UNESCO promotes entrepreneurship education in TVET and solutions in the context of COVID-19

Admin (Lebanon)

2021-10-12 Link

The COVID-19 Pandemic has triggered one of the worst job crises, raising the great danger of increasing poverty and widening inequality. Rebuilding a better and more resilient labor market is increasingly important for the future. Entrepreneurship Education (EPE) is always considered one of the main domains in planning to develop and advance the national economy. Over and beyond the pandemic, the opportunities offered by entrepreneurship in boosting employment cannot be ignored.

To better enhance and promote Entrepreneurship Education in TVET systems and institutions widely in the Arab region, the Training of Trainers of Entrepreneurship Education in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Solutions in the Context of COVID-19 and Beyond was conducted from May 30 to Jun 17, 2021 (ten-day training sessions and two-day coaching sessions). The overall training was led by UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States and implemented by Europe Middle East Africa Consultancy OÜ. Eighteen (18) mid to senior-level TVET professionals from various countries in the region (namely, UAE, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, Qatar, Algeria, and Mauritania) participated in the ten-day training sessions.

This training aims to highlight the importance of entrepreneurship skills in TVET, guide the participants through various stages of developing business ideas, and empower TVET principals and managers with skills, knowledge, and the ability to lead whole institutional improvement initiatives. The ten-day training course covers a wide range of aspects of entrepreneurship, including how to identify entrepreneurship concepts, characteristics, business ethics, critical thinking, personal skills, and communication techniques.

The participants were divided into three sub-groups, each with five people, with an assignment of developing an entrepreneurship project with all skills they have learned during the training sessions. At the end of the training, the collaborative training project was conducted to provide step-by-step guidance that TVET institutional leaders, administrators, managers, and teaching personnel can implement at their institutions. The three collaborative groups presented three projects evaluated by all attendees on innovation, team collaboration, and sustainability. The project of “Eco Friendly House Designs” won the best grade over the whole evaluation.

In the overall post-evaluation form, participants generally found the training to be interesting and interactive. The majority of the participants also indicated that their understanding of entrepreneurship had improved significantly based on the self-assessment before and after the training.

UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States works to continuously support the development and enhancement of TVET systems and institutions in the Arab region.