VET System of the G20 emerging economies
Ji Hee Choi, Mi-Souk Kim, Yun Hee Park, Ki-Rak Ryu, Young Hyun Lee
The rise of the G20 grouping launched in 2009 shows the power of the emerging economies around the world, and in particular that of those within the G20. The so-called BRICs, namely Brazil, Russia, India and China, and countries such as Turkey, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and South Africa are all members of the G20.
This study is a follow-up to 'The VET Institutions of the G20 Member Countries: Best Practices in Selected Countries'. The present study focuses on the vocational education and training system of five emerging economies within the G20, which are India, the Russian Federation, Turkey, Brazil and South Africa. These countries have been selected based upon their geographic location, importance within the regional economy, and their cultural and religious diversity. These five countries represent different stages of development and face diverse issues.
This study consists of five case studies, each of which describes the VET system of one of these emerging economies. Meanwhile, the results of the study, discussions of common issues, and suggestions for future development are addressed in the final chapter.
Each case study consists of the following. First, a review of the socio-economic background of each country, which serves as the background to the VET system, is analyzed at length.
Second, the major features of each VET system are examined. These include the governance system (i,e, financial and administrative system), the delivery system (i.e. VET institutions), and other key ingredients of the VET such as social partnerships, qualification systems, quality of teachers, curriculum development, and career guidance. Third, the major issues each country faces with respect to building a national VET system and other human resource issues that are crucial to the sustainable growth of these countries are analyzed.
The major features and VET-related issues faced by each of these 5 emerging economies can
be summarized as follows. Boasting the 2nd largest population in the world, India enjoys an abundance of human resources. However, the quality of this labor force characterized by a low literacy rate remains low. India needs to increase investment in VET nationally, and to build up a VET system that can grow human resources that meet the needs of the labor market. Russia is a country which had already developed a reasonably successful VET system during the Soviet era. Now, it needs a new VET system that can cultivate the manpower required in a changed world. However, amidst the rapid changes taking place in all areas of society, the country faces difficulties with regards to the utilization of the labor force trained under the old system, and efforts to update the VET system to cultivate the manpower needed in today's labor market.
Turkey's labor force is relatively young and it has a high rate of participation in the VET.
However, a high proportion of the labor force in Turkey is working in the agriculture sector and female participation in the labor force remains very low. Turkey is in the process of modernizing its VET system. A significant regional gap is evident in terms of the quality of education provided. Bridging this gap and achieving balanced growth between regions constitutes an important issue in Turkey. For its part, Brazil is a country that experienced industrialization at a much earlier point than most emerging countries. Brazil has developed the famous S-system to build the skilled labor force. While the S-system has taken quite an important role in the process of industralization, it now suffers from quality problems caused by the private nature of the S-system's administration.
In this regard, the S-system needs to be improved and the government needs to make an effort to develop a centrally administered quality assurance system. South Africa suffered from segregationist policies and 'Apartheid' during the 1970's and 1980's. It cleaned up thess practices in the late 90s and now everyone in SA has a legal access to education. While South Africa has a fairly developed VET system, racial conflicts continue to hinder the development of manpower. AIDS is another factor threatening human resource development.
The common issues these emerging economies are facing can be summarized as follows.
First, these countries suffer from the gap between the demands of the labor market created by rapid economic growth and the quality of the labor being supplied. These countries need reforms to take place within the skill formation system if they are to catch up with the demands of the labor markets. However, often financial shortages also stand in the way of efforts to modernize these countries' VET systems. In addition, the growing popularity of general education vis-a-vis vocational education and the increasing tendency to receive higher education has emerged as another factor that has mitigated the development of VET in these countries.
Finally, this study suggests the future direction of VET development for these countries based on the results of the case studies and their analysis. First, these countries need to continuously update their VET system. Second, regional cooperation constitutes an important element of any such efforts. Third, this study suggests cooperation in the field of VET among emerging economies around the world. In its capacity as one of the leading emerging economies within the G20, Korea has the potential to take the lead in this cooperation process.
