With unmet training needs owing to a large gap in training capacity, Bangladesh faces a shortage in skills supply resulting to low productivity and income. Introducing performance-based financing, the Skills for Employment Investment Project in Bangladesh involved industry associations in priority sectors to ensure large-scale public-private partnerships.

Industry training is funded as an industry-government partnership in New Zealand, with government funding contingent on an industry cash contribution of at least 30 percent. Maintaining this level of industry contribution is a critical test of support for industry training organizations and to maintain government recognition. The industry also provides in-kind support through time and capital.

Private sector resources are essential to the growth and sustainability of quality technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems in the Asia and Pacific region, and not simply about getting more money. Creating the right environment for sustainable financing will help achieve TVET and national policy objectives.

The level of ICT implementation on pedagogical practices vary across countries in the Asia and Pacific region. Hybrid personal learning environments, blended-learning methods, and century-blended learning models are some of the latest trends in technology-enhanced learning. Today’s teachers should invest on professional development to stay ahead in an ICT-based learning environment.

ICT-related developments on technical and vocational education and training (TVET) are increasingly becoming a megatrend in the Asia and Pacific region. Given ICT in TVET’s own share of achievements and challenges, certain conditions must be met to enable successful use as illustrated by the examples featured in this presentation.

Behind Australia’s well-developed vocational education and training (VET) system are the three quality assurance pillars comprising of national standards, national framework for qualifications, and the national VET regulator. Quality principles are also applied at the regional level to improve skills recognition.

Though national quality standards are not in place, the Government of Nepal is committed to raising the bar of quality of its technical schools. Two approaches for consideration entail using an institute approach to quality improvement and adopting quality standards for technical and vocational education and training at selected institutes.

Quality in the context of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) refers to the level of excellence in training delivered by public and private training and assessment providers. With quality assurance defined as a set of activities to ensure that educational services satisfy customer requirements in a systematic and reliable fashion, systems comprising of various elements typically quality assure different aspects of the TVET processes.

Educational and skills challenges constrain the development of human capital in South and Southeast Asia as the region catches up with the rest of the world. The introduction of technical and vocational education and training programs helps prepare new entrants to the workforce by providing quality education and skills development.