Sherry Farzami Project Manager- Education

1. Sherry FarzamiProject Manager- Education

2. Welcome • Participants Introduction • Outline of the meeting

3. Why focus on skills?A global debate………. “Economic success is increasingly based on the effective utilisation of intangible assets such as knowledge, skills and innovative potential as the key resource for competitive advantage.” (Economic and Social Research Council) “One of the issues globalisation is raising in almost every country is: what sort of specific skills do people need, what is the balance between specific and general skills? We need to help countries come to their own answers.” (Nick Burnett, Assistant Director General for Education in UNESCO) Skills for Employability is a British Council cultural relations programme thataddresses the challenges of globalisation and the demand for skills in a global economy by creating link between education and industry.

4. Skills for Employability Focuses on • Supporting education and training systems • Working with Ministries and agencies • Training delivered in vocational TVET institutions and the workplace • Continuing professional development • Engaging industry and employers in skills training • Addressing themes of skills gaps needs

5. Skills for Employability Key aims • Building strong relationships with industry and Education • Facilitating the exchange of knowledge , good practice and expertise • Strengthening the quality of intelligence • Building standards and increase awareness of new markets and working together

6. How Skills for Employability is delivered • Policy dialogue • Institutional partnerships • Enterprise Award/ Challenge • Professional networks • English for the world of the work

7. Policy Dialogue • Addressing the core issues of skills education and training reform with Ministries, educational institutions, skills agencies and other relevant organisations • Facilitates the skills gaps through events such as conferences, seminars, workshops, forums, study visits to UK, consultancy • Creating a vehicle to engage with UK VET senior stakeholders • Operates on national, regional and global level

8. Institutional Partnerships Collaboration between UK and overseas FE/HE institutions to foster: • Employer and industry engagement • Professional links • Quality assurance • Leadership development training • Work placements • Student and staff exchanges • Development of materials and curriculum

9. Enterprise Awards/ Challenge • Competitions aimed at young people • Highlighting achievement in enterprise, innovation and technology • Emphasise entrepreneurial and innovative approaches • Tailored to local and regional needs • Established by working in partnership with business sponsors and enterprise agencies.

10. Professional Networks • Building a strong network of UK and international consultants and national TVET Key players • Bringing significant expertise of education system design, development, regulation, solution-building and reform. • Focusing effectively on regional and country reform priorities • Supported through face-to-face networking events and through online communities.

11. English for the World of Work We are currently looking at including English for the World of Work products and services for professional development.

12. Global and national • Identifying and building on synergies between countries and regions • Tailoring the programme to national needs - countries engage with the strands that cohere with their own educational reform agendas

13. Where Skills for Employability is active In selected countries in: • Middle East • Near East and North Africa • South East Europe • Central & South Asia • East Asia • China & Hong Kong

14. Skills for Employability in UAE • Scoping Visit, 2008 • Regional Policy Dialogue events • Policy Dialogue Opportunities in country • Institutional Partnership • Enterprise Challenge

15. Scoping visit UAE Priorities: • Recognition of prior learning (RPL) • Establishing work-based learning and assessment • Occupational Standards • National qualifications frameworks • Access to information on existing quality assurance practices • Employer engagement • Capacity building • Progression routes • English language relating to the world of work

16. Policy Dialogue Events • The Importance of Qualifications Accreditation’s Conference and Exhibition, Bahrain, 16-17 Nov 2009’ • Towards Better Skills Education, Amman, Jordan, 14-15 December 2009 • World Educational Learning and Technology Forum/Moving Young Minds, London, 11-13 January 2010 • BETT Exhibition and Conference Study Tour, London, 10-15 January 2010 • International Employer Engagement Event, Cairo, February 2010 • Skills Framework Conference, Cairo, Egypt, 22-24 March 2009

17. The Importance of Qualifications Accreditation’s Conference & Exhibition, Bahrain, 16-17 Nov 2009’ • Organised by Bahrain Institute of Technology and supported by the Ministry of Labour • Participants from training quality enhancement/reliability and vocational qualification accreditation  and HR managers from Kingdom of Bahrain and UK and Arabian Gulf • Focus on exchange of information, knowledge and experience related to quality accreditation in the UK an GCC countries • Support TVET reforms to enhance/raise the quality of training and the proportion on the accredited qualifications abroad • Enhance the progress in the Region  on education, training and labour market reforming initiative • Link the regional efforts to draft the outline  framework of qualification in the Gulf region

18. Towards Better Skills Education’, Amman, Jordan 14-15 December 2009 • Focus on Quality Assurance in Skills Education • Senior level conference • Opened by Minister of Education and Higher Education in Jordan • 100 participants from countries in the region including Ministry representatives and relevant agencies, quality assurance specialists, educational institutions, NGOs and donor organisations • Facilitated by UK experts in Quality Assurance • Showcase of good international practice, key challenges and potential solutions

19. World Educational Learning and Technology Forum/Moving Young Minds, London, UK, 11-13 January 2010 • Focus on innovation in education • Ministerial level conference • Annual event, includes a major skills component • Coincides with the BETT Show and Exhibition - largest Educational Technology event in the world - 30000+ attendees • Sponsored by UK government and key UK stakeholders • International dimension supported by British Council • 2009 event attended by 35 Ministers

20. BETT Exhibition and Conference Study Tour, London, UK10-15 January 2010 • Focus on innovation in education • Annual event, includes a major skills component • Conference, exhibition, educational institutional visits, networking events • 2009 event attended by 70 British Council sponsored delegates from 14 countries

21. International Employer Engagement Event, Cairo, EgyptFebruary 2010 • Focus on building links between education and employers in the Near East and North Africa • Senior level conference • Participants from countries in the region • Outstanding networking opportunity • Facilitated by UK experts in Employer Engagement • Showcase of good international practice

22. Skills Framework Conference, Cairo, Egypt 22-24 March 2009 • Focus on Skills Framework development • Senior level conference • 150 participants from countries in the region • Wide range of international speakers

23. Further details Thank you for your attention! Sherry.farzami@ae.britishcouncil.org www.britishcouncil.org/skillsforemployability