Ei-iE

A new report from Education International on the Status of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) identifies a clear policy contradiction: TVET is increasingly recognised as strategically important, yet public investment, workforce planning, professional development, and support for educators frequently fail to match that ambition.

The report was released during a webinar on October 7th, with participation of Cassandra Hallett, Deputy General Secretary of Education International and a panel composed by Suzy Toole (UCU, UK), Conor Siryj (AEU, Australia) and Gavin Moodie (OISE, Canada). The webinar was attended by educators and education union leaders from all around the world.

The results of the first global survey of Education International member organisations representing TVET teachers and education support personnel, reveal a persistent gap between the ambitions governments profess for the sector and the realities facing the workforce that make it possible.

Reacting to the report’s findings, Cassandra Hallett highlighted how support for TVET teachers is insufficient. Especially from a gender perspective, since gender issues are significant in TVET, including the reality that feminized trades and areas of technical expertise remain paid less and are of even lower status than many of the other TVET areas.

“TVET opportunities for professional learning and development are few and far between, and when there are such opportunities for TVET professionals, that often come with an added workload burden due to the mode of delivery for such professional learning and development”, said Hallett.

Hallett stated that the sector needs investment to ensure that teachers can provide the choices that students deserve to reach their unique potential and contribute to their community.

The global landscape for TVET

Across the world, governments increasingly look to TVET to address skills shortages, support industrial and technological change, respond to digitalisation and artificial intelligence, and prepare workers for more sustainable economies. However, the survey findings demonstrate that many TVET systems are being asked to deliver more while operating under growing strain.

Drawing on responses from 66 Education International member organisations representing more than 2.3 million TVET members across all regions, the survey provides a global picture of teacher status, working conditions, professional autonomy, training, teacher shortages, funding, and social dialogue in the sector.

Suzy Toole, of UCU in the UK expressed that if governments do genuinely believe that technical and vocational education is fundamental to the future of our economies and societies, we need to hold them to that claim. “Don't just demand more skills from our colleges. Invest in them. Don't just demand more from vocational teachers. Value them. And don't just redesign qualifications”, stated Toole.

One recurring theme throughout the survey is competition with private industry. Many skilled professionals can earn substantially more working in private industry than they can teaching, making recruitment and retention increasingly difficult.

The findings also reveal that nearly 60% of jurisdictions surveyed report that employing unqualified personnel to address teacher shortages is either somewhat common or very common. This raises serious concerns about quality, safety, and the long-term professionalisation of TVET.

As noted by Education International General Secretary David Edwards, the quality of TVET ultimately depends on the people who deliver it. Expanding TVET systems without investing in educators' risks, undermining the very outcomes governments seek to achieve.

Fund Technical and Vocational Education and Training, fund education

Education unions around the world have formed a clear picture of what is needed and are demanding that governments ensure the conditions needed for the quality, safety, and long-term professionalisation of TVET. Education International member organizations have clear specific demands: Fair salaries and secure employment, sustainable public investment, stronger professionalism and greater recognition of TVET.

This means ensuring pay parity with other teachers as well as competitive salaries that attract and retain qualified professionals. Secure and permanent employment and strong collective bargaining rights must be ensured. This can be achieved by an increase in public funding used to guarantee better infrastructure and facilities, modern equipment and technology and a significantly reduced dependence on privatisation and outsourcing. Governments must challenge outdated perceptions of vocational education and give greater Recognition of TVET to elevate the status of TVET teachers and learners.

Conor Siryj from AEU, Australia stressed the need for governments to understand that it's only in cooperation with the teachers that are doing the work, and by listening to the teachers that they can get all of these economic objectives achieved. “They need to respect these institutions as central to their communities and finally start treating them as the professionals that they are”, concluded Siryj.

To get rid of the policy contradiction, governments must recognise teaching expertise alongside industry experience and the TVET as a central part of public education systems. This recognition means ensuring the conditions for high-quality initial teacher education, accessible continuous professional development, and professional autonomy.

Gavin Moodie from OISE, Canada emphasized the fact that TVET professionals are dual professionals. “They're professionals in their own area of practice, and there are also professionals in pedagogy, in curriculum, in evaluation of students’ progress and both aspects of. Maintaining, developing and extending expertise are important,” added Moodie.

As David Edwards establishes in the foreword of the report “The choice facing governments is straightforward: they can continue to ask more of TVET while investing less in the people who sustain it, or they can build the conditions that allow educators and learners to thrive together. The evidence presented in the report points firmly in one direction. A stronger TVET sector requires stronger public investment, stronger professional support, and a stronger commitment to the educators whose work turns policy aspirations into real opportunities for learners and communities.”

The full report can be downloaded by clicking here.