1. Sherry Farzami Project 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 that addresses the challenges of globalisation and the demand for skills in a global economy by creating link between education and industry.
SfE is a British Council cultural relations programme which focuses on
Skills development and increasing the employability of young people by
encouraging closer links between education and industry.
Large-scale - budget, geographical engagement, more integrated
Long-term
Initiated 2008
Builds on successful regional VET projects in Central and Southern Asia, South East Europe and Middle East

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
Supporting education and training systems preparing people for work and skilled jobs
Works with Ministries and agencies responsible for skills and enterprise development
Focuses on training delivered in vocational schools, colleges, technical institutes, universities and the workplace
Focuses on continuing professional development
Engages industry and employers in skills training
Addresses themes of skills gaps needs, labour mobility, enterprise, standards and innovation in training

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
* Build strong relationships with industry and employers, governments and training providers across a number of regions
* Facilitate the exchange of knowledge, good practice and expertise; and identifies synergies between participating countries and regions and the UK, with a view to supporting the educational reform agendas of participating countries and regions and the UK.
* Strengthen the quality of intelligence which stakeholders, customers and partners have access to
* Build standards and increase awareness of new markets and working together to examine and apply innovative approaches to skills reform

6. How Skills for Employability is delivered
Policy dialogue
Institutional partnerships
Enterprise Award/ Challenge
Professional networks
English for the world of the work
1.Policy Dialogue –
We provide a combination of workshops, seminars, conferences and training programmes for policy makers and practitioners that will facilitate the exchange of good practice and raise the profile of TVET. It will address themes such as engaging industry and employers in keeping education and training systems up to date with changes in technology; identifying skills gaps and needs
2-Institutional Partnership – grant funded institutional partnership project in key sectors between vocational colleges, TVET agencies and industry in the UAE through College Twinning programmes that will aim to build capacity of staff to deliver industry focus curricula, support quality improvement strategies and international student & staff exchange
Example: Pembrokeshire and Sharjah Institute of Technology
3. Enterprise Award/ Challenge - This award/ Challenge will be aim at the emerging young workforce. It will encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, reward excellence and creativity and raise the profile of
TVET amongst young people & employers.
4. Professional networks - Supporting the development of professional
networks and providing members with up to date high-quality information about
vocational education globally with a view to sharing knowledge, ideas, good
practice and experience. The Professional Network is designed to build long-term links between policymakers and educational transformation agencies and to share best practice across Regions and between Regions / the UK and globally in the bigger picture.
The network, which will aim to become a valued global professional network in the field of skills, will have both online ( TVET ARABIA) and face-to-face elements ( Such as advisory group). The professional network will be built from participants in policy dialogue event, institutional partnerships and enterprise programmes, and will draw in advisors, experts and consultants working with together.

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, Nov 2009’
Towards Better Skills Education, Amman, Jordan, December 2009
World Educational Learning and Technology Forum/Moving Young Minds, London, January 2010
BETT Exhibition and Conference Study Tour, London, January 2010
International Employer Engagement Event, Cairo, February 2010
Skills Framework Conference, Cairo, Egypt, 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 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, UK 10-15 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, Egypt February 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. Thank you for your attention!
Further details
Thank you for your attention!