27 October 2021 at 12:06 pm
APAC TVET Forum: Bringing us together
Experts in technical and vocational education will share ideas with leading government and industry figures from across the Asia Pacific region at a new virtual forum next month.
The inaugural Asia Pacific Technical and Vocational Education and Training Forum will be held online on the first two Fridays in November 2021. The event – themed “Bringing us together” – will allow people in the sector to share best practice and foster new connections despite COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The APAC TVET Forum will be opened by New Zealand’s Minister of Education, Chris Hipkins, and will feature an address by the Chief Executive of Te Pūkenga New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, Stephen Town.
The forum is driven by partners Te Pūkenga, Education New Zealand and Skills Consulting Group.
ENZ Chief Executive Grant McPherson says with an increasing emphasis on applied learning and work-ready graduates, the applied vocational sector in Aotearoa New Zealand has much to offer.
“A New Zealand education produces in-demand graduates with the skills and knowledge they need to join the workforce with confidence,” Mr McPherson says.
The APAC TVET Forum will bring together experts from the three sectors vital to effective technical and vocational education – government, industry and education. It will offer government-to-government, business-to-business and system-to-system content streams – bringing people together for a cross-system conversation.
There is no cost to register for forum sessions on 5 and 12 November, and there are networking opportunities and sessions on the days in between.
The international heft will come from speakers including Professor Christina Hong, President of the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong and Marc Gomes, Group Senior Vice President and Head of Training for ADECCO Global.
The Pacific representatives include Dr Isimeli Tagicakiverata, Director of the National Training and Productivity Centre at the Fiji National University, who is presenting on upskilling, reskilling and lifelong learning as part of the system-to-system content stream.
The APAC TVET Forum builds on the strong foundations of the Sino-NZ Vocational Education and Training Model Programme, a forum for sharing best practice that is widely acknowledged as beneficial to both countries. Under this programme, Chinese and New Zealand institutions have taken turns to host the annual New Zealand-China Higher Vocational Education Conference.
China’s Central Institute of Vocational and Technical Education – a China Ministry of Education thinktank – has supported and presented at the previous conferences and will deliver a keynote presentation at the APAC TVET Forum.
Wherever we live in the world, a thriving future is what we all want. Governments, industries and educators are all working together to upskill and reskill workforces disrupted by the pandemic. The APAC TVET Forum is a chance to be part of the solution. To register or find out more, go to www.apactvetforum.com.
