GOVET publication: International Perspectives on the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vocational Education and Training

Vocational education and training systems all over the world have been in the grip of COVID-19 since 2020. VET institutions and companies were forced to close temporarily during the initial stages of the outbreak. However, the difficult situation also brought opportunities. Digital didactics and digital learning underwent a leap in development despite the technical, curricular and pedagogical constraints faced by all parties involved. It became ever more important to exchange on the new challenges and experiences.

Following a series of international workshops conducted in 2020/2021, GOVET produced a BIBB publication in which multifarious field reports, analyses and studies on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on vocational education and training were collected. The publication entitled “Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vocational Education and Training: International Perspectives of Policy Makers and Practitioners” contains articles from Costa Rica, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Russia, South Africa and the USA and makes a valuable contribution to the exchange of expertise and knowledge in international VET cooperation. The publication addresses the following main topics:

• Digital competencies of vocational education and training staff, companies and trainees
• Impact of the pandemic on the training system and on the labour market
• Effects on vocational orientation measures and on the development of new formats

28 renowned authors from Costa Rica, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Russia, South Africa and the USA have produced 19 articles providing insights into the status of vocational education and training and into the events surrounding the pandemic in their respective countries. They bring a range of different perspectives, from VET research, state organisations and vocational education and training practice. The result is a publication which maps the diversity of international VET and provides valuable points of reference.

This edited volume builds on a process of networking which GOVET instigated with selected BMBF partner countries and on behalf of the BMBF in 2020 and at the start of 2021. Bilateral workshops were staged virtually with representatives from Costa Rica, Ghana, Italy, Israel, Russia, South Africa and the USA in order to debate challenges, possible solutions and strategies in the respective countries and in Germany. Considerations centred on the effects of the pandemic on the labour and training market, the consequences for young people and the impact on vocational education and (continuing) training. Joint discussions also took place on measures and examples of best practice in digitalisation and in the establishment of digital competencies in order to work together to highlight, to highlight how to overcome the consequences of the pandemic. A number of colleagues from BIBB supported the workshops by supplying expert presentations on current surveys and studies in Germany. 23 different inputs were presented at the bilateral workshops, which involved a total of around 250 participants.

Since the very outset of the pandemic, GOVET has been analysing the status of the pandemic and its impacts on VET systems on an ongoing basis in a number of BMBF partner countries. Six briefings have been published thus far.

The publication “Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vocational Education and Training: International Perspectives of Policy Makers and Practitioners” is available for download in English as an accessible PDF document. Hard copies may be ordered via BIBB’s online shop.