Effective Education for Employment- A Global Perspective

May 2008 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective By James Playfoot Director of Strategy & Ideas White Loop Ross Hall Director of International Edexcel

Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 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 4 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 5

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. 6 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

Executive summary Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 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. 6 in 10 employees • Second, we seek to begin the process of addressing these believe their challenges. academic and Consequently, this report represents a contribution to the debate and a professional starting point for further discussion and action. qualifications The basis of our findings is an integrated research project that has been prepared them for running for over six months. Our geographical focus is on five of the world’s fastest growing economies: Brazil, China, India, South Africa and work United Arab Emirates. This work is supported by significant engagement within the UK and informal discussions with individuals in 25 other Source: Edexcel Research 2008 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 We will need addressed, it is difficult to briefly summarise our findings. However, it is better people in clear that there are key challenges around the following five areas: 10 years time; this • Increasing the quality, relevance, status and accessibility of professional education. will be about the • Creating stronger connections between business, education and demands of the government as a means of improving education design and delivery. market place • Developing better methods of assessing the quality of professional education provision and linking this to an internationally recognised Employer, Brazil 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). 8 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

Figure 1: Effective professional education: global challenges and possible solutions Economic Maximising Economic / policy impact educational cycle Workforce Education Education Assessment Progression requirements design delivery Globalising Employer Quality & Quality of Learning not Recruitment Low status of economy voice needs relevance of teaching assessed processes fail vocational amplifying programmes employers education Skills race No collective Assessment responsibility methods Difficulty in Programmes In-work Best practice ineffective defining not connected progression not shared / Pace of required not effective celebrated change Quality qualities assurance Teach people Inadequate standards to learn certification Learners Need to scale Increasing lacking misinformed up best competition practise Educate Learning not portable benchmarked Ineffective Increasing qualities more across in-work mobility Issues effectively borders education Increasing Educate expectations behaviours more effectively Poverty Improve basic education in schools Transform university education Develop Ideal Develop Revive & Instigate an New tools to Profile global Employee positive incentivise international empower education concept company apprentice- quality system learners successes cultures ships for towards more widely professional understanding Businesses to education employer take wider Build Teach Set up an needs responsibility relationship managers Institute of New methods for supporting between to become International for assessing skills issues business & educators & Professional strengths & within their educators incentivise this Education weaknesses industry of current staff Embed Govts. to Government teaching of legislate for funded portable business campaign to qualities into involvement tackle education in education negative Ideas perceptions of professional Redefine & Transform education communicate approaches definition of to teaching basic skills Expose teachers to Create business general skills environment curriculum & train them focussed on better ability to learn Instigate Code of Conduct for educators Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 9

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 interview Employee, India 10 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

Chapter 1: Our approach Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 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. 12 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 research The 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 series To 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 project To 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 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 13

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. 14 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

Chapter 2: Context – the high level issues Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 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 Figure 2: Global context the business 1 3 2 models they adopt Economic/ Where are Educational policy factors we now factors in response to ongoing global Global skills race change, the war for talent remains a key Globalising economy concern among CEOs worldwide, ranking second Unprecedented rates of only to a potential change Disconnect economic between industry downturn as the demand and DISCONNECT Education Shortage of Increasing education systems people with biggest threat to competition design struggling to the skills that meet industry industry business growth. Not enough needs needs businesses taking Employer, Brazil education Individuals role are increasingly mobile Poverty Individuals have increasingly high expectations 16 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 Only 50% of experience economy, require a workforce that has flexibility and creativity at its heart. employers provide learning • The demand for talented people has never been higher, and the opportunities for individuals and businesses never greater. & development certification which 1.2 Global skills race demonstrates levels • Many countries are involved in a ‘global skills race’ that will of competence determine economic fortunes in the foreseeable future and this race is intensifying. Source: Edexcel Research 2008 • 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. 2 in 10 current • Economic growth rates in China, India and Brazil are outstripping those of established economies by two or three times, creating employees significant challenges for education systems in these countries. acknowledge that their qualifications 1.4 Increasing competition did not prepare • With the intensity and scale of competition increasing rapidly, them for the job industry needs workers who excel in quality service provision, innovation and leadership. they do now • Organisations want to recruit work-ready employees and believe Source: Edexcel Research 2008 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 17

• 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 45% of employees Africa has seen significant economic growth but without this being matched by growth in employment. are receiving limited or very little 1.7 Individuals have increasingly high expectations training from their • Economic growth is funding the expansion of educational employer opportunity. This, in turn, is raising the expectations level amongst learners/employees – they want better jobs and faster progression. Source: Edexcel Research 2008 • 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 Exam assessment delivery of these programmes. continues to • A relationship between course content and the world of work is be the most often lacking, particularly in academic (university) education. popular method • The imperative for employers to articulate what they need is of assessment accepted by all. – 73% learners • Beyond articulating demand, the need for business to engage in the design and delivery of professional education is vital. assessed through examination 2.2 Not enough businesses taking education role Source: Edexcel Research 2008 • 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. 18 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

• 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. Only 3 in 10 • Need to address basic education comes before the requirement to learners expect to develop the ‘higher’ skills required by business and industry. develop portable • Employers and industry are increasingly disillusioned with the quality qualities from and skills of those entering the job market following academic study. their studies – the • Perception of academic study as superior to professional education expectation is persists, particularly amongst learners and potential employees. that these will be developed when in 3. Where we are now work 3.1 Shortage of people with the skills that industry needs Source: Edexcel Research 2008 • 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. Only 6 in 10 • Technical knowledge and an ability to carry out a role remain key requirements. employees are satisfied with • Behaviours and attitudes needed to succeed in a commercial, service-oriented environment are seen as deficient. learning & • ‘Employability’ skills are increasingly on the agenda in the UK/ development they Europe and the US, and will inevitably be more in demand in the received from their global marketplace. employer • There is evidence to support the contention that middle and senior management roles are not being filled by appropriately skilled Source: Edexcel Research 2008 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 19

Chapter 3: Findings – key global issues 20 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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. On the job However, the overall picture of demand and need is remarkably similar learning is the 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 backbone of most the impact education can have on the ability of a workforce to support employers’ training and grow the economy (which we do in chapter 4). programmes. It is Finally, we develop the definition of the ideal 21st century employee in used by 7 in 10 chapter 5 as one mechanism to catalyse change. employers Many good things are already happening, and it will be some time before the impact of policy changes, as well as business-led initiatives, Source: Edexcel Research 2008 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 21

Figure 3: Findings: global issues 1 2 3 4 5 6 Economic Maximising Economic / policy impact educational cycle Workforce Education Education Assessment Progression requirements design delivery Globalising Employer Quality & Quality of Learning not Recruitment Low status of economy voice needs relevance of teaching assessed processes fail vocational amplifying programmes employers education Skills race No collective Assessment responsibility methods Difficulty in Programmes In-work Best practice ineffective defining not connected progression not shared / Pace of required not effective celebrated change Quality qualities assurance Teach people Inadequate standards to learn certification Learners Need to scale Increasing lacking misinformed up best competition practise Educate Learning not portable benchmarked Ineffective Increasing qualities more across in-work mobility Issues effectively borders education Increasing Educate expectations behaviours more effectively Poverty Improve basic education in schools Transform university education • 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. 22 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 Skills gaps exist 2.1 Quality and relevance of programmes needs to improve for both new • Raising the standard, and, in particular, the relevance of course joiners and more content is paramount. experienced staff. • The issue is not, predominantly, one of availability. Many of the Gaps around training and education markets studied are vibrant. However, the leadership, quality and relevance of what the market delivers is inconsistent. teamwork and • Employers are increasingly sceptical of the value of qualifications in teaching individuals how to do a specific job. creativity and • There’s widespread acknowledgement that the pace of change innovation persist in industry is far outstripping the ability of policy or education and continue to systems to react. This means that education programmes are often outdated by the time the student has completed the course. present employers with difficulties • There are instances where courses in new niche areas are not actually available through public institutions. For example, the in training and Managing Director of a hugely successful animation studio in Delhi development explained that there are currently no publicly funded animation courses from which he can recruit. The education system is irrespective of constantly playing catch-up. experience level • Quality and relevance will only increase if there are structures in place to facilitate industry and business involvement in the design of Source: Edexcel Research 2008 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 23

• 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. When we hire, • As globalisation generates opportunities for talented individuals, a demonstrable ability to learn equates with adaptability, another key language and quality valued by employers in the knowledge economy. communication • How you teach people to learn, and how you then assess their skills are basics... ability to do so, are issues that need addressing urgently. and also a 2.4 Need to educate portable qualities more effectively person’s attitude • The issue of portable qualities and their role, now and in the future, and whether he dominated discussions in every country. is going to stay or • 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 not a global context. Some people referred to employability skills and some talked about job-ready skills. Employer, India • 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. 24 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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. Nearly 1 in 2 • The disconnect between what an employer considers a good employers say attitude and what that means to an employee/potential employee is significant. Perhaps this is partly about a lack of consensus between that staff employers and employees around common standards of behaviour, turnover is high but this also has to be seen as a reflection of social issues. Source: Edexcel Research 2008 • 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’ Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 25

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 There is a training improve, the ability and the methods of teachers and trainers needs to be addressed. culture now in • Although there are many examples across the world of great India and in the teachers delivering quality content in dynamic and engaging ways, next ten years it the demand for good teachers that accompanies rapid economic growth and the broadening of access to education is not being met will be very big. and the quality of learning is suffering as a consequence. Training Provider, India • 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 26 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 1 in 4 employers to ensure relevance. admit that it is • Although quality can be high, the impact on the wider education system is negligible as this approach is happening predominantly in difficult to recruit isolation the education and training offered at a corporate level is the right staff often seen as part of a company’s competitive edge. Source: Edexcel Research 2008 • 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 27

• 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 We will need context and in an informal way. Consequently, no assessment of learning is carried out. Although this does not inherently reduce the better people in impact of the learning, assessment provides a vital mechanism for 10 years time; this measurement and grading. will be about the • Even within structured training programmes, learning itself (or rather what has been learnt) is not directly assessed. This relates to demands of the the next point. market place. 4.2 Assessment methods need to improve Employer, Brazil • 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 28 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

• 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 The majority of • As the value and importance of portable qualities increases, employers find it and the workforce becomes ever more mobile, the way in which difficult to assess organisations recruit staff must change. candidates’ soft • One of the principle problems facing many businesses currently is that they find it extremely difficult to assess the level of portable skills and therefore qualities an individual has during recruitment. find it most difficult • This is, in part, down to a paucity of relevant and respected to find candidates qualifications that effectively teach and assess these sorts of with appropriate qualities. leadership skills, • There is also a legacy of out-dated recruitment methodologies. able to multi-task • 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 and with the a clear idea of how to assess this quality at interview. The most right level of common approach to assessing the ability an individual has to work in a team is to ask them directly whether they feel that they commitment to work well in a team. The answer one receives to this question is, the role arguably, of little or no value. Source: Edexcel Research 2008 • 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 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 29

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 30 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 31

Chapter 4: Findings – ideas for positive change 32 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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: Figure 4: Findings: ideas for positive change 1 2 3 4 5 6 Economic Maximising Economic / policy impact educational cycle Workforce Education Education Assessment Progression requirements design delivery Develop Ideal Develop Revive & Instigate an New tools to Profile global Employee positive incentivise international empower education concept company apprentice- quality system learners successes cultures ships for towards more widely professional understanding Businesses to education employer take wider Build Teach Set up an needs responsibility relationship managers Institute of New methods for supporting between to become International for assessing skills issues business & educators & Professional strengths & within their educators incentivise this Education weaknesses industry of current staff Embed Govts. to Government teaching of legislate for funded portable business campaign to qualities into involvement tackle education in education negative Ideas perceptions of professional Redefine & Transform education communicate approaches definition of to teaching basic skills Expose teachers to Create business general skills environment curriculum & train them focussed on better ability to learn Instigate Code of Conduct for educators Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 33

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 programmes By 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 issues Within 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 qualities The 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 work We 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 curriculum While 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 terminology If 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. 34 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 learn If 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 incentivised Apprenticeships 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 staff Mentoring 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 participate Engagement 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 learning Learning 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 environment The 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 educators This 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 35

4. Assessment 4.1 Governments and education providers should instigate an international quality system to assess and grade professional education programmes Raising 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 qualities The 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 impact Across 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 Education Such 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 education The 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. 36 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

Chapter 5: The Ideal Employee Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 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 6 in 10 employers the right time and in the right way (Behaviours) reference a • We call combinations of Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours profile of an ‘Qualities’. ideal employee • We can define a set of Qualities that are relevant to any person, in any job in any industry in any country. when recruiting/ developing staff Source: Edexcel Research 2008 Figure 5: The Ideal Employee Pe e in tim rfo ri orm erf l o p ctica rm ght s a wa ilit s pra t ri y yt Ha gh Skills Behaviour t ab Knowledge Has sufficient relevant understanding 38 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 Defined at an • Critical thinking individual level, few • Relevant knowledge companies formally • Communication skills profile the ideal employee • Cultural sensitivity • Takes responsibility for their work Source: Edexcel Research 2008 • 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 39

Chapter 6: Country report – China 40 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 Work attitude is enterprise have created many pressing challenges, among them a most important for growing need for a better skilled, more flexible workforce. junior workers. Beyond the requirements of a booming manufacturing sector and construction industry President Hu Jintao stated in 2006 that he wanted Employer, China 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 41

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 teaching There is currently a vast process of modernisation happening across In general, we China. This is being driven by business and industry and can be seen first hand by considering the huge infrastructure projects being are stressing undertaken to support the blossoming economy. However, modernisation this concept has been slow to reach the education system. ‘Traditional’ teaching methods – didactic, classroom-based learning – predominate. This style “the Company of learning is described as a cultural issue and pervades throughout the cares and loves education system. When it comes to the teaching of vocational content, the requirement for practical or experiential learning is even more her employees acute. Yet in some cases, although facilities for this type of teaching are available, traditional methods still hold sway. This approach impacts at and employees, every level, with a common complaint amongst employers being that in turn, love new recruits do not have the ability to apply the knowledge they have learnt in the classroom. Classroom-based learning by rote also provides the Company.” fewer opportunities for developing soft skills and creativity. This is culture Paucity of experiential learning opportunities construction. Connected to the previous point, there is recognition amongst employers and training providers that in order to create value from Employer, China 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 character The dawning of a new economic and industrial age in China has brought with it significant change in terms of the expectations and 42 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 recruitment The employees The imperative for businesses to identify the skills they need and then should hold quickly find those skills in the market has never been more acute. However, there are indications that the capacity of HR departments to affection for the successfully recruit the right people is questionable. Current recruitment company so that methods are considered outdated and those recruiting are commonly described as not sufficiently skilled to identify appropriate candidates. both develop. Furthermore, there is an increasing trend towards outsourcing HR/ recruitment facilities, particularly in larger organisations. While this Employer, China 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 voice The 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 43

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 [We look for qualifications. Having referred above to the disproportionate value candidates who placed on academic study, beyond that there is a perception, particularly amongst learners and employees, that obtaining certificates is the are] physically primary reason to undertake any kind of educational endeavour. fit and [have] That ‘the certificate is the point’, rather than the skills, knowledge or behaviours learnt, is a flawed ideology that permeates throughout the good learning education system. However, employers are, unsurprisingly, beginning to challenge this. Having seen the mismatch between certificated skills. And [are] educational achievement and the ability of candidates to actually do a conscientious. job, the perception of value amongst employers towards the certificates individuals hold is actually dropping. While the perceived value of a Employer, China 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 direction Perhaps 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. 44 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 Interpersonal communication skills, expression Conclusions skills and working The growth of China’s economy is creating an unprecedented demand attitude are only for skilled workers. The challenges facing education and industry are vast. Economic growth has not, thus far, been stifled by an education revealed at work. system that’s failing to meet its demands. While it is attracting record levels of foreign investment, and global corporations are bringing their Employer, China 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 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 45

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 46 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

Chapter 7: Country report – India Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 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 The company opportunities with fears that India could be witnessing jobless growth. gave me the Addressing vocational education is seen as one way to stimulate job opportunity to creation, as well as being a mechanism to meet current skill demands. prove myself for It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for an education system – particularly in a country as large and as diverse as India – to respond six or seven days. to these challenges quickly and in the right ways. The education system They found that I as a whole is struggling to address significant issues around basic skills as well as dealing with the challenge of moving a predominantly rural was hardworking workforce from agricultural to industrial activities. A report in 2006 by the World Bank stated that while the number of individuals with some and my mind was education had risen over the preceding five years, overall educational good and that is attainment remained low in comparison with other countries. what they wanted In further and higher education – where the focus is more specifically on educating for employment – some change is taking place but it is so they recruited slow and, as a consequence, business and industry increasingly operates me. in a parallel universe to education, assuming responsibility for the development and upskilling of their workforce completely outside of the Employee, India 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 48 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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: On the job • 15% of school time aims to develop language and communication [training] is best skills. because you • 15% is spent on a General Foundation Course covering learn more. entrepreneurship, ICT, environmental education, rural development and health and physical education. Employee, India • 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 The biggest five years before and, crucially, tells the story of a system with significant additional capacity – only 68% of available apprenticeships were taken challenge we face up in 2004. is that there’s no India has a strong history of positive policies and activity around talent – the talent vocational education. pool is really dry. 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. Employer, India India: key emerging themes The following themes reflect the principle areas of focus during the provocation meetings and accompanying research. ‘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 women Women are playing an increasingly vital role in meeting the skill demands of business and industry in India. They are also seen as being Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 49

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 Over a third of that are lacking in many entering the job market. learners in India The nature, quality and value of certificated training/education Much of the education, particularly vocational education, is deemed too have no contact theoretical with not enough of a link or connection to the workplace. with employers Therefore, employers are sometimes suspicious of the value of a particular qualification as it may not be a good measure of whether during their studies the individual can do the job. There are also issues around specialised qualifications – within areas like gaming or animation there are currently Source: Edexcel Research 2008 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 values The 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. 50 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 these The 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 managers The rapid expansion in number and size of businesses across India has led to an increase in demand for management level individuals. Often The ability to work individuals who may previously have taken 10 years or more to progress in a team was in an organisation to the level of middle or senior management now reach that point within a much shorter timeframe. Therefore, managers highest ranked are now younger than ever and, as a consequence, often lack the amongst Indian experience necessary to deal with complex situations appropriately. employers as the characteristic that The Ideal Indian Employee they will need to develop in their • Someone who sets a high benchmark for themselves; a person with high aspirations employees over • Ownership of a role, sense of responsibility for oneself the next five and others year. It was also • Someone with the right applicable domain identified as one of knowledge the hardest skills • Able to handle information and extract meaning/ to identify when make decisions on the basis of information they are given recruiting new staff • Someone who has the desire to learn – ‘yearning to Source: Edexcel Research 2008 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 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 51

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 It’s very important challenges remain – policy change has been slow to materialise; there needs to be greater deregulation of the provision of further and higher for me as an education; and all key stakeholders need to embrace new teaching employer to find methods, new curriculums and new models of development and delivery. candidates who In light of this, businesses have to play a far greater role than ever before in the education of their workforces. have learnt how to This has had some significant benefits – the quality and relevance of this learn. ‘in-house’ training is considered to be very high and in some niche areas is providing Indian companies with a perceptible edge. Employer, India 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. 52 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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. It is necessary The notion of an individual studying a specific curriculum in order to become qualified for one particular role is now largely obsolete. New to get inside the rules of employment require new ways of learning. Furthermore, the need to discover better ways of developing soft skills is clear. company ethos, Increasing the level of engagement between business and education understand will go some way towards this but more needs to be done. Beyond the system and that, the way in which the effectiveness of learning is measured needs to be addressed. There is a growing demand for new diagnostic tools design training that allow educators to understand how successful their teaching is, accordingly. It is particularly in relation to the development of soft skills. also imperative to get agreement from managers that training is important. Training Provider, India Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 53

Chapter 8: Country report – South Africa 54 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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. Around 80% of There is also huge contrast in the make-up of the population: there are employees think 11 officially recognised languages, a mix of religious and tribal beliefs it’s important and the most ethnically diverse population in Africa. to be able to The ending of apartheid and the emergence of democratic rule have show evidence of created significant opportunity for many South Africans – the right of all to a good education and the chance to compete for jobs have inevitably learning (i.e. a transformed the employment landscape. However, apartheid has left a certificate) significant legacy in terms of the attitude and self-belief that many black South Africans bring to the workplace. Source: Edexcel Research 2008 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 55

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. Obviously you need the softer Key emerging themes skills to keep your The following themes reflect the principle areas of focus during the team together, provocation meetings and accompanying research. keep them happy, Quality of raw materials In considering the success or otherwise of vocational education so that you can programmes (by which we are predominantly referring to higher, generate cash. further or tertiary study), the importance of primary and secondary education cannot be underestimated, particularly in a country with the Employee, RSA 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 diversity The 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 behaviours At 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 56 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 responsibility On 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: The difference 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? between a This also connects to the issue of self-worth and entitlement. Many successful entrants into the job market lack the confidence to take responsibility candidate and and to put themselves forward. an unsuccessful 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 candidate is the themselves professionally. type of training This represents, in part, a negative legacy from the many years of the individual has apartheid rule but also reflects some of the cultural values some individuals bring to the workplace from their upbringing. Creative undertaken during ways need to be found to address these issues so that, over time, they their career path. dissipate. Discipline and trust Employer, RSA 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 quality One 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 57

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 infrastructure The 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 As a manager and to refocus their work. you should have a The structures are fundamentally in place: the SETAs (which are accredited by SAQA) are viewed as valuable mechanisms by which fairly clear idea of sectors can identify skills needs, develop and implement strategy and what is required disburse funding. Some are seen as more effective than others but generally they are viewed as positive. Employer, RSA 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 58 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

• 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’ I think employers • Someone who embraces technology have the • Passion and enthusiasm – ‘Come with a passion and perception that I’ll teach you the skills’ they can’t change • ‘I want to be here’ rather than ‘I have to be here’ attitude so they • Strong work ethic – desire to progress and succeed would rather have someone come in that has the right attitude than try Conclusions to change that 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 attitude. encompassed in the drive towards better educating its people. Employer, RSA 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 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 59

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 ...who is doing the is to be realised, the primary and secondary education system has to training, how do 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 they train, do they 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 have the ability and the methods of teaching. to train, are they Considering the need for greater emphasis on soft skills – passionate about communication, leadership, critical thinking, confidence – it is perhaps at school that teaching these skills and attributes should begin. what they’re doing? Employer, RSA 60 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

Chapter 9: Country report – Brazil Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 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 It is much better the Brazilian Government. The science and technology sector is also a to motivate, key strength and is attracting record foreign investment. promote and The size of the workforce was estimated to be around 100 million in 2006, with unemployment running at just below 10%. Set against this develop existing are estimates that there remain around 30% of the population living employees. A below the poverty line. motivated worker There also remain significant issues around primary and secondary education. This inevitably impacts on the success and efficacy of tertiary will perform better. education and the subsequent feed of talent into the labour market. The economy has seen rapid growth in the demand for jobs but the Employer, Brazil 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. 62 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 It’s very important and Maintenance; Informatics. for me as an Augementing the work of SENAC is the Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial or SENAI, which translates as the National employer to find Service of Industrial Learning. This operates as a network of not-for- candidates who profit secondary level professional schools established and maintained by the Brazilian Confederation of Industry. SENAI provides formal have learnt how to training for specialized workers for the industry, in the areas of chemistry, learn. 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 Employer Brazi 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 63

Key emerging themes: Brazil The following themes reflect the principle areas of focus during the provocation meetings and accompanying research. 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 It is easy to standards of quality assurance. determine what This creates confusion in the education marketplace, for both employers and learners, as to the relative value of providers and content. Having we are looking for a significant proportion of the young population engaged in tertiary in candidates, the education is certainly a good starting point. However, without improving quality, the positive impact of mass participation will be negated. hard thing is to Standards of primary and secondary education find the right ones. The teaching of basic skills at primary and secondary level is still a prominent challenge in Brazil. Although investment in infrastructure Employer, Brazil 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 64 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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. Everyone says Greater relevance in university education Much of the expansion that’s taken place within the Brazilian education they’re very keen! system has happened within higher level academic study. The enthusiasm for privately funded universities reflects the esteem in which Employer, Brazil 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 65

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 If you have the • Spiritual (not religious) – relating to their contribution right experience to the greater good – within the company, within their but not the right community and beyond personality it is This provides an interesting holistic model for valuing and assessing knowledge, skills and behaviours. no good. When problems arise you will need to Low self-esteem There is another problem that relates to the issue of attitude, or could be ready to deal perhaps be seen as a cause. Low self-esteem is endemic amongst young with those. It’s a people. The reasons for this are complex and not easily defined. There is increasingly a significant divide between rich and poor in Brazil. While matter of attitude. on the one hand the lifestyle and achievements of Brazil’s economic winners could be seen as inspirational, and probably is to some, there Employee, Brazil 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 learning The 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. 66 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 It is important for the Government and for businesses in Brazil. to be given a certificate for your The Ideal Brazilian Employee training. A guy • Adaptable with a certificate is looked at • Able to apply their knowledge in a real work situation differently from • Problem solving ability one without • Communication skills a certificate. • Pride in their work • Self-esteem to support progression Employee, Brazil • 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’ Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 67

• 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 68 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 69

Chapter 10: Country report – United Arab Emirates 70 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 We no longer workforce is as strong here as anywhere on the planet. look for hardcore The population of UAE is almost unique in its make-up: only a fifth of experience in residents living permanently in the seven emirates are native Emiratis. The other 80% are immigrants drawn from across the globe, many from people... a fresh India and South Asia. UAE also has the highest gender imbalance in the graduate, if we world, with more than twice the number of males to females. feel they have Until recently, there were comparatively few formal education institutions and little in the way of vocational education programmes. Political good team influence over the education of the workforce was minimal. The working skills and 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 the confidence for skilled workers. However, changes in the global economy and a realisation of the long-term weaknesses of relying on the importation of to handle the skills are driving new thinking. position we will Furthermore, UAE currently has high levels of unemployment amongst take them on. 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 Employer, UAE 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, Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 71

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’. Think about the individual’s While the scale of these initiatives is currently very small, the clearly articulated objectives of both organisations demonstrates the awareness attitude rather amongst education policy makers across the UAE that vocational education has to be addressed if long-term economic growth is to be than the skill sustained and societal issues around employment are to be addressed. and qualification because we feel Key emerging themes that if the person The following themes reflect the principle areas of focus during the has the right provocation meetings and accompanying research. attitude and right Lack of strategy and infrastructure fit competency There is a perception that the governing institutions in UAE are not delivering an effective policy-driven programme to help develop wise, you’ve got a 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 good opportunity systems but there is little connection or collaboration between the two. of creating what 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 you need from are felt within business and society at large. that employee. Too much theory, not enough practice There is a fundamental problem with the level of ability of recent Employer, UAE 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. 72 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 I do receive towards a parallel system whereby those who can’t access high-quality corporate education are left with the ill-regarded public alternative and training, yes, but it are consequently sidelined for better employment opportunities. is not on the soft Business goes it alone skills, it is on the On the one hand, the efforts of business and industry in UAE to bear responsibility for training the workforce should be applauded, and, hard skills. arguably, supported. Even if the focus for many companies is restricted to ‘educating their own’, the net impact on the skills pool is undoubtedly Employee, UAE 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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 73

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 You can only is saturated by small providers who will claim to deliver effective and develop people successful programmes but often fail to live up to their sales talk. if you can retain Without a clear framework to work to, many contracts are awarded purely on the strength of the sell rather than any demonstrable quality. them. At the upper end of the scale, the importation of higher and further education does bring with it a certain stamp of quality assurance Employer, UAE 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. 74 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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. Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 75

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. 76 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

Appendix: Participants in provocation meetings Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 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 78 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

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 Jim Playfoot, Director of Strategy & Ideas, White Loop 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 Jim Playfoot, Director of Strategy & Ideas, White Loop Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 79

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 Jim Playfoot, Director of Strategy & Ideas, White Loop ....................................................... Meeting 5 South Africa, 21st February 2008, Grace Hotel, Johannesburg Chairs: Henry Playfoot, Managing Director, White Loop Jim Playfoot, Director of Strategy & Ideas, 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 80 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

Meeting 6 Brazil, 13th March 2008, Paulista Plaza Hotel, Sao Paulo Chairs: Jim Playfoot, Director Ideas & Strategy, White Loop Henry Playfoot, Managing Director, 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 7 UK, Friday 28th March, Work Foundation, London Chairs: Jim Playfoot, Director Ideas & Strategy, White Loop Henry Playfoot, Managing Director, 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 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective 81

Harry Rich, Chief Executive, Mark Your Mark Ross Hall, Head, Edexcel International Claire Stewart, Marketing Manager, Edexcel International 82 Effective Education for Employment: A Global Perspective

Project partners The 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 editors Henry 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

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