Learning For Jobs in the UAE

1. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Learning For Jobsin the UAE Presenter: Ayman Ramadan The Vocational Education and Development Centre

2. Introduction: How CTE evolved from VET • Vocational education and training (VET) began as a pathway to prepare students for the newly industralised workplace. • VET aims to prepare students and trainees to work in technical occupations and trades. As such, the term " Vocational and Technical Education" (VTE) was used as a synonym to VET. • Recently, the term “ Vocational and Technical” was updated to “ Career and Technical” education (CTE) to offer a flexible system that prepares students for both employment and postsecondary education endeavors. 1

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4. Career Cluster Model: The Core of CTE • In a career cluster, instruction initially begins broad, at the foundation level, so that learners are exposed to an entire industry and how different careers interact and rely on one another. • To contrast, a traditional VTE would offer a "Welding" specific programme. Whereas, a career cluster-oriented CTE program of study would be a "General Metal Skills Engineering" programme, which includes welding , but also covers material properties, use of tools and equipment, machining, fabrication, assembling, routine maintenance, occupational health and safety, time management, process sequencing and prioritising, resource management, team work, customer service, effective communication in the workplace and knowledge of industry quality control process and standards. • Career cluster- training expose students to potential careers, thus increasing the student’s career awareness and readiness to work. Such career awareness is critical to filling the skills gaps. • CTE emphasises on instilling and developing general array of skills: ethical, legal, career development, problem solving, critical and lateral thinking, communication, and using technology. 3

5. Excited by high technology and new inventions. Heavy use and familiarity with communications, media and digital technologies. being “peer-oriented”, and networked due to easy and fast communications. They value acceptance and immediate recognition by the group. However, they often separate if they fail to identify themselves well in their groups. They have a general trend of self-expression and standing out. They are smart, liberals, and love to take shortcuts in life. They prefer flexible and group learning. They appreciate smart classrooms which use computers, multimedia and internet. They prefer building knowledge and skills through applied projects, learning by group discussion, class debates, inquiry and exploration where they can exercise lateral/ critical thinking, leadership and ownership of outcomes. High School Students’ Personality and Preferences Today’s high school students belong to Generation-Y or Generation-Z, and are distinguished by the following characteristics [1][2] : [1] Gen-Y characteristics are extracted from refereed content found on Wikipedia website. Accessed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y [2] Gen-Z characteristics are extracted from refereed content found on Wikipedia website. Accessed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z 4

6. Dropout: The Ultimate Stage Of Disengagement High school dropout has become a serious matter. In the USA alone, nearly 1 in every 3 students who start in G9 fails to complete G12 within 4 years [1] . Finn(1989) suggested two social-psychological “push” and “pull” models which affect the learner’s sense of belonging to the school [2] : 1- The "frustration-self esteem" model and; 2- the "participation-identification" model. Rumberger(2001) proposed two perspectives which are useful to understand students’ decisions to disengage from school [3] : 1- The individual perspective and; 2- The institutional-social perspective. Dropping out of school is the final stage in a cumulative and dynamic process of disengagement ( both socially and academically). [1] Green, J. et al (2005),cited byAssociation for Career and Technical Education (2007) Career and Technical Education’s Role in Dropout Prevention: Issue brief . Accessed at:http://www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/Publications_and_Online_Media/files/Dropouts.pdf [2] Finn,J.D.(1989). Withdrawing from school.Review of Educational Research 59(2), 117-142, cited in Plank, S., DeLuca,S. and Estacion,A.)2008) High School Dropout and the Role of Career and Technical Education: A Survival Analysis of Surviving High School. Sociology of Education, cited by Association for Career and Technical Education (2007) Career and Technical Education’s Role in Dropout Prevention: Issue brief . Accessed at:http://www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/Publications_and_Online_Media/files/Dropouts.pdf [3] Rumberger, R.W. (2001). Why students drop out of school and what can be done. Revised version of paperprepared for the Conference, “Dropouts in America: How severe is the problem? What do we know aboutintervention and prevention?” Harvard University, January 13, 2001.Accessed at http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/dropouts/rumberger.pdf. 5

7. The Drawback of GSE Academic Curriculum on Student Engagement and Dropout • Contemporary GSE curriculum predominantly consists of academic courses of abstract theoretical knowledge content, often taught in isolation. • In an aim to improve students’ academic performance in GSE, more challenging academic content is added to the curriculum without revising teaching methodologies. GSE curriculum lacks integration and relevance to real-world career. • In general, GSE follows the old-fashioned teaching by memorisation, whereby the student remains passive and does not actively participate and interact in the learning process. This acts against the spirit of lateral and critical thinking, which the UAE needs in order to nourish inquisitive minds. • Bridgeland et al [1] found that 81% of students who dropped out said that they lost interest and motivation in learning due to curriculum irrelevance to real-world applications, and that “ real-world learning” may have influenced them to stay in school. [1] Bridgeland,J., Dilulio,J. and Morrison,K.(2006). The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropout. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Can be accessed at: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/united-states/Documents/TheSilentEpidemic3-06FINAL.pdf 6

8. CTE improves Student Engagement Through Contextualised Learning • Plank et al (2008) proposed that he risk of dropping out of high school decreases as CTE courses are added to the curriculum up to a ratio of 1 CTE course for every 2 academic courses [1]. • In another study by Plank [2], it is suggested that a ratio of CTE-to-academic courses of approximately 3:4 was associated with the lowest risk of dropout. • High-risk students are 8-10 times less likely to drop out in the G11 and G12 if they enrol in a CTE programme instead of a GSE programme [3]. • CTE students are more motivated and interested in their study because of its connection to the real-world. As a result, they are less likely to dropout. [1] Plank, S., DeLuca,S. and Estacion,A .)2008) HighSchool Dropout and the Role of Career and Technical Education: A Survival Analysis of Surviving High School. Sociology of Education, Vol. 81, No. 4, 345-370.Accessed at: http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/1/0/7/2/p110724_index.html [2] Plank, S.B. (2001). A question of balance: CTE, academic courses, high school persistence, and student achievement. Journal of Vocational Education Research, 26(3), 279-327.cited in Plank et al (ibid). [3] Kulik(1998). Curriculum Tracks and High School Vocational Studies. University of Mitchigan, cited in Association for Career and Technical Education issue sheet: Career and Technical Education’s Role in Dropout Prevention. Accessed at: http://www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/Events/files/Issue_sheet_dropout.pdf 7

9. The Academic Performance of High School Students The academic performance of high school students in math and science was found at medium to low ratings in general according to the OECD Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) studies [1] . PISA studies are conducted on samples of15 yrs old students from OECD and other partner countries. Some key findings of PISA 2003 math proficiency study: 1- Only 4 % of 15-year-olds reached Level 6 of the PISA 2006 math proficiency scale on average across OECD countries. 2- About 75% of OECD students by average can perform at least mathematical tasks at Level 2 (shown above the central line in the graph). 3- 11 % of students in OECD countries are not capable even of Level1 tasks. These students may still be able to perform basic mathematical operations, but were unable to utilise mathematical skills in a given situation, as required by the easiest PISA tasks. In some countries, over 20 % fall in this category. [1] PISA 2003 Report. Accessed at: http://www.oecd.org/document/55/0,3343,en_32252351_32236173_33917303_1_1_1_1,00.htm 8

10. PISA 2003 Math Proficiency ResultsSource: http://www.oecd.org/document/55/0,3343,en_32252351_32236173_33917303_1_1_1_1,00.html 9

11. CTE Improves Math, Science, Literacy Skills and Improves Postsecondary Success • CTE builds and develops Science-Technology-Mathematics (STM) integrated Knowledge Cluster. • A study in the USA has found that students at schools with highly integrated academic and CTE curriculum have higher achievement in reading, mathematics and science than other students with less integrated programmes [1]. • Another study in the USA found that CTE graduates were more likely than their GSE counterparts to obtain a degree or certificate within 2 years, despite the fact that CTE graduates were more likely to be employed while in school [2]. [1] Southern Regional Education Board. “Linking Career/Technical Studies to Broader High School Reform.” , cited in Association for Career and Technical Education ACTE issue ( 2006) : Research demonstrates the value of career and technical education. Accessed at : www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/About_CTE/files/CTEeffects(1).doc [2] Levesque, K et al. (2000)Vocational Education in the United States. National Center for Education Statistics. cited in Association for Career and Technical Education ACTE issue ( 2006) : Research demonstrates the value of career and technical education. Accessed at : www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/About_CTE/files/CTEeffects(1).doc 10

12. CTE improves Student Engagement by Building Positive Relationships • Today’s high school students share a common trait of being “ peer-oriented”. • CTE offers a platform for adult learners to build positive relationship with educators, peers and mentors. • About 24% of US high school students who considered dropping out cited the reason: “ No adult in the school cared about me” [1]. • Career academies: smaller learning communities, have shown to reduce dropout rates by 34% for high-risk students, when compared with high schools of 1000+ students. [2]. • CTE links students to prospective employers by placing students in internships, apprenticeships or other form of job shadowing. [1]The High School Survey of Student Engagement (2006) Indiana University. Accessed at: http://www.indiana.edu/%7Eceep/hssse/images/HSSSE%20Overview%20Report%20-%202006.pdf [2]. Kemple, J and Snipes, J. ( 2000) Career Academies Impacts on Students' Engagement and Performance in High School .Accessed at: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/41/execsum.html 11

13. Career Academies Outcomes 12

14. Student Repeating and Dropout Statistics for UAE’s Public Secondary Schooling for academic year 2001/2002 Numbers of Enrolment versus Numbers and Percentages of Dropout by Gender Percentages of Repeating Students by Gender and Community Source: Ministry of Education and Youth: 2001-02 Statistics, cited by Zureik, A. (2005) Explaining Anomalies in Educational Attainment. Applied Research in Education Higher Colleges of Technologies. Accessed at : http://www.ucpn.ae/events/events_files/Explaining%20Anomailies%20in%20Ed%20Att.ppt 13

15. Interpretation of UAE High School Student’s Repeating/ Dropout [1] The UAE high school student repeating / dropout can be attributed to several factors [1] : 1- Individual: Low level of self-motivation, frustration of poor achievement and participation. 2- Institutional: Uninviting environment of the classroom and the school generally : inappropriate instructional methodologies, weak relationship between the student and the school community, behavioural problems in school, traditional teaching methods focused on memorisation-learning, old-fashioned teaching aids/resources that are not accepted by young learners who prefer computers, high-tech resources, internet and interactive multimedia, 3- Curriculum-related: Intense and repeating content from year to year, lack of context and relevance to existing careers, courses taught in isolation or low integration, the compulsory offering of science subjects to students in the arts stream. 4- Socio-economic: Some girls get married at young age, therefore quit school, Poor or broken families ( by separation or divorce) encourage children to quit school and get a job, lack of family and community motivation, attraction by the job market, peer group pressure. Repeating rates are higher in urban communities than rural communities due to higher income, more relaxed lifestyles (more tempting) as well as pampering by parents. 5- Gender disparity: In general, girls have higher educational achievement than boys. It is found that girls are more self-motivated to complete secondary schooling aiming at further education. [1] Personal interpretation inspired by useful guidelines by Zureik, A. (2005) What accounts for a school dropout in a society that is economically affluent? The Emirates Economist. Accessed at : http://emirateseconomist.blogspot.com/2005/07/what-accounts-for-school-dropout-in.html 14

16. Interpretation of UAE High School Student’s Repeating/ Dropout [2] A national study carried out in 2003-2004 by the UAE Ministry of Education on public schools shows a combination of factors that contribute to school dropouts [1] :* One-third of the boys who dropped out of high school in 2003-2004 did so because of recurring absence, 27% because of the need to work, and 14% due to parents’ wish.* For female high school dropouts, one-third dropped out because of marriage, 21% in response to the parents’ wish, and another 21 % as a result of repeated absence. [1] Zureik, A. (2005) ibid . 15

17. Recommendations By Dr. Zuriek to Reduce Repeating and Dropout Rates in the UAE I have found the following recommendations in support of implementing and expanding CTE in the UAE[1]: 1- “Improving the school’s environment by making it more of an inviting place for the student.” 2- “Special attention ought to be paid to the curricula by streamlining it and bringing it up to date so that it will be more suitable for a technological world. But this must not be done at the expense of alienating the students from their native environment.” [1] Zureik, A. (2005) ibid . 16

18. Business, Management and Administration. Law Enforcement, Public Safety and Security. Government Services and Public Administration. Environment, Natural Resources and Food. Health Sciences/ Healthcare. Information Technology. Marketing. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Audio/Video Technology and Communications. Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Manufacturing. Architecture and Construction. Finance. Hospitality and Tourism. Education and Training. Transportation, Distribution and Logistics CTE improves the UAE’s Economic Competitiveness CTE Programmes Are Closely Aligned to Existing Career Clusters CTE empowers Emarati students with the employability and vocational skills to become ready for work into the high-demanded occupations classified under the following career clusters ( 16 clusters): 17

19. Career Cluster Model Source: Nebraska Career Education denotes career pathways served by CTE in the UAE 18

20. The UAE’s CTE Fulfils the Employers’ Needs and Caters for Future Occupations • The CTE in the UAE addresses 61 out of the 80 career pathways identified by the previous chart. • CTE framework closes the skill gaps and fulfills the employers’ needs. The CTE training packages can be tailor-made to align to any industry business activity. • The UAE’s CTE programmes are delivered in both the secondary level and the post-secondary ( further education) level. Students can exit CTE to work with opportunities to come back to further their learning ( Stair-casing Model). • The framework of the CTE is flexible to diversify into the rest of the 19 career pathways. • The UAE has the political will and the economic potentials to support and grow the CTE in the 21st Century. 19

21. CTE Builds the UAE’s Technical Competitiveness CTE Offers More Flexibility To Diversify into Future Occupations CTE is more Flexible than GSE to diversify into future occupations sought by high-growth, high-tech and other sustainable industries, such as: • Renewable Energy. • Green Buildings. • Bio-Energy. • Nano Technology. • Bio-Technology. • Tissue Culture. • Genetic Engineering. • Green manufacturing. • Energy Efficiency Systems. • Environmental Systems. • Water Conservation. • Nuclear Energy. • Health Sciences. • Alternative Drive Systems ( Hybrid, Electric, Fuel-Cells). • Robotics and Micro Controllers. 20

22. Simple Benchmarking of the Percentage VTE Enrolments of the Secondary Education(For Levels ISCED 2 and 3, according to UNESCO Statistical Data) 21

23. Source: UNESCO Statistics Centre. Accessed at: http://www.uis.unesco.org 22

24. Interpretation of VTE Enrolment Data [1] • There is no mention of CTE enrolment data as a separate category in the UNESCO statistics ( Probably because CTE is a new transformation of VTE). • The previous statistics are for VTE enrolments as a percentage of the secondary education in ISCED 2 & ISCED 3 levels ( lower secondary and upper secondary ). • In general, most of the VTE programmes are implemented in upper secondary and post secondary levels. Post secondary VTE ( non-tertiary) is not posted by UNESCO statistics. All the listed countries has VTE only in the ISCED3 level and beyond ( except Australia, Mexico, Egypt and Kuwait). • For year 2003/04, the UAE’s VTE percentage enrolment of ISCED3 secondary level was 1.7%, which is compatible with the West/South Asia regional VTE enrolment rate. • Most of the VTE ( or CTE) programmes in the UAE are considered to be post secondary ( non-tertiary). It is expected that the CTE enrolment percentage of post secondary education at least to be within the 5 – 10 % tier, and maybe even more. 23

25. Interpretation of VTE Enrolment Data [2] • The UAE has fared well in VTE enrolments in early 70’s, perhaps due to the high demand of technical trainees to work in the fast-developing oil sector in that era. • Bahrain and Turkey are model Asian countries that have grown their VTE very well. Their ISCED3 VTE enrolment percentages were 48% and 43% respectively. • China, the biggest economy on the globe has initially suffered “prejudice” against manual work, but has changed its attitude during the “globalisation” era. • The first FOUR ranks of VTE enrolment of 2003-04 went to Australia, Belgium, Argentina and Egypt, respectively. Belgium and Australia posted phenomenal ISCED3 VTE enrolment percentages of 78%, and 64%, respectively. • It is observed that Europe posted the highest VTE enrolments as per the regional statistics. • The uneven progress of VTE enrolments with time is due to a combination of social, economic and political reasons. 24

26. Factors Influencing Progress of VTE Programmes • The Social Factors[1] : • The society’s negative attitudes to manual work and occupations. Usually parents discourage their children from joining VTE, driven by perceptions of significant wage differential between holders of university qualifications and those holding VTE qualifications. • Low prestige of VTE since it is conceived as the only choice for the poor and students with low academic achievement who are not eligible to enrol to tertiary education. • The Economic Factors: • VTE is less demanded if the overall level of a country’s development, growth and industrialisation is low [2] . • VTE is less demanded with significantly low unemployment rates [3] . • VTE cannot be sustained without strong school-industry partnerships. Industry must involve in designing the VTE curriculum. Industry experts should participate in VTE delivery as well as the VTE educators must be seconded to industry for term work/training to maintain currency with industrial practices and keep abreast with technical advancements. • The Political Factors: • Many governments are confused about the efficacy of VTE, therefore did not to support it enough. • VTE is costlier than GSE, therefore political decisions to cut expenditure on education systems will affect VTE more than GSE. • The frequent ∩-Turns of international organisations like the World Bank against investing in VTE[4] has deterred educational decision makers away from supporting VTE programmes. [1] Grubb, W.(1985). The Convergence of Educational System and The Role of Vocationalism. Cited by Tilak,J.( 2002).Vocational Education and Training in Asia. The Handbook in Educational Research in Asia Region. Accessed at: http://www.norrag.org/wg/documents/Vocational_technical_educat.doc [2] Psacharopoulos, G. and Loxley, W.( 1985). Diversified Secondary Education and Development. Cited byTilak,J.( 2002). Ibid. [3] Haq, M. and Haq, K.(1998). Human Development in South Asia. Cited byTilak,J.( 2002). Ibid. [4] Bennell, P and Sergerstrom, J.(1998) Vocational Education and Training in Developing Countries: Has the World Bank Got it Right?. Cited byTilak,J.( 2002). Ibid. 25

27. Way Forward with CTE in the UAE ?? • CTE paints a promising future for the UAE and supports the policies to “Emaratise” jobs in many sectors. Hence, the UAE must formulate sound and effective policies and plans to expand, diversify and optimise CTE programmes. • Since both specific and general human capital contribute to the UAE’s economic growth, a balance must be struck by the Government between the size of the GSE and the CTE and investment in both sectors. • It is important to educate both the students before enrolling to the secondary education as well as the society and industry about the advantages of the CTE. We must provide students and their parents with accurate information about career clusters and career pathway options and what it takes to be successful in the workplace. It is crucial to wipe out all negative attitudes and perceptions about CTE/VTE. 26

28. Way Forward with CTE in the UAE ?? • It is important to keep at the core of the CTE the essential employability knowledge and skills that will give learners a leverage to embark employment in a wide range of occupations. This is important in the 21st Century’s rapidly changing economic systems. • CTE must be conceived as a cross-breed education system that enjoys the positive attributes of both the general education and the technical and vocational education. It is also a bridge that links to higher education. Therefore it must be perceived as the pathway of life-long real-world applied learning that suits all age groups and both genders. • CTE will help the UAE to become self-supported by its national skilled manpower. • CTE will enable UAE to develop its technical and economic competitiveness. 26

29. Thank You