Bridge the Skills Gap
Pearson Vocational Training’s Director of Business Development Chris Rowlands shows how to forge the route to economic growth and global competitiveness.
T
he widening skills gap between education and industry is a key challenge facing economies and
businesses today: McKinsey’s recent global report on Education & Employment found that just 43% of employers surveyed could find enough skilled entry-level workers1
Graduates of even the most advanced technical programmes often do not have the skills employers require to do their jobs. This skills misalignment is a major barrier to economic growth and global competitiveness. However, there are ways to
bridge this gap. By working with governments, companies and NGOs across the globe, TQ Education and Training, which is the vocational training delivery arm of Pearson plc, the world’s largest learning company, has helped drive transformation of technical and vocational educational and training (TVET) to ensure better alignment between education and employer. There are three important
foundations to help close this gap:
Engaging with employers when designing training To develop the skills that employers
need, education providers must enter into an enduring dialogue with industry. This dialogue becomes the foundation for building occupational standards,
152 GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY 2014 | ISSUE 01 .
which, if benchmarked against recognised global standards such as OPITO for the Oil and Gas sector, create a platform to build employer-led programmes and a competitive national workforce. Industry needs can change, quickly, so to ensure that national standards both meet these changing
CHRIS ROWLANDS
l Following a degree in Astrophysics from Southampton University, Chris spent his early career as a simulation and training research physicist with
the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. He researched innovative training technologies to improve learning, such as flight simulation and practical training uses for augmented reality. Chris is currently the Director of Business Development at TQ Education and Training, part of Pearson. He is responsible for developing training and education products, services and commercial models suitable for operating technical and vocational training facilities globally.
needs and also provide the best possible framework for industry, they need regular review and adjustment. These frameworks enable
the private and public sector to develop a pipeline of skilled talent, helping to attract foreign investment and propelling economic growth. Pearson supports similar government level developments, through for example our collaborative work with the Libyan Ministry of Labour to establish quality-assured training programmes that will underpin the development of a new vocational education system.
Developing practical skills requires training and assessment in a work-based context, not just
an academic one Would you rather have an engineer who can explain the theory of constructing a bridge or one who can actually build it? 60% of youth today believe on-the-job training is the most effective instructional technique, but less than half of that percentage are enrolled in programmes that prioritise it2
.
To develop the practical skills that employers need in their students, educational institutions need to invest in the right infrastructure, training pedagogy, methods of assessment and, most importantly, a work based environment.
Linking assessment to an accredited qualification, particularly with entry level roles, is critical for growing an economy. In doing so, learners completing the qualification will have clearly demonstrated a level of competence, benchmarked against international standards, proving to employers that they are work ready. A manager from a multinational firm can therefore be confident that their new locally recruited bridge building engineer has the skills and capability required for this safety critical role. For example, we work closely with the British Army to benchmark their technical training against international standards, ensuring that when soldiers leave the Army they are fully qualified to work in industry. The result? An increasingly reliable, high
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