The Bridging Innovation and Learning in TVET (BILT) Agenda 2025, launched in December 2021, is building on the partnerships and momentum established during the previous phase of the BILT project from 2019 - 2021. The project, which is implemented by UNESCO-UNEVOC with the support of the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), aims to help TVET systems adapt to the constant and rapid changes taking place in skills demands and work practices. Underlying all the activities of the BILT Agenda is the principle of inclusivity: TVET systems must be accessible to all, irrespective of gender, country of origin or ethnicity, and must support all learners to develop sustainable livelihoods.

The goals of the BILT Agenda for the next four years are ambitious. They aim to not only support networking but to achieve real action and innovation. By putting the spotlight clearly on significant trends in the economy and labour market and examining their implications for new qualifications and competencies (NQCs), the partnerships forged will be in a better position to modernize TVET systems across Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

Themes for 2022–23

In 2022 and 2023, the project will focus on how digitalization and greening affect TVET practice and the NQCs young people and adults require in the transition to a digital and greener world. These themes have been chosen to help TVET providers harness the potential of digital technologies for their own operations but foremost for their learners, because of the urgent global need to adopt more sustainable practices across the economy.

Roadmap of activities

The new phase of the BILT project will be implemented along three lines of work:

• A “bridging line” that serves as a platform for bridging innovation and learning experiences among the members of the TVET community. During the next biennium, the BILT project will stage one event focusing on each of the participating regions — Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific — and one global Learning Forum.

The European conference will be held on 21 and 22 June 2022. This BILT bridging event will provide a platform to discuss trends in new qualifications and competencies in Europe. It will also present emerging trends in Africa and Asia-Pacific, and provide direction for future research and learning opportunities according to the BILT Agenda 2025.

• An “innovation line” that enables TVET experts from various UNEVOC Centres and other institutions to develop knowledge materials related to NQCs, particularly in the areas of digitalization and greening.

The growing database of European, African and Asian Innovation and Learning Practices features examples of current innovations across the five BILT themes: New Qualifications and Competencies, Greening, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Migration.

Work has begun on identifying general and sector-specific trends with regard to NQCs and the dual transition of greening and digitalization from European, African and Asian perspectives. This research is being synthesized and will be launched in the second semester of 2022. In addition, the BILT project will host a series of moderated conversations that foster information exchange about the challenges and solutions the research identifies and help to paint a more complete picture of the trends within and across the three BILT regions.

• A “learning line” that serves to put the results of the “innovation line” into practice.

The BILT Learning Labs series will continue exploring the transferability of selected Innovation and Learning Practices to different country contexts. The most recent Learning Lab was held on 24 March 2022 and featured the Gearbox Makerspace training centre, Kenya.

In 2022, BILT’s priority activity under the “learning line” is the creation of a self-reflection tool (SRT).

The self-reflection tool

The inception of this capacity-building tool began in early 2022 with a design and field-testing phase. The purpose of the tool is to support TVET providers to reflect on their capacity to contribute to the Three Is process:

- identifying new qualifications and competencies in a timely and accurate manner,

- integrating them into appealing and flexible curricula and training regulations, and

- implementing them in innovative training approaches.

While the overall output from this exercise will be an international framework for TVET providers to assess their capacity to contribute to the identification, integration and implementation of new qualifications and competencies, pilot institutions will be able to use the process to create their own strategy and action plan to improve their short- and long-term performance.

• To become involved in the co-development of the SRT, please contact unevoc.bilt(at)unesco.org.

• To stay tuned for updates and receive invitations to BILT events, register here.