interaction between teachers, at every level, and businesses, teaching methods and content can better reflect economic and workforce demand.

3.6 Governments, in partnership with education providers, should instigate a code of conduct for educatorsThis will require all those involved in the provision of professional education programmes to publicise clearer definitions of the content and methodology of their provision and give a more consistent description of expected learning outcomes.


4. Assessment

4.1 Governments and education providers should instigate an inter-national quality system to assess and grade professional education programmesRaising the standard of professional education has to be accompanied and supported by better quality assurance mechanisms. An internationally recognised quality control system that benchmarks content and education providers can go some way to achieving this objective.

4.2 Businesses need to develop new methods for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of existing staff and potential employees, particularly in relation to portable qualitiesThe assessment of portable qualities both at recruitment and in terms of ongoing professional development needs a rethink: if the value of these qualities is increasing, so the time spent understanding and assessing them should also increase. Improved competency frameworks should place greater emphasis on assessing portable qualities.

5. Progression

5.1 Learners/employees should be empowered by the Ideal Employee concept (see Chapter 5)By developing the Ideal Employee concept amongst employers, and encouraging them to publicise their model, potential employees can begin to gain a better understanding of what employers are looking for. Furthermore, by providing a mechanism to assess themselves against the Ideal Employee concept, learners and employees can gain a greater sense of their strengths and weaknesses and can more effectively plan their professional development.

6. Maximising impact

6.1 All key stakeholders should profile successes widely to ensure good ideas and good practice have the maximum global impactAcross the world, organisations and governments are running highly innovative, highly successful initiatives that are tackling many of the issues outlined in this report. We first need to identify these successes and then showcase them to create the widest possible impact. We suggest a global conference on effective professional education.

6.2 Set up an Institute of International Professional EducationSuch an organisation could play a significant role in increasing the status, standards and quality of the teaching and assessment of professional education programmes across the world and could be a valuable mechanism for developing and nurturing global alliances.

6.3 Government-funded campaign to tackle negative perceptions of professional educationThe only way to tackle the negative perceptions of professional education is to explicitly rebrand and address these connotations head-on. Governments must make learners and employers aware of the value of professional education programmes and the possibilities for employment they create.



Chapter 5: The Ideal Employee

37

Chapter 5: The Ideal Employee

In order to illuminate and inform our research activity, we developed a commonly understood concept – the Ideal Employee – that would resonate with all of the stakeholders that we engaged with – governments, industry, educators and of course individual learners and employees.

This concept of the Ideal Employee contends that:

Employers want employees that perform optimally.•

Optimal performance demands that employees have sufficient •relevant understanding to perform (Knowledge); have the practical ability to perform (Skills); and actually do what needs to be done at the right time and in the right way (Behaviours)

We call combinations of Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours •‘Qualities’.

We can define a set of Qualities that are relevant to any person, in •any job in any industry in any country.

6 in 10 employers reference a profile of an ideal employee when recruiting/developing staffSource: Edexcel Research 2008


Knowledge

Has sufficient relevantunderstanding

Has

pra

ctic

al

abili

ty to

per

form

Performs at right

time in right wayBehaviourSkills

Figure 5: The Ideal Employee

The concept of the Ideal Employee was explicitly referenced at each of the provocation meetings, as well as in the primary research questionnaires. The aim was to see if participants engaged with the idea, if they embraced its potential value and, ultimately, if we could identify common Qualities, across the world, that define an Ideal Employee in the 21st century.

The results of this line of questioning were fascinating and instructive. Response to the concept was universally positive. There were many who initially felt that it was impossible to identify a set of generic attributes that would be valuable for any job in any sector. However, with further exploration, it became clear – invariably – that this is indeed possible.

In fact, possibly the most striking finding in all of our research was the commonality, across the board, of the need for a defined set of Portable Qualities (see Glossary for a definition of Portable Qualities).

A number of key Qualities emerged during our research – these are listed below. We don’t believe this list is comprehensive or is necessarily articulated in the most useful way but this does reflect what the people we researched identified as key Qualities:

Desire to learn•

Critical thinking•

Relevant knowledge•

Communication skills•

Cultural sensitivity•

Takes responsibility for their work•

Positive and enthusiastic/committed to the employer•

Innovative/creative•

Able to work in a team•

Leadership and management skills•

Integrity/honesty•

Role specific qualities•

We believe that by using this Ideal Employee concept systematically, we can begin to address many of the issues raised in this report, including:

How to help governments and industry define their workforce •requirements more effectively so as to aid recruitment, retention and staff development.

How to help educators understand industry needs so as to design •and deliver more relevant, better quality education programmes.

How to get industry actively involved in the delivery of education •programmes.

How to help potential and current employees understand the •Qualities they need to progress and thrive in the workplace.

How to drive forward the measurement of relevance, quality and •achievement in education systems.

Defined at an individual level, few companies formally profile the ideal employeeSource: Edexcel Research 2008


Chapter 6: Country report – China


Chapter 6: Country report – China

Overview

China has the fastest growing economy in the world. The economic transformation currently taking place following the end of Chairman Mao’s reign has been described as a second industrial revolution. China is one of the world’s biggest exporters maintaining a huge trade surplus. There are significant challenges around the migration of rural populations to booming industrial cities in the east.

The pace of economic change and the encouragement of private enterprise have created many pressing challenges, among them a growing need for a better skilled, more flexible workforce.

Beyond the requirements of a booming manufacturing sector and construction industry President Hu Jintao stated in 2006 that he wanted to move from a situation of ‘made in China’ to one of ‘designed in China’, signalling his belief that long-term economic strength lay as much within the knowledge economy as it did within the sectors that China now dominates.

To realise this vision clearly requires an education system that supports and nurtures creativity and innovation and that can develop the imagination and talent of China’s future business leaders.

The current education landscape is arguably at a crossroads. With demand increasing exponentially, changes to the structures and processes around skills development have been slow to filter down. During the mid- to late-1990s, the Chinese Government began to pursue significant reform in the area of (vocational education), developing a strategy to grow and strengthen the impact and reach of vocational study. The Government’s own figures suggest a degree of success: between 1980 and 2001, the proportion of secondary vocational school students increased from 19% to 45.3% and secondary vocational education institutions produced around 50 million graduates.

The World Bank recognises that China has made substantial efforts to modernise and restructure their technical and vocational education and training programmes. Currently, China has the largest vocational education programme (in terms of number of graduates) in the world.

However, in spite of this reform, a gap between policy and practice remains. While the numbers passing through the system are up, overall quality of education is deemed by many to remain an issue. The success that graduates have in finding work is more reflective of demand than the quality of available skills or employer satisfaction.

In the Government’s 11th Five-Year Plan published in 2006, vocational education is a strategic priority and its stated objectives are to improve quality and relevance, encourage greater linkages between education and industry, provide greater access to students on low-incomes and diversify sources of training.

Work attitude is most important for junior workers.Employer, China


This is already creating significant opportunities within the commercial education market but quality is still a significant problem.

Further issues exist around the regulation of public vocational education institutions. The majority of Chinese vocational education schools or colleges are tightly run to Government guidelines and they have very limited powers to influence the curriculum.

This makes it very difficult for these institutions to innovate in terms of what they offer and how they approach their teaching. The need for further reform remains acute.

China: key themes

The following themes reflect the principle areas of focus during the provocation meetings and accompanying research.

Traditional methods of teachingThere is currently a vast process of modernisation happening across China. This is being driven by business and industry and can be seen first hand by considering the huge infrastructure projects being undertaken to support the blossoming economy. However, modernisation has been slow to reach the education system. ‘Traditional’ teaching methods – didactic, classroom-based learning – predominate. This style of learning is described as a cultural issue and pervades throughout the education system. When it comes to the teaching of vocational content, the requirement for practical or experiential learning is even more acute. Yet in some cases, although facilities for this type of teaching are available, traditional methods still hold sway. This approach impacts at every level, with a common complaint amongst employers being that new recruits do not have the ability to apply the knowledge they have learnt in the classroom. Classroom-based learning by rote also provides fewer opportunities for developing soft skills and creativity.

Paucity of experiential learning opportunitiesConnected to the previous point, there is recognition amongst employers and training providers that in order to create value from vocational education programmes, there must be some level of practical engagement embedded into the learning experience. While there are some examples of this happening, by and large there is very little interplay between education and business in this area. The reasons for this are mixed: to an extent, the cultural and historical norms that persist within the education system mitigate against experiential learning opportunities. Currently structures or policies are not in place to facilitate and support this interaction. Additionally, there is a general cynicism from business towards such engagement: while the idea of internships or apprenticeships is familiar, appetite for this approach is low. This is explained, in part, by the challenges around staff retention and the realities of a newly mobile workforce – businesses are enthusiastic about the idea of finding a graduate and helping them grow their talent and ability long-term but, there is a sense that loyalty to one company is a fast receding concept. Therefore, business is increasingly wary of investing time and resources in individuals who will simply take what they can get and move on. However, without finding better ways to generate more practical learning experiences, there will continue to be issues around new recruits lacking the ability to do their jobs effectively.

Attitude and characterThe dawning of a new economic and industrial age in China has brought with it significant change in terms of the expectations and

In general, we are stressing this concept “the Company cares and loves her employees and employees, in turn, love the Company.” This is culture construction.Employer, China


aspirations of those young people who will deliver the country’s growth and prosperity. On the one hand, the explosion of opportunity has broadened the aspirations of those leaving education and entering the workplace. In many ways this has to be seen as a good thing. However, there is a negative aspect to this heightening of expectation. The demand for good people and the transferable nature of many modern skills has created a significantly more mobile workforce who are increasingly aware of their market worth and consequently lack a sense of loyalty and devotion to their employer. Participants and interviewees articulated a sense that individuals’ attitudes towards their employers have changed in recent years. Many new employees seem to see it as their right to earn a good salary and to be given responsibility. There is often a lack of humility and an absence of a strong work ethic. Whether this is connected to heightened aspirations or is the result of a broader cultural dynamic (or both) is hard to say. Either way, the perception is that today’s employees have lost the respect for work that prevailed in previous generations. Whether education can address these issues, and how it can begin to do that, is an interesting topic to explore.

The challenges of recruitmentThe imperative for businesses to identify the skills they need and then quickly find those skills in the market has never been more acute. However, there are indications that the capacity of HR departments to successfully recruit the right people is questionable. Current recruitment methods are considered outdated and those recruiting are commonly described as not sufficiently skilled to identify appropriate candidates. Furthermore, there is an increasing trend towards outsourcing HR/recruitment facilities, particularly in larger organisations. While this may be seen as cost effective, it creates further distance between the employer and its future employees. One of the key challenges is that for many jobs in the new economy, soft skills are increasingly important. However, there is an acknowledgement that existing recruitment approaches do not assess or measure soft skills in candidates. To compound the problem, there are no significant mechanisms in place to match recent graduates with available jobs. With such a vast and expanding workforce, the need to improve the communication between what employers need and what the workforce has to offer is vital.

No employer voiceThe nature and extent of the role that industry plays in effective vocational education programmes is absolutely critical, in China as it is it everywhere else. As discussed earlier, there are significant issues around employer engagement in the delivery of education. Plus there is a dysfunctional relationship between industry and education in terms of defining human resource needs. We can add to that a lack of communication between employers and education in the identification of skills requirements and the consequent design of education content. While there exists in many other countries formal mechanisms for employers – usually within defined sectors – to contribute to the definition of skills needs and to engage in the design and development of educational content, such mechanisms that exist in China currently are not viewed as successful. As a consequence, there is a lack of value and strategy in the relationships between employers and further/higher education and, crucially, not enough of an ongoing dialogue between industry and the Ministry of Education. While it is accepted by many that educational policy and curriculum design should be driven by the needs of business and society, practically this is not currently the case. Without improving these channels of communication, the ability of education to successfully develop and deliver appropriately skilled individuals to fulfil China’s skills requirements will continue to be challenged.

The employees should hold affection for the company so that both develop.Employer, China


It must be academic!The status of vocational education, relative to that of academic study, remains a significant barrier in China. While this reflects the situation globally, it is perhaps more acutely felt here than in many other parts of the world. Achievement in academic study persists as the most aspirational choice. This is tied up not only in the belief that an academic education will provide the most likely route to a good job. But also that vocational study, in some way, represents educational failure. The situation was compounded in June 2007 with the issuing by the Government of ‘No.14 Guideline’ which explicitly discourages universities from running any vocational programmes and thereby reinforcing the lowly status of vocational education. The rather tragic irony of this situation is that employers are increasingly disillusioned with the value of academic study and see the value of an education based around the skills needed to perform a job. However, the academic degree is king and, whether for reasons of quality or culture, no-one currently wants to be a part of the vocational education system.

Give me the certificate…There has been some considerable debate around the purpose of qualifications. Having referred above to the disproportionate value placed on academic study, beyond that there is a perception, particularly amongst learners and employees, that obtaining certificates is the primary reason to undertake any kind of educational endeavour. That ‘the certificate is the point’, rather than the skills, knowledge or behaviours learnt, is a flawed ideology that permeates throughout the education system. However, employers are, unsurprisingly, beginning to challenge this. Having seen the mismatch between certificated educational achievement and the ability of candidates to actually do a job, the perception of value amongst employers towards the certificates individuals hold is actually dropping. While the perceived value of a certificate clearly will vary depending on the accrediting authority, on the whole the culture of certification is fuelled by courses and providers who do not deliver requisite quality to justify trust in their qualification. This makes it even harder for employers to recruit new staff as they constantly have to weigh up the value of a candidate’s certificate in the knowledge that, in many cases, the qualification they received may have little or no impact on their ability to do the job they are applying for.

Lack of policy directionPerhaps the biggest single issue facing China’s skills requirements is that of policy or, to put it another way, lack of policy. There is a significant body of opinion to suggest that the government is failing to develop and articulate a clear direction for China’s skills strategy. It was only in the last 10 years that a specific policy around vocational education has been launched. The reality therefore is that it is being left to businesses to fend for themselves while a divisive and outdated education system continues to struggle to meet the increasing demand for highly skilled workers. The government is not fully acknowledging the need for investment in vocational education programmes. Nor is enough being done to bridge the gap between industry/employers and education providers.

[We look for candidates who are] physically fit and [have] good learning skills. And [are] conscientious.Employer, China


The Ideal Chinese Employee is…

Encouraging to others•

Brings humour to the workplace•

Has an ability and willingness to learn•

Shows commitment beyond the cause•

Is able and willing to help others•

Can foster positive relationships with colleagues•

Ability to understand their environment and •appreciate their boundaries

Multi-skilled – someone who can work in different •ways

Conclusions

The growth of China’s economy is creating an unprecedented demand for skilled workers. The challenges facing education and industry are vast. Economic growth has not, thus far, been stifled by an education system that’s failing to meet its demands. While it is attracting record levels of foreign investment, and global corporations are bringing their own educational programmes (and their own staff) to the party, there must be long-term investment and a clear strategy in place for skills development in order that China continues to maintain its economic profile and to ensure that the economy is able to diversify on the basis of native talent, as is the stated objective of the country’s leader. A significant part of this strategy should attempt to redefine the current approach to teaching and learning and bring a much greater practical relevance to the way in which learners interact with their education.

Beyond this, there needs to be greater emphasis placed on developing and implementing a robust approach for defining skills needs and designing vocational education programmes. This must focus on a number of key objectives: primarily, the relationship between government, education and industry needs to be transformed. There are operational models adopted in other countries – Brazil and South Africa both have mechanisms in place to facilitate this interaction. And while these approaches could not be deemed unmitigated successes, they do represent grounded, long-term commitments to dialogue and to a collective sharing of the responsibilities surrounding workforce development. This interaction would not only help in articulating the need and developing relevant curricula, it would also improve the correlation between supply and demand, and may help businesses develop better methods for recruitment.

The quality and status of vocational education programmes need to be significantly enhanced. Rightly or wrongly, the perception of value in regard of vocational qualifications is, at best, mixed. There are no leading brands currently delivering high-quality vocational education programmes in China – the market is both crowded and fragmented. In order for quality standards to rise, and to help businesses place a value on the range of qualifications being delivered, there needs to be a better

Interpersonal communication skills, expression skills and working attitude are only revealed at work.Employer, China


quality assurance process against which qualifications and education and training providers can be assessed and rated. By raising standards and through commitment to the implementation of a strategic plan the status and standing of vocational education can be transformed and become the basis for creating an even greater economic miracle.


Their ability, in general is good since they are newly-grads. But they don’t work hard enough. Lack of spirit, I shall say.Employer, China


Chapter 7: Country report – India

47

Chapter 7: Country report – India

Overview

India sits at the forefront of the new economic paradigm. It is the second fastest growing major economy in the world with a growth rate of over 9% between 2006-7.

The speed of growth is placing huge demands on the Indian education system to develop an appropriately skilled workforce that can meet the ever-changing human resource requirements industry is creating. Paradoxically, economic growth has not been matched by employment opportunities with fears that India could be witnessing jobless growth.

Addressing vocational education is seen as one way to stimulate job creation, as well as being a mechanism to meet current skill demands.

It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for an education system – particularly in a country as large and as diverse as India – to respond to these challenges quickly and in the right ways. The education system as a whole is struggling to address significant issues around basic skills as well as dealing with the challenge of moving a predominantly rural workforce from agricultural to industrial activities. A report in 2006 by the World Bank stated that while the number of individuals with some education had risen over the preceding five years, overall educational attainment remained low in comparison with other countries.

In further and higher education – where the focus is more specifically on educating for employment – some change is taking place but it is slow and, as a consequence, business and industry increasingly operates in a parallel universe to education, assuming responsibility for the development and upskilling of their workforce completely outside of the formal structures of public education.

While the years of colonialism are considered to have left a broadly positive legacy – particularly in relation to the embedding of the English language into education – the administrative systems are also largely similar to those in the UK, and this creates issues. The education system operates within a traditional British framework, with an emphasis on ‘top’ academic institutions and considerably less prestige and focus on non-academic or vocational studies. There is some evidence that the relative demand for technically/vocationally qualified candidates has actually fallen over the last decade. This is partly due to the poor quality – or the perception that quality is poor – of training provided (and therefore a lack of belief from employers towards technical/vocational qualifications). And is also attributed to students opting for what they consider to be more attractive educational pathways.

Comparatively, the vocational education stream in India is small with less than 3% of students at the upper secondary level enrolling in courses. India’s vocational education institutions are running at considerably less than their available capacity, illustrating the challenge the country faces in changing perceptions and raising standards. To add to this, a

The company gave me the opportunity to prove myself for six or seven days. They found that I was hardworking and my mind was good and that is what they wanted so they recruited me.Employee, India


large number of those entering vocational education programmes do so as a stepping stone to further educational progression rather than to enter the labour market. In part, this reflects the poor employment opportunities accorded to those leaving vocational programmes.

While these issues remain problematic, they should not obscure the value of some of the initiatives being run within the vocational stream in India. The Higher Secondary Vocational Education (HSVE) programme aims to enhance employment opportunities across the board and provide a balanced education more attuned to the requirements of the workplace. There is also some focus on self-employment as a desirable outcome. The curriculum is designed as follows:

15% of school time aims to develop language and communication •skills.

15% is spent on a General Foundation Course covering •entrepreneurship, ICT, environmental education, rural development and health and physical education.

70% concentrates on vocational theory and practice. •

In this final element of the course, subject-specific or sector-specific skills are developed, with an understanding that students receive no less than 50% of this time for practicals.

In addition, on-the-job training is compulsory and students spend periods of four to eight weeks in companies during holidays and summer vacations.

Another facet of India’s vocational programme is the apprenticeship training scheme that was launched in the late 1950s. Government figures show that there were around 168,000 apprentices placed across public and private sector organisations in 2004.

However, this only represented a moderate increase in numbers from five years before and, crucially, tells the story of a system with significant additional capacity – only 68% of available apprenticeships were taken up in 2004.

India has a strong history of positive policies and activity around vocational education.

However, feedback received suggests that many public schemes lack both relevance and the respect of employers, and consequently the impact on the workforce is minimal.

India: key emerging themes


‘Yearning to learn’It is vitally important to embed a passion for self-development in learners and employees. It is unreasonable to expect education to provide individuals with all the technical or functional skills employers need as they change so rapidly. However, if you are able and keen to learn, businesses are often happy to take on the burden of training.

Role of womenWomen are playing an increasingly vital role in meeting the skill demands of business and industry in India. They are also seen as being

The biggest challenge we face is that there’s no talent – the talent pool is really dry.Employer, India

On the job [training] is best because you learn more.Employee, India


stronger in some of the soft skills areas that are so vital – team building, leadership, communication. Many have come from a background of running the family home and have therefore had to develop these skills in their daily lives. This trend is particularly noticeable in service-oriented sectors.

Business taking a lead in designing/delivering education There are a number of reasons why businesses are increasingly becoming educators. On the one hand, the education system in India is generally viewed as being bureaucratic, ineffective and over-regulated. This means that businesses feel the only way to fill the talent gap is to educate people themselves. Also, in doing this, they can provide the specific type of education they want, choosing the curriculum and designing the teaching programme. They also have greater access to the right tools and technologies and can offer a much more productive learning environment: the workplace. There are, however, some issues with this. Levels of investment are high and work much better in some sectors or companies. Also, many of these qualifications are not currently certificated so outside of that company, it is difficult for employees to demonstrate or exploit the value of the qualification. Plus, there will almost inevitably be a focus on harder skills specific to the job in hand rather than on developing soft skills that are seen as vital but that are lacking in many entering the job market.

The nature, quality and value of certificated training/education Much of the education, particularly vocational education, is deemed too theoretical with not enough of a link or connection to the workplace. Therefore, employers are sometimes suspicious of the value of a particular qualification as it may not be a good measure of whether the individual can do the job. There are also issues around specialised qualifications – within areas like gaming or animation there are currently few high quality courses available. Therefore these types of skills either need to be taught from scratch by employers or individuals need to go overseas to receive this type of education.

The inter/cross-cultural challenges facing businesses in the new economy Rapid growth and unprecedented change have created some issues around culture within work. For example, the significant increase in women at management level causes some problems in the work-place as within some sections of society. It is not the accepted way for a man to be subservient to a woman. There is, generally, a need to develop more managers who have the ability and sensitivity to deal with cross-cultural issues.

The need to focus more on the creative/ideas and knowledge economy There is a general acceptance that India needs more ‘knowledge workers’ and that, in order for economic growth to continue at current levels there should be a greater emphasis on creativity and innovation. These skills are in extremely short supply and, while the need to develop such skills is clear, what is less clear is the extent to which these skills are successfully being taught through education. India needs to equip itself more effectively in order to develop and exploit this new emphasis on ‘cognitive capital’.

The perishable nature of skills valuesThe sheer pace of change is forcing a rethink in the way in which vocational education needs to be designed. There is a sense that traditional pathways from education to work no longer apply. Not only do individuals change careers throughout their working lives but the requirements within a particular role change on an annual basis.

Over a third of learners in India have no contact with employers during their studiesSource: Edexcel Research 2008


Therefore there is a need to constantly retrain in order to ‘top up’ skills needed to do the job. This situation may necessitate different types of training courses, perhaps shorter ‘nano-training’ that can be accessed at any time and delivered in a flexible and personalisable way.

High value placed on soft skills but difficulties in measuring theseThe requirement for individuals to have good communication skills, to be able to work in a team, to be confident in their own ideas and, crucially, to have the capability and attitude to continuously learn are all seen as vital elements in the on-going development of the workforce. However, there is some debate around how (and even if) these skills can be taught, where this teaching should take place and how you can measure and certify these skills. There is some notion that it should not be the role of the employer to inculcate these basic soft skills into employees. However, it is also recognised that one of the best places for employees to develop these skills is on-the-job. There is an acknowledgment that, at the point of recruitment, it is often difficult to know whether a candidate has these skills as they are difficult to test and there is little in the way of certified training to prove whether a candidate has these skills.

The lack of genuinely talented/skilled managersThe rapid expansion in number and size of businesses across India has led to an increase in demand for management level individuals. Often individuals who may previously have taken 10 years or more to progress in an organisation to the level of middle or senior management now reach that point within a much shorter timeframe. Therefore, managers are now younger than ever and, as a consequence, often lack the experience necessary to deal with complex situations appropriately.

The Ideal Indian Employee

Someone who sets a high benchmark for themselves; •a person with high aspirations

Ownership of a role, sense of responsibility for oneself •and others

Someone with the right applicable domain •knowledge

Able to handle information and extract meaning/•make decisions on the basis of information they are given

Someone who has the desire to learn – ‘yearning to •learn’

Visual communication skills/observation skills – •recognising visual clues, body language

Creative/innovative•

A great team worker•

Demonstrates precision and accuracy in their work•

Ability to multi-task•

Honesty/integrity•

Someone who has ideas and communicates them•

The ability to work in a team was highest ranked amongst Indian employers as the characteristic that they will need to develop in their employees over the next five year. It was also identified as one of the hardest skills to identify when recruiting new staffSource: Edexcel Research 2008


Conclusions

The advent of globalisation has provided the Indian economy and its population with a huge surge of energy, enthusiasm and opportunity. While India’s ability to compete across sectors remains undimmed, the economy is not in any way insulated from the global shortage of skilled labour. In fact, the challenges around upskilling those already in work are as significant as those of developing high quality new entrants for industry.

The education system – from primary school through to secondary and tertiary education – is receiving significant resources and there is an acknowledgment from the government and industry that long-term investment in vocational education is crucial to the growth and stability of the Indian economy. It is also a daunting task: the Indian education system is attempting to address huge challenges around basic skills that present, arguably, a more acute problem than that of educating those further up the academic ladder.

In terms of delivering a sufficiently skilled workforce, significant challenges remain – policy change has been slow to materialise; there needs to be greater deregulation of the provision of further and higher education; and all key stakeholders need to embrace new teaching methods, new curriculums and new models of development and delivery.

In light of this, businesses have to play a far greater role than ever before in the education of their workforces.

This has had some significant benefits – the quality and relevance of this ‘in-house’ training is considered to be very high and in some niche areas is providing Indian companies with a perceptible edge.

The content of these courses can be continuously moderated by the employer to fit with changing demands. And, as methods are considerably more ‘hands on’, this tends to nurture and develop soft skills in a way that classroom based learning often fails to achieve.

However, there are downsides to this prevailing approach: in its current form – effectively an ad hoc volunteerism – this activity is in no way scaleable to the wider population. In addition, the ability of a business to provide its own training and education may be affected considerably by its size and by the nature of its operation.

The inherent competitiveness in some sectors and the consequent squeeze on profit margins militates against the sort of investment required to design and deliver effective education programmes. For small and very small businesses, there is often simply not the time or enough staff turnover to justify in-house training of this nature.

There are also issues around the portability of these qualifications as most are not accredited within a recognised framework.

The quality of the teaching and the value of the learning from this type of informal in-work qualification may be extremely high but the certificate gained may mean very little beyond the confines of the organisation.

As a result of this, two things become apparent. First, it is both inevitable and desirable that all businesses need to, in some form, become training institutions. The success that such businesses currently enjoy in converting new recruits into valued and valuable staff members through in-house education programmes and informal apprenticeships is undeniable.

It’s very important for me as an employer to find candidates who have learnt how to learn.Employer, India


For many businesses, playing this role not only ensures the quality of the learning their staff receives, it also allows them to continuously refine the content of their education to meet ever changing requirements.

Secondly, in order for this to be successful and scaleable long term, businesses need to become more prominent stakeholders in education. This means increasing the flow of ideas, resources and educational content between the public and private sector.

It also means bringing employer voice to the fore in the valuing and certification of existing and new further and higher education programmes. It is only by bridging the divide between the education system and the world of business and industry that India can begin to address its long-term skills demands.

The other key issues are around the nature of training and the way in which learning is measured. Firstly, there is a suggestion that shorter training cycles – nano-training – could go some way towards streamlining the delivery of vocational education.

The notion of an individual studying a specific curriculum in order to become qualified for one particular role is now largely obsolete. New rules of employment require new ways of learning. Furthermore, the need to discover better ways of developing soft skills is clear.

Increasing the level of engagement between business and education will go some way towards this but more needs to be done. Beyond that, the way in which the effectiveness of learning is measured needs to be addressed. There is a growing demand for new diagnostic tools that allow educators to understand how successful their teaching is, particularly in relation to the development of soft skills.

It is necessary to get inside the company ethos, understand the system and design training accordingly. It is also imperative to get agreement from managers that training is important.Training Provider, India


Chapter 8: Country report – South Africa


Chapter 8: Country report – South Africa

Overview

South Africa is a country of sharp contrasts. While it is Africa’s pre-eminent economic superpower, with an industrialised economy that rivals other developed nations, it also struggles with huge poverty and exhibits many of the characteristics of a developing nation.

The economy has seen consistent growth over the last 10 years, with finance, manufacturing and tourism all strong sectors. However, around a quarter of all South Africans are unemployed and economic growth has not seen a significant rise in employment opportunities.

There is also huge contrast in the make-up of the population: there are 11 officially recognised languages, a mix of religious and tribal beliefs and the most ethnically diverse population in Africa.

The ending of apartheid and the emergence of democratic rule have created significant opportunity for many South Africans – the right of all to a good education and the chance to compete for jobs have inevitably transformed the employment landscape. However, apartheid has left a significant legacy in terms of the attitude and self-belief that many black South Africans bring to the workplace.

Having spent years in an environment of enforced subservience, the freedom to work and to fulfil ambition is something that is not always easy for black South Africans to fully embrace.

While there is a strong belief that this is changing amongst younger South Africans who have grown up in the post-apartheid era, the impact of decades of white rule, both in politics and business, is still deep and wide-reaching.

The South African Government has articulated a clear vision for the future of South Africa, which involves sustained economic growth, a fairer distribution of wealth and education and employment for all. To achieve this it is clear that education programmes must develop the right skills, knowledge and behaviours to support businesses and society as a whole.

Some significant steps have been made: investment has poured into the schools system and following significant strategic development work during the early 1990s, a number of administrative bodies were established to address the specific vocational education needs of the burgeoning South African economy.

Chief among them are the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) whose two primary objectives are to oversee the development of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and, beyond that, to ensure that the NQF is implemented and that standards are maintained.

Around 80% of employees think it’s important to be able to show evidence of learning (i.e. a certificate)Source: Edexcel Research 2008


The NQF itself is defined by SAQA as ‘a set of principles and guidelines which provide a vision, a philosophical base and an organisational structure for construction of a qualifications system’.

Supporting and augmenting the work of SAQA are the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) established in 2000.

There are 23 SETAs covering all work sectors in South Africa and their role is described as follows:

‘Within its own sector, a SETA must develop and implement a skills development plan, be responsible for quality control and pay out development grants.’

Relatively speaking, all these initiatives are still finding their feet and it is difficult to accurately assess success. However, there is no doubt that there is a widespread political commitment to education and skills development driven both by economic and social motives and, perhaps, the beginnings of a positive long-term infrastructure to deliver a better skilled workforce able to grow and sustain South Africa’s economy.

Key emerging themes


Quality of raw materialsIn considering the success or otherwise of vocational education programmes (by which we are predominantly referring to higher, further or tertiary study), the importance of primary and secondary education cannot be underestimated, particularly in a country with the socio-economic history of South Africa. The level of basic skills – most notably reading and writing – has to be addressed in order that tertiary education can concentrate more on developing higher skills.

There are still significant problems with the quality and availability of basic education in South Africa and, long term, this should be the first priority for the Government to address. It is estimated that 70% of those currently leaving secondary education do not meet basic numeracy and literacy standards. There are many examples of good schools delivering quality education. But standards vary widely from school to school. The general level of basic education needs to be raised across the board.

The challenge of diversityThe celebrated diversity of South Africa’s population – dubbed ‘the Rainbow Nation’ by Desmond Tutu – does present some interesting challenges when it comes to integration within the workplace. The requirement for all employees to demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to other cultures and religions is vital if business in South Africa is to flourish. Currently, new recruits are often considered to be lacking in this regard.

Some of the issues relate to interaction with authority and hierarchies, with the role of women particularly contentious for some who have been brought up to see women as largely subservient to men. Managers and business leaders need to play an active role in demonstrating the importance of cross-cultural awareness and of respect for hierarchy.

Workplace behavioursAt a basic level, there are significant issues for many entering the job market for the first time. While employers are often happy to take on the

Obviously you need the softer skills to keep your team together, keep them happy, so that you can generate cash.Employee, RSA


responsibility for up-skilling their workforce, they do expect some core behaviours to be present from the start.

An understanding of how to behave in the workplace is something lacking in many new recruits. Basic business etiquette – how to deal with customers; how to communicate with colleagues; how to answer the phone; personal presentation – are all areas that require addressing and taught to prospective employees before they arrive for their first day of work.

Aspiration, motivation and responsibilityOn one level, the challenge for education is simple: provide individuals with the requisite knowledge and skills to perform adequately in a specific job. However, beyond this (or perhaps beneath it) lies a more complex matrix of personal and social issues that are impacting on the ability of new recruits to flourish in work and fulfil their potential.

Many young people have no notion of a career or of where they would like to be in five years. In many cases the thinking is that it would be ‘enough to just have a job’. This has a negative impact on motivation: if simply being employed in the limit of your ambition, will you be motivated to do your job well or to do more than the minimum?

This also connects to the issue of self-worth and entitlement. Many entrants into the job market lack the confidence to take responsibility and to put themselves forward.

They still feel that, perhaps, they are lucky to simply be employed and culturally, they do not have the impetus to develop a career or develop themselves professionally.

This represents, in part, a negative legacy from the many years of apartheid rule but also reflects some of the cultural values some individuals bring to the workplace from their upbringing. Creative ways need to be found to address these issues so that, over time, they dissipate.

Discipline and trust Employers have identified traditional soft skills – communication, leadership and problem solving – as lacking. But perhaps more profound than that are issues of trust – the ability of an employer to trust that their employee will actually do the job, will take responsibility, and will deliver what they promise.

This is connected to discipline. An individual who has self-discipline will become a trustworthy employee. If you have been schooled in a disciplined environment, you will carry this attitude into the work place.

This is an issue that, once again, goes back to school. If children are not disciplined within the school system, and therefore if they fail to learn respect for authority and appreciate the consequences of their actions, they will not become trusted employees. And a work environment devoid of trust can be extremely damaging to those involved and to the organisation as a whole.

Content and qualityOne of the key challenges for South Africa’s education system and the business community is around the design of qualifications.

In common with many other education systems across the world, South Africa is struggling to maintain the relevance of its course content and to keep pace with the changing demands of business and industry.

The difference between a successful candidate and an unsuccessful candidate is the type of training the individual has undertaken during their career path.Employer, RSA


While the SETAs provide a mechanism by which qualifications within a particular sector can be designed and assessed, there is the perception that business should play a more significant role in course development. Furthermore, while the need for generic content is acknowledged, there should be increased focus on developing skills for specific roles.

The relevance of course content connects to a wider issue, that of quality. There should be greater cooperation across the board in order to address issues around quality assurance.

Currently, there is a lack of belief in the value of many qualifications and this is, in part, due to an ineffective system of quality assurance. Both education and industry need to collaborate in order to raise the standard of course content and implement a more widely accepted system of quality assurance.

Revitalise the infrastructureThe establishment of administrative institutions to support and guide vocational education during the 1990s has provided a strong basis for the future. However, there is a need to revisit the role of these institutions and to refocus their work.

The structures are fundamentally in place: the SETAs (which are accredited by SAQA) are viewed as valuable mechanisms by which sectors can identify skills needs, develop and implement strategy and disburse funding. Some are seen as more effective than others but generally they are viewed as positive.

Alongside this, the development and implementation of the National Qualifications Framework (by SAQA) is considered to be a positive and important initiative. However, the NQF needs to be improved and broadened as some are losing their faith in its effectiveness and relevance.

Overall, the work done in the 1990s has provided a solid foundation that supports communication and engagement within sectors and allows business to contribute to the development and implementation of vocational education strategy. There is no need to reinvent the wheel: by improving what is already there, South Africa will begin to reap the rewards.

The Ideal South African Employee

Someone who takes ownership of a role, sense of •responsibility for oneself and others

Someone who uses their initiative•

Shows confidence in their abilities•

Capacity to integrate and operate in diverse •environments

Team worker•

Learns from their mistakes and is not defeated by •them

Managers need to understand and be sensitive to the •diversity around them

As a manager you should have a fairly clear idea of what is requiredEmployer, RSA


A good manager is a good communicator•

Need to have knowledge that is applicable within the •workplace

Role specific skills – able to do the job in hand•

Problem-solving skills are essential – what do I do •when something goes wrong?

Someone who exhibits critical thinking•

A leader who can also follow•

Someone who is prepared to take risks•

Solid in the face of adversity•

Adaptable and flexible – someone who is •‘broadband’

Someone who embraces technology•

Passion and enthusiasm – ‘Come with a passion and •I’ll teach you the skills’

‘I want to be here’ rather than ‘I have to be here’•

Strong work ethic – desire to progress and succeed •

Conclusions

South Africa is currently in the midst of a long and intense period of social, economic and political change. All three of these elements are encompassed in the drive towards better educating its people.

The democracy that the population now enjoys can only be seen as a positive. However, the transition from the evils of the apartheid regime to the equality and freedom that now pervades is not entirely without its challenges.

Many South Africans are still getting used to their new found freedom and some are unsure about how to embrace it. While the South African economy is growing, particularly within the context of Africa as a whole, there is not the economic boom currently being seen in some other parts of the world.

The demand for skills is not as acute here as it is elsewhere. As aspirations rise, and more young people move through further and higher education, more jobs need to be created so that belief in the value of education is not lost – there is already anecdotal evidence that some young people do not believe that education will end up leading to a job.

There is currently a drive to change the cultural dynamic in many organisations, particularly in the public sector, and to support the promotion of black workers to more senior positions.

The management class in South Africa is still dominated by white

I think employers have the perception that they can’t change attitude so they would rather have someone come in that has the right attitude than try to change that attitude. Employer, RSA


males but this is beginning to change. The new managers need to learn new skills: how to lead; how to innovate; how to motivate and educate their staff. In fact, the coming years could see the development of a new management culture in South Africa, one that acknowledges the complexities of the country’s political and social history and, simultaneously, embraces the cultural diversity of its current population.

There are some positive structures in place – the systems developed in the 1990s provide strong basis for the future. In many ways, the regulatory and accreditation framework that’s in place rivals that of developed nations. By acknowledging the need to place businesses at the heart of strategic development, South Africa has a firm foundation to build on. However, the need to reform these structures is clear. Strengthening the National Qualifications Framework will increase its value and credibility and, alongside that, support better quality assurance which will, ultimately, enhance the strength of South Africa’s vocational education programmes across the board.

Before that, however, the basic standard of education needs to be addressed. If the admirable social and economic vision for South Africa is to be realised, the primary and secondary education system has to improve. The challenge is huge: the years of neglect will not be righted over night. And progress has been made. But there is still a long way to go. This could be seen as an opportunity: in rebuilding the education system in South Africa, there is the chance to redefine both the content and the methods of teaching.

Considering the need for greater emphasis on soft skills – communication, leadership, critical thinking, confidence – it is perhaps at school that teaching these skills and attributes should begin.

...who is doing the training, how do they train, do they have the ability to train, are they passionate about what they’re doing? Employer, RSA



Chapter 9: Country report – Brazil

61

Chapter 9: Country report – Brazil

Overview

Brazil was identified in 2003 as one of a group of four emerging economies known as BRIC (the others being Russia, India and China). The Goldman Sachs thesis that introduced this term suggested that these economies would, by 2050, eclipse most of the current richest countries in the world.

The economy, dominated by the service sector and augmented by strong agricultural and industrial sectors, grew in 2007 by 5.4% according to the Brazilian Government. The science and technology sector is also a key strength and is attracting record foreign investment.

The size of the workforce was estimated to be around 100 million in 2006, with unemployment running at just below 10%. Set against this are estimates that there remain around 30% of the population living below the poverty line.

There also remain significant issues around primary and secondary education. This inevitably impacts on the success and efficacy of tertiary education and the subsequent feed of talent into the labour market. The economy has seen rapid growth in the demand for jobs but the prevailing view of businesses is that there are not the people sufficiently qualified and appropriately skilled to fill the need.

There has, over the past decade, been an explosion of higher education institutions, particularly in the health sector, many of them privately run, and an acknowledgement of the need to broaden educational opportunity. Reform of the education system began to take hold during the 60’s and 70’s with a move from education being for the elite to education for all.

Although this change has continued to gather pace during the last 20 years, the common criticism is that the quality of the education provided has dropped. This is supported by the recently reported case of an eight year old child being accepted onto a university degree course.

The increase in the number of students attending higher and further education is to be applauded. However, focus is beginning to shift towards what is being taught and the quality and methodology of the teaching. In recent years, vocational education programmes have particularly focussed on health and government; there’s also been heavy investment in the upskilling of teachers.

There are well-established mechanisms in place in Brazil to encourage and support vocational education. Workers’ organizations participate in the Consejo Deliberativo del Fondo de Asistencia al Trabajador – CODEFAT (Deliberative Council of the Workers’ Assistance Fund). This organisation is in charge of administering the Fondo de Asistencia al Trabajador – F.A.T. or Workers’ Assistance Fund, the largest public fund in the country. The resources of the F.A.T. come from a deduction of 1% on company payrolls, and a part of this money is earmarked to fund the policies and objectives of the national system of employment.

It is much better to motivate, promote and develop existing employees. A motivated worker will perform better.Employer, Brazil


This includes job centres for the work force, unemployment insurance, vocational retraining, information on unemployment, and programmes to generate employment and income.

Initially created in 1946, the National Commercial Training Service (SENAC) is a vocational training institution open to society as a whole. SENAC operates as a private institution and is funded by the financial contributions of commercial enterprises. The aim of SENAC is to promote and support vocational training programmes amongst diversified audiences to develop skills and create qualified individuals for the labour market. According to its own figures, the institution has trained more than 23 million professionals.

Its activities and policies are guided by national social and economic problems. There are seven defined sectors that form the focus for SENAC’s work. The institution engages in defining the basic skills requirements for the different occupations in each of these sectors.

The sectors are as follows: Administration; Communication and Arts; Tourism and Hotel Industry; Health, Fashion and Beauty; Preservation and Maintenance; Informatics.

Augementing the work of SENAC is the Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial or SENAI, which translates as the National Service of Industrial Learning. This operates as a network of not-for-profit secondary level professional schools established and maintained by the Brazilian Confederation of Industry. SENAI provides formal training for specialized workers for the industry, in the areas of chemistry, mechanics and construction. SENAI has 744 operational units across Brazil, which offer more than 1,800 courses. SENAI was set up in the 1950s as part of an integrated social action system which was founded by political leaders incollaboration with industry.

Brazil also has a history of promoting and supporting apprenticeship schemes. The Young Apprentice Scheme currently in operation involves 15-17 year olds on a two year programme with employers. This is a widely adopted initiative that is considered to be highly successful: the rate of conversion between apprentices and full-time employees is estimated at around 70%.

The initiatives outlined above strongly indicate both a history of commitment to vocational education and a recent revitalisation of structures and approaches that has accompanied the election of President Lula da Silva in 2002. However, many argue that the successful revitalisation of the Brazilian economy has not been matched by improvements to the provision of professional education. While the structures in place do provide a basis for engagement between industry and education and funding is compulsory, familiar criticisms towards the effectiveness of these structures remain.

Quality and relevance are again identified as key issues. Alongside this, the status of vocational study is low in comparison to academic study. And, in general, there is a sense that vocational education needs further reform in order to support the continuing growth of the economy.

There is no doubt as to the demand for vocational training and education. In itself, this is seen as a huge growth sector of the Brazilian economy with e-learning seeing significant expansion, reflecting Brazil’s recent accelerated uptake of computer technology. Brazilians are also extremely keen to improve their English language skills as a mechanism to further increase their level of global competitiveness and their educational opportunities.


It’s very important for me as an employer to find candidates who have learnt how to learn.Employer Brazi

Key emerging themes: Brazil


Quality not quantity – there has been a notable expansion of educational opportunity at every level in Brazil. Many indicators suggest that this has not been accompanied by a raising, or even maintaining, of standards.

The requirement for a university entrance exam, for example, has been significantly watered down to facilitate greater numbers through the system. Some exams can actually be sat online, bringing into question the likely value of the subsequent education provided. Another issue is that the expansion of educational institutions, particularly in further and higher education, has been driven primarily by the private sector.

Although not applicable across the board, the contention is that these are commercial institutions and therefore are driven more by profit than by the quality or relevance of their educational provision. Compounding the issue of low quality providers is the fact that there are no consistent standards of quality assurance.

This creates confusion in the education marketplace, for both employers and learners, as to the relative value of providers and content. Having a significant proportion of the young population engaged in tertiary education is certainly a good starting point. However, without improving quality, the positive impact of mass participation will be negated.

Standards of primary and secondary educationThe teaching of basic skills at primary and secondary level is still a prominent challenge in Brazil. Although investment in infrastructure and the training of teachers has been significant, the effects of this investment are only beginning to be felt. Currently, more than 50% of children are failing against basic literacy and numeracy measurements. Without raising these standards, the quality of entrants to higher and further education will continue to suffer and the expansion and success of vocational education programmes will struggle.

The burden of investment There is, in light of the perceived shortcomings of Brazil’s professional education programmes, an increasing tendency for businesses to assume the role of training provider. However, this is felt by some to be a burden that is becoming harder to shoulder. In order for businesses to stay competitive within the globalised economy, there needs to be both greater support for educational activity within businesses and, more pertinently, an improved public system of vocational education.

There also needs to be better mechanisms put in place for businesses to share knowledge and expertise within sectors and more open channels of communication between business and education. The Ministry of Education has just begun to discuss industry needs, but the Federation of Industry that represents business interests in Brazil does not have a role in defining vocational education, either in terms of the curriculum or in defining the skills needs of industry.

Cultural challenges around vocational education The sense that ‘you have to have a diploma’ prevails: despite the fact that companies are beginning to realise the value of vocational study, and, simultaneously, question the relevance of some academic education. Socially it’s still considered unacceptable to follow a vocational path. This is as much a cultural challenge as it is a challenge around quality and relevance. There is also an inherent paradox in the

It is easy to determine what we are looking for in candidates, the hard thing is to find the right ones.Employer, Brazil


attitude of many employers: it is still the perception that businesses recruit primarily on the basis of academic achievement despite the fact they know this is not a good indicator of the ability of the candidate to do the job.

Negative perceptions of vocational education also relate to the respect or esteem certain professions are held in. The notion that you are nothing if you’re not a lawyer, doctor or engineer still exists, although this is beginning to change. Jobs in the services sector are seen as increasingly important with skilled roles in the catering industry being a good example of jobs now viewed with much greater respect than in past years.

However, progression routes into employment still represent a key issue that impacts on the perceived value of vocational education. And perceived value needs to change alongside intrinsic value or any improvements in quality may be disregarded. And the value of training/education – to individuals and the country’s future – needs to be more clearly articulated.

Greater relevance in university education Much of the expansion that’s taken place within the Brazilian education system has happened within higher level academic study. The enthusiasm for privately funded universities reflects the esteem in which academic study is held within society and signifies the aspiration of many to pursue academic study. While there are, as already mentioned, general issues around quality throughout the education system, the specific challenge for universities is to make their courses more relevant to the world of work. There is a sense that university education does not teach people how to think. There is too much learning by rote and not enough applicable knowledge. While vocational education certainly needs to improve, Brazil’s academic institutions also need to reform teaching methods and engage students more in practical, experiential learning. This could result in significant advantages for businesses looking to universities for their workforce.

Focus on attitude and behaviour There is a generally held perception that individuals entering the job market currently lack the right attitude. A good example is that of the nursing profession: the health sector has seen huge investment in recent years in terms of skills development. However, while many new nurses may be able to technically carry out their tasks, they often lack the behaviours and attitudes towards patients and colleagues to be entirely effective.

There is currently a bottleneck in this sector, with many patients coming from overseas to use Brazil’s health system. The development and recruitment of new staff has filled some of the immediate demand but many technicians are ill-prepared for patient-facing roles and lack cultural sensitivity. In some cases, even basic communication skills are deficient.

This is recognised as a serious problem, and one that actually affects clinical efficacy. The conclusion must be that these skills are not effectively being taught or nurtured. An additional challenge is that it is extremely difficult to measure attitudes and values, particularly within the traditional interview format that represents the predominating approach to recruitment.

Many companies lack the framework to assess these attributes, either amongst existing staff or at recruitment.

Everyone says they’re very keen!Employer, Brazil


It’s also acknowledged that it’s much easier to instil knowledge through education than attitudes and behaviours. It is, however, a task that vocational education needs to address.

Case study

During the discussion in Brazil, an explanation was given for the approach one company takes to the categorisation of current and potential employees. They looked at people in three ways:

Functional – relating to their domain knowledge and •understanding of their role and the tasks they need to perform

Emotional – relating to their personal style, their •interaction with others, their communication skills

Spiritual (not religious) – relating to their contribution •to the greater good – within the company, within their community and beyond

This provides an interesting holistic model for valuing and assessing knowledge, skills and behaviours.

Low self-esteem There is another problem that relates to the issue of attitude, or could perhaps be seen as a cause. Low self-esteem is endemic amongst young people. The reasons for this are complex and not easily defined. There is increasingly a significant divide between rich and poor in Brazil. While on the one hand the lifestyle and achievements of Brazil’s economic winners could be seen as inspirational, and probably is to some, there are still significant levels of poverty and some way to go before issues around equality and opportunity – both educational and economic – are addressed.

Low self-esteem effects a number of things, chief among them ambition and the ability to learn. If you do not believe that you have a chance to progress, this will significantly blunt your motivation to do a good job and your perception of the value of self-improvement. Dealing with this problem is not simple and requires attention at every level of education as well as within the workplace.

No culture of learningThe need for individuals to have the ability to learn, and to pursue learning throughout their career, is a characteristic identified as central by most employers. However, there is some evidence that, in Brazil, there is not a culture of continuous learning: short-termism is an endemic problem – people want things now. The long-term value of education is not appreciated enough and, in some ways, the rapid economic successes of the past decade have created a culture of immediate expectation. If individuals are to reach their potential, within education and within work, there needs to be a greater sense of personal and professional development.

If you have the right experience but not the right personality it is no good. When problems arise you will need to be ready to deal with those. It’s a matter of attitude. Employee, Brazil


Build on the positives In spite of the perceived failures amongst employers, there are, comparative to many other countries, extremely well-developed and embedded structures and processes in place to support skills development in Brazil. SENACs are seen to be valuable in promoting skills like customer service.

There is currently an idea in development that will provide customer service training to taxi drivers through SENAC. This type of initiative should be applauded and is only possible if the organisational structures are in place to support it. Brazil is also one of the few countries to compulsorily engage business in the funding of vocational education programmes and related initiatives through the F.A.T. or Workers’ Assistance Fund.

Although not everyone will concur as to the effectiveness of this scheme, there is, arguably, an inherent value placed on skills development when taxation is applied and directed in this way. As with many government initiatives, particularly of this size, there will always be failures in the system but building on these structures represents a positive way forward for the Government and for businesses in Brazil.

The Ideal Brazilian Employee

Adaptable•

Able to apply their knowledge in a real work situation•

Problem solving ability•

Communication skills•

Pride in their work•

Self-esteem to support progression•

Good attitude is essential•

Professional maturity•

Valuing the work they do and enjoying it•

Understanding of how their organisation can help •them progress

Operational intelligence•

Someone who takes initiative•

Leaders need to incentivise initiative•

Self awareness – knowing one’s strengths and •limitations

Good humour•

Relationship skills•

Innovation•

Motivation – ‘People have to take pleasure in what •they do’

It is important to be given a certificate for your training. A guy with a certificate is looked at differently from one without a certificate.Employee, Brazil


Managing peers, teams and processes•

Decision making•

Engagement and commitment•

Results oriented•

Respectful of others (within company and in wider •world)

Attuned to the company’s objectives•

‘A happy professional’ – one who likes themselves•

Responsible•

Receptive (to others and change)•

‘A willingness to grow’•

Conclusions

Part of the current strength and potential growth within the Brazilian economy is related to the prevailing demographic – Brazil has a youthful population of over 183 million. In human resource terms, they are a wealthy nation. Bringing education to the masses has been an ongoing project now for some years and is reaping significant successes. However, there is a need to improve further.

The standard of education provision is mixed at every level, from primary to post-grad. Having created the educational opportunities, Government, industry and education need to focus more on raising and maintaining standards. This process should encompass greater emphasis on quality assurance and place significant focus on qualification design and delivery.

Vocational education already plays a significant role in providing Brazil with the workforce it needs. However, here again improvements need to be made. Fundamentally, business and education need to work more closely to define the need and design the solution. This is the responsibility of both parties, although some of the structures are already in place to facilitate this.

Building on existing initiatives and, within these, strengthening the connection with industry could go some way to addressing the current disillusionment with Brazil’s public vocational education strategy. While the current direction of travel is to be applauded, the speed of change is frustrating and the final destination unclear.

There is a clear need to address general skills and, in particular, behaviours and attitudes. This should happen at every level of education as well as in the workplace. Society in general must shoulder some of the responsibility here. More specifically, vocational education programmes should reflect the need for a more generalised curriculum that allows individuals greater mobility within the Brazilian economy.

Alongside this needs to be new mechanisms to help businesses and


organisations assess personal attributes like attitude, behaviour and cultural awareness. Industry should be setting the standard in this regard but, to do this, there must be greater articulation of the sort of attributes potential employees need to demonstrate.

Finally, there should be more opportunities, within public and private sector, to publicise successful cases. There is much good work going on throughout Brazil in the area of vocational education.

By celebrating this work and exposing others to the lessons learnt, a greater sense of pride will develop around vocational education and businesses, educators and policy makers can learn how to increase impact on learners and employees and, ultimately, on the Brazilian economy.


Chapter 10: Country report – United Arab Emirates


Chapter 10: Country report – United Arab Emirates

Overview

The United Arab Emirates has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Figures suggest that between 2005 and 2006, UAE had the highest increase in GDP of any country. Bolstered by a strong petrol and gas industry, the economy is now beginning to diversify into the manufacturing and services sectors. Set alongside this is an unprecedented property boom. The demand for a skilled and capable workforce is as strong here as anywhere on the planet.

The population of UAE is almost unique in its make-up: only a fifth of residents living permanently in the seven emirates are native Emiratis. The other 80% are immigrants drawn from across the globe, many from India and South Asia. UAE also has the highest gender imbalance in the world, with more than twice the number of males to females.

Until recently, there were comparatively few formal education institutions and little in the way of vocational education programmes. Political influence over the education of the workforce was minimal. The importation of labour – fuelled by high wages and a good quality of life – has provided a solution of sorts to the challenge of filling the demand for skilled workers. However, changes in the global economy and a realisation of the long-term weaknesses of relying on the importation of skills are driving new thinking.

Furthermore, UAE currently has high levels of unemployment amongst its native population. This is in part due to the lack of incentive for those out of work to seek employment – social security payments are high and the standard of living for the unemployed is such that working does not seem an attractive option to many. To address this, and to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign labour, a process of ‘emiratisation’ is currently underway, whereby many jobs, particularly those in the public sector, have to be filled by UAE nationals. While this process in of itself will have limited impact on the education of current or future employees, it does indicate a change of direction on the part of the governing authorities and will inevitably require increased investment in the up-skilling of the Emirati workforce and a greater focus on national initiatives to develop skills for the future.

There have, over the last few years, been a number of initiatives that indicate the direction of travel, although the scale of these initiatives is still relatively small. Opened in 2006, the National Institute for Vocational Education (NIVE) is an autonomously managed organization, wholly owned by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. It opened with an initial intake of 200 students and is looking to increase this number year on year.

The aim of NIVE is to provide world class vocational education, benchmarked according to professional industry standards. Specifically,

We no longer look for hardcore experience in people... a fresh graduate, if we feel they have good team working skills and the confidence to handle the position we will take them on.Employer, UAE


the Institute claims its focus is ‘to provide students with the opportunity to gain specific job competencies geared towards enhancing their employability’. Furthermore, a key priority is to ‘ensure [the] study program adheres to the latest international standards and earns accreditation from internationally reputed educational institutions.’ NIVE identifies parents, students, teachers and businesses as key stakeholders in this process and is seeking to improve participation and effectiveness across the board.

Also opened in September last year is the Abu Dhabi Vocational Education and Training Institute (ADVETI), an initiative of The Abu Dhabi Education Council. The Institute is a partnership between the Abu Dhabi Government and New South Wales Technical and Further Education (Australia). Its aim is to offer Emirati students locally and internationally recognized qualifications at the Diploma and Certificate Levels. Students undertaking a three year course at the Institute will spend the first two years in full-time study and the third year in a part-time work placement. According to the Institutes own publicity, their Diploma ‘is designed to meet the specific needs of industry in Abu Dhabi within a framework of international industry standards’.

While the scale of these initiatives is currently very small, the clearly articulated objectives of both organisations demonstrates the awareness amongst education policy makers across the UAE that vocational education has to be addressed if long-term economic growth is to be sustained and societal issues around employment are to be addressed.

Key emerging themes


Lack of strategy and infrastructure There is a perception that the governing institutions in UAE are not delivering an effective policy-driven programme to help develop appropriately skilled workers. One of the problems identified is that there is a federal approach; e.g. Abu Dhabi and Dubai both have their own systems but there is little connection or collaboration between the two. There is some work going on at policy level to address the issues but it could be some years before the policy is implemented and the effects are felt within business and society at large.

Too much theory, not enough practice There is a fundamental problem with the level of ability of recent graduates and those entering work for the first time. Regardless of the education they have received, very few are able to apply their knowledge in a live work setting. There are some key areas where this lack of experience is most marked: communication skills are often less than effective.

Many graduates do not have a sufficient grasp of English to operate successfully in a business environment and many find communicating with different nationalities a significant challenge. In addition, many graduates do not have (or do not possess the confidence to exhibit) critical thinking. Therefore they are not capable of reacting to situations with positive actions and are much more likely to defer to a senior. Without significant connection between education programmes and the workplace these sorts of issues will persist.

Think about the individual’s attitude rather than the skill and qualification because we feel that if the person has the right attitude and right fit competency wise, you’ve got a good opportunity of creating what you need from that employee.Employer, UAE


Parallel systems As a result of the systemic problems facing federal and national education programmes, businesses are beginning to take significant responsibility for the long-term education of their employees. Corporations are setting up their own institutes to deliver their own curricula.

There is a strong suggestion that the quality and therefore the value of the qualifications delivered within these private institutes is considered to be higher than the programmes taught in public institutions. The challenge here is that these institutes are unregulated and the qualifications they offer are not connected to a broader set of quality standards.

Certain providers – Microsoft, for example – may still be able to provide internationally recognised and valued qualifications within this context. However, it will be harder for smaller organisations to achieve this.

There is also clearly an issue around access – private training institutions are not accessible to all. Therefore, there may be a damaging trend towards a parallel system whereby those who can’t access high-quality corporate education are left with the ill-regarded public alternative and are consequently sidelined for better employment opportunities.

Business goes it alone On the one hand, the efforts of business and industry in UAE to bear responsibility for training the workforce should be applauded, and, arguably, supported. Even if the focus for many companies is restricted to ‘educating their own’, the net impact on the skills pool is undoubtedly positive. However, it seems that many businesses are operating in isolation: to share educational content, teaching methods or resources with competitors is not viewed as desirable.

Education and training are key drivers in developing a competitive edge, and in promoting staff retention. Why should a corporation, having invested heavily in education, blunt its advantage by sharing its knowledge and understanding? While there are some examples of businesses coming together to identify skills needs and develop programmes to meet these needs, the picture in UAE tends to be one of business keeping it in-house. Without collaboration, sectors will not, as a whole, benefit from the good work being done within corporate walls.

Identifying the need Without understanding what the requirements are, no education system – private or public – can hope to fulfil its role as provider of job-ready individuals. Identifying the need impacts the UAE in two ways: firstly, there is a lack of communication between business and education.

The increasing tendency of business to see the education system in UAE as failed is compounded by a paucity of opportunity for business to feed into emerging education policy and to characterise the requirements. This, on the one hand, represents a failure in the public structures that support education in UAE. On the other hand, there is a sense that business itself is not always clear about what its own needs actually are.

There is a lack of effective diagnostic tools to help businesses assess the strengths and weaknesses of their current staff. Consequently, businesses are less able to articulate where specific skills gaps lay. Work needs to be done on both sides in order to improve this dynamic.

I do receive training, yes, but it is not on the soft skills, it is on the hard skills.Employee, UAE


Big choice but where’s the quality? The rapid growth of the UAE economy coupled with a national propensity to import has created huge opportunities in the UAE for providers of education and training. Recent years have witnessed an influx of businesses and organisations at every conceivable level. There are currently estimated to be around a thousand training providers in Dubai alone. Many are small outfits focussed on selling third party training content, either via eLearning platforms to end users or direct to businesses.

At the other end of the scale, many world-renowned universities – including the Sorbonne and Oxford – are establishing overseas campuses in the Emirates. Seizing the opportunity to tap into a lucrative and ever growing market, these organisations are filling the void left by an underdeveloped national education infrastructure.

Additionally, the unregulated nature of further and higher education makes UAE an attractive investment opportunity for companies and institutions alike. However, there are problems at both ends of the educational spectrum. On the one hand, the lower end of the market is saturated by small providers who will claim to deliver effective and successful programmes but often fail to live up to their sales talk.

Without a clear framework to work to, many contracts are awarded purely on the strength of the sell rather than any demonstrable quality. At the upper end of the scale, the importation of higher and further education does bring with it a certain stamp of quality assurance particularly in terms of the content being delivered. However, the quality of teaching provided can vary greatly. It is difficult for universities to attract the best people as many do not see a position on the faculty of a UAE university as being a positive step in their career.

This reflects a wider issue – there is a sense that the quality of teachers/trainers across the board is very low. Without effective and inspirational teachers schooled in modern techniques the value of any educational content is severely diminished.

A question of value There seems to be a tendency amongst learners/employees to see their education as a process of accumulating certificates rather than gaining knowledge, skills and behaviours. Proving that you have passed an exam seems more important than proving you can do the job, even though employers would much rather have the latter than the former.

This is reflected in the standing of vocational education against academic study. In spite of what businesses say they want, and in spite of the aspirations of learners to secure a good job, the perception remains that academic study represents the most valuable and valued route into work.

Here, as in many other places across the world, the value of academic study is increasingly questionable – as greater numbers enter higher education and complete studies to degree level, the skills shortages are not being addressed. For many employers, a short job-specific training course can be a quicker passport to employment than three years of academic study.

Look to home for the future The need for UAE to develop its own skilled workforce is now undeniable. The traditional countries tapped for overseas recruitment – India and China amongst others – are booming economies themselves.

You can only develop people if you can retain them.Employer, UAE


The burgeoning employment opportunities within their own countries coupled with rapidly rising cost of living in UAE are drying up the talent pools once so plentiful and accessible. Coupled with this is the relatively low skill level of native Emiratis who have traditionally not been required to work in order to maintain a reasonable standard of living and who have witnessed the domination of the employment landscape by imported talent.

For UAE to compete effectively in the future, and for its economy to continue to grow and diversify, there is an acute requirement for skills and talent to be developed within the country and amongst the native population.

The Ideal UAE Employee

Self-aware•

High level of emotional intelligence•

Can do the job they are employed to do•

Ability to disseminate knowledge•

Able to manage well•

Commitment•

Personal accountability•

Someone who takes ownership of the business•

Someone who is disciplined in terms of delivery•

Someone who can learn•

Conclusions

There is a pervading sense that UAE is, in many ways, playing catch up. The region is very much engaged in the global skills race but is currently ill-prepared to meet its own burgeoning needs.

The model employed thus far, that of importing the skills businesses need, has successfully fuelled growth. However, this is becoming unsustainable as competition for skills increases and the cost of living soars.

The willingness of business to fund skills development is clear although perhaps born of necessity rather than will. However, they key challenge is for government to develop clearer strategies to support long-term education objectives and, in doing so, engage to a much greater degree with business and industry.

Part of this strategy should be to connect education and training content and providers to an assessment framework and to develop clearer guidelines around accreditation. Without addressing the quality assurance issue, businesses and educational institutions will continue to waste money on ill-conceived or badly delivered education and the skills gaps will continue to widen.


Connected to this is the need to improve the quality of educators and trainers. The value of a good teacher cannot be overstated and yet is often overlooked when governments and businesses address issues of education and skills.

Better training for trainers needs to be provided and more emphasis should be placed on the development and recruitment of great teachers. There should also be better use of the skills, experience and personality of senior figures within an organisation.

Empowering business leaders to assume greater responsibility for the training of their own people will be positive for all involved. In particular, inspirational leaders who are passionate about their business can often communicate better than anyone else the values they expect from their employees and the behaviours required for them to succeed within that company culture.

There is, potentially, a huge opportunity to create a new educational paradigm in the UAE – it has the resources, the business environment and, increasingly, the infrastructure. It also has a relatively small population and so could make great headway if the right vision is defined and given support.

Crucially, this must be based around mutual engagement between business and education. Beyond that, there needs to be improved mechanisms for bringing businesses together and less isolationism in the design and delivery of bourn education by private institutions.

If the Government demonstrates its commitment and vision to improving bourn education, this could act as a catalyst for greater engagement between businesses.

If they see the value of being part of a wider solution, they will come on board. However, if public education programmes remain disconnected from the realities of industry, businesses will continue to go it alone.



Appendix: Participants in provocation meetings

77

Appendix: Participants in provocation meeting

Meeting 1

UK, 19th October 2007, Benares Restaurant, London

Chair: John Knell, Intelligence Agency

Attendees:

Steve Ackerman, Managing Director Somethin’ Else

Jill Franklin, Managing Director, Franklin Rae Communications

Nick Isles, Director of Advocacy, The Work Foundation

Marc Jaffrey, Development Director, Music Manifesto

Jagdip Jagpal, Partner, Carbon Search

Dr Jill Jameson, Director of Research & Enterprise, School of Education & Training, University of Greenwich

Ravi Kapur, Head of Innovation Challenges, NESTA and Director, GovEd Communications.

Ajay Kathrani, Head of Science & Technology, London Development Agency

Harry Rich, Chief Executive, Make Your Mark

Prof Christopher Winch, Professor Educational Philosophy & Policy, Kings College London

Ross Hall, Head of International, Edexcel

Claire Stuart, International Marketing Manager, Edexcel

Henry Playfoot, Managing Director, White Loop

Jim Playfoot, Director of Strategy & Ideas, White Loop

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meeting 2

China, 28th November 2007, Raffles Hotel, Beijing

Chair: Henry Playfoot, Managing Director, White Loop

Attendees:

Yue Han, Deputy Director, China Scholarship Council

Cynthia Ma, Head of Generali China Innovation Academy


Mike Mi, President, China Call Centre & CRM Association

Karen Sun, Director, Lusun Wyatt

Lily Sun, Director, Strategic Development Dept, CERNET Education

Zhou Ziao Ying, Centre Head, BTEC Centre, Capital University of Economics & Business

Ronda Xu, General Manager, England Beijing International Education Consulting Co Ltd

Jacky Gao, Regional Development Manager for North China, Edexcel


Additional interviews carried out with the following:

Mrs. XIE Youlang, Vice General Secretary, China Vocational Education Association

Mr. CHEN Lixiang, Party Secretary, Occupational Skill Testing Authority, Ministry of Labour & Social Security

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meeting 3

UAE, 3rd December 2007, The Fairmont, Dubai

Chair: Henry Playfoot, Managing Director, White Loop Ltd

Attendees:

Omar Al Awadi, DP World

Natalie Bethanis, Recruitment Manager, DP World – UAE Region

Paul Michael Gledhill, Director & Co Founder, Xpert Learning

Ibrahim M. Jamel, Director-Business Development, Dubai Knowledge Village

Mohammed Masoud Al-Kharusi, Group HR Manager, Emirates National Oil Company Limited (ENOC) LLC

Louise Northcott, HR Manager – Business Support, Emirates

Malcolm Pickering, Director, Sharjah Institute of Technology

Joanna Reed, Senior Manager, Global People, Performance & Culture Group, KPMG International

Clive Reed, VP, Training Services, Emirates

George Saab, Chief HR Officer, Chalhoub Group

Peter Bonny Salleh, Learning and Development Manager, Learning & Development Centre, Emirates National Oil Company Limited (ENOC) LLC

Jarrod Hingston, Regional Manager for Pearson Research and Assessment

Mark Andrews, Regional Director – Middle East/North Africa, Edexcel

Anne Anderson, Regional Development Manager – Middle East/North Africa, Edexcel



Meeting 4

India, 5th December 2007, Hotel Intercontinental, Mumbai

Chair: Henry Playfoot, Managing Director, White Loop

Attendees:

Dr. D.P. Agarwal, Member, Union Public Service Commission

Mr. Vivek Agarwal, MD, Liqvid

Dr. Giri Dua, Chairman, TASMAC

Mr. Manu Ittina, Executive Director, ITTINA

Dr. Y Medury, Chief Operating Officer, Jaiprakash Associates Ltd.

Dr. Kamlesh Mishra, Director, IIMT, Gurgaon

Prof. M M Pant, Chairman, Planet EDU Pvt. Ltd.

Prof. Rupa Shah, Former VC, Currently Freelancer

Satish Sharma, Regional Development Manager, Edexcel International


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Meeting 5

South Africa, 21st February 2008, Grace Hotel, Johannesburg

Chairs: Henry Playfoot, Managing Director, White Loop


Attendees:

Anton Du Plessis, CEO, CCX

Kruppie Eloff, ETQA Manager, Food & Beverage SETA

Charnell Hebrand, City of Johannesburg

Audrey Kwapeng, Contact Centre Training College

Lavelle Nomdo, City of Johannesburg

Marie-Therese Portolan, MT@ Work Associates

Sune Rheeder, HR & Training Consultant, Paladin Consulting

Makwena Seshoka, CEO, Contact Centre Training College

Sandy Williams, NQ Systems Development

Anton Barnett-Harris, Edexcel International

Jonathan McGill, Regional Development Officer, Edexcel International

Ian Yeoll, Edexcel International


Meeting 6

Brazil, 13th March 2008, Paulista Plaza Hotel, Sao Paulo

Chairs: Jim Playfoot, Director Ideas & Strategy, White Loop


James Tucker, Edexcel International

Mavi Polo, Edexcel International

Attendees:

Mirella Ugolini, Coord de Des Humano, SERASA

Claudia Falcão, Diretora de Pessoas e Organização, NATURA

Denise Asnis, NATURA

Claudia Pires Rodrigues Wharton, Superintendente, MAPFRE

Leonie Adimari Bruno, Diretora Executiva, Neomater Hospi. E Maternidade

Paula Regina Vieira, Área de Desenv/Mark Gest, Neomater Hospi. E Maternidade

Patricia Lopes Crispino Rodrigues, Superintendência de Recursos Humanos, Sociedade Hospital Samaritano

Mônica Camponucci, Gerente de Atendimento a Clientes, Dal Bem Home Care

Sara de Oliveira, MDIC,

Sandra Regina C. dos Reis, Analista de RH, Fundepag

Andréa Fonseca Meroni, Gerente de RH e Qualidade, Fundepag

Frank Zwarg Fuga, Fundepag

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meeting 7UK, Friday 28th March, Work Foundation, London

Chairs: Jim Playfoot, Director Ideas & Strategy, White Loop


Attendees:

Mario Abela, Director, London Skills and Employment Board

Louise Dalziel, Director, Matchless Content

Nick Isles, Director Advocacy, The Work Foundation

Marc Jaffrey, Director, Music Manifesto

Dr Jill Jameson, Director of Enterprise, University of Greenwich

Brain Leonard, Director Industry, DCMS

Julie Mercer, Deloitte

Aine O’Keefe, Adviser to Will Hutton, The Work Foundation

Bridget Rivers-Moore, E-Publishing Manager, COI


Harry Rich, Chief Executive, Mark Your Mark

Ross Hall, Head, Edexcel International

Claire Stewart, Marketing Manager, Edexcel International


Project partnersThe project was conceived and commissioned by Edexcel International, part of Pearson Education. Edexcel International deals exclusively with customers outside the UK. Edexcel International currently operates in over 85 countries and is one of the world’s leading providers of professional education, primarily through the provision of BTEC qualifications. For more information, please visit www.edexcel-international.org

White Loop is the lead delivery partner. As well as co-authoring this report, White Loop designed and delivered the international provocation series and provided strategic input to every other part of the project. White Loop is a London-based consultancy specialising in stakeholder engagement, strategic communications and the provision of digital media services. For more information please visit www.whiteloop.com

Insight Research Group conducted all primary research activity. Insight is an international market research company based in London and New York. Established in 1983, Insight specialises in providing an in depth understanding of stakeholder needs, attitudes and behaviours through primary qualitative and quantitative research for clients based in the UK and overseas. For more information please visit www.insightrg.com

Report editorsHenry Playfoot, Managing Director, White Loop Claire Stuart, International Marketing Manager, Edexcel

© Copyright 2008 White Loop & Edexcel

For more information about this project please visit www.eee.edexcel.com

effective education for employment- a global perspective

Education

workers assistance

white loop

international

regional development

international

edexcel jim

key emerging

professional