Identification of new qualifications and competencies in the Asia-Pacific

1 in 6 Asia-Pacific TVET stakeholders participating in the 2019/20 UNESCO-UNEVOC trends mapping survey indicated that their country lacks systems for tracking future skills needs. In all cases, these stakeholders came from the less-developed economies in the region. (UNESCO-UNEVOC 2020)

A 2015 UNESCO study on TVET relevance in the Asia-Pacific found that the main reasons why countries in the region do not regularly conduct skills forecasts or mapping exercises include: a lack of financial or human resources for conducting these exercises; lack of trained staff with relevant knowledge and expertise; weak coordination between ministries and agencies involved in skills needs assessments; poor statistical infrastructure; lack of perceived usefulness of these exercises; and lack of interest or support among policymakers, TVET institutions and other partners. (UNESCO 2016)

A 2021 OECD study focusing on Southeast Asian countries identified similar challenges. It noted that a lack of resources and coordination issues were the main reasons why many countries in the region – in particular, low-and middle-income countries – face challenges in conducting skills assessment and anticipation exercises. It also found that, even when such information is available, governments and social partners often face barriers in using it to (re-)design policies. Key barriers include weak stakeholder coordination mechanisms and weak analytical capacity. (OECD 2021)

Furthermore, across the region there is an acute and systematic shortage of up-to-date data and information on the informal sector, despite the sector’s intrinsic importance for the region’s developing economies. (OECD 2021)

TVET experts from Asia-Pacific countries who responded to the 2021 BILT scoping survey emphasized the importance of engaging all relevant stakeholders – in particular, the private sector – in the development of TVET policies and programmes. Yet when asked which stakeholders play a role in the identification of new qualifications and competencies (NQCs) in TVET in their country, the bulk of respondents mentioned public sector institutions – that is, national-level ministries (in 88% of cases), national regulators (in 81% of cases) and public TVET institutions (in 76% of cases). In only a minority of cases were informal sector institutions, such as micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), named – despite MSMEs being the region’s largest employers. When asked which stakeholders should be more engaged in the identification of NQCs, survey respondents overwhelmingly cited MSMEs along with other private sector and non-governmental institutions, while experts from South East Asia stressed the need for industry bodies such as sector skill councils to be involved in the identification of NQCs. (BILT scoping study of current trends in the Asia-Pacific carried out in 2021)

A number of Asia-Pacific countries have created sector skills councils to engage the private sector alongside other key TVET stakeholders to improve understanding of evolving needs in the labour market and to gain a sectoral-level focus and perspective. Such bodies can be a quick and affordable means of gathering labour market intelligence for countries with limited resources and capacity. The ILO recommends ensuring that there is a balance between larger and smaller firms in the composition of sector skills councils. (ILO 2019)