COVID-19: Promoting skills development

Indonesia moves towards online training deliveries

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures have led to the worldwide closure of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, including in Indonesia, threatening the continuity of skills development.

News | Jakarta, Indonesia | 07 September 2020
The survey on TVETs institutions, jointly conducted by the ILO, UNESCO and the World Bank, reveals that nearly 70 percent of the world’s learners are affected by school closures across education levels currently. As a result, distance training has become the most common way of imparting skills, with considerable difficulties regarding, among others, curricula adaptation, trainee and trainer preparedness, connectivity, or assessment and certification processes.

To accelerate the adaption to distance and digital learning of Indonesian TVETs, the ILO in collaboration with the Australian Embassy in Jakarta conducted a series of ten webinars under the theme: “Design and Delivery of Online TVET”. These webinars aimed to support the transition of Indonesian TVETs to online modality and to learn from the experiences of Australia who has successfully incorporated online learning and training into its TVET system.

These series of webinars conclude with feedback from the participants, identifying five follow-up topics that should be further addressed: 1. Development of pedagogy skills for instructors; 2. Policies required for developing and delivering online TVET; 3. Online TVET learning system; 4. Usage of new technologies; and 5. Effective assessment and certification."

Various speakers from the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions across Australia, along with some TVET and digital learning practitioners from Indonesia, shared their expertise and lessons learnt to Indonesian TVETs’ institutions, academia and other relevant Indonesian stakeholders.

These weekly series of webinars were conducted from mid of June to mid of August 2020, reaching out to an average of 200 participants with a balanced participation of women and men from 29 provinces for each webinar. To date, these series of webinars are still attracted the interests of the stakeholders with the YouTube viewership of more than 1,000 viewers per session.

These series of webinars conclude with feedback from the participants, identifying five follow-up topics that should be further addressed: 1. Development of pedagogy skills for instructors; 2. Policies required for developing and delivering online TVET; 3. Online TVET learning system; 4. Usage of new technologies; and 5. Effective assessment and certification.

Ten sessions of the webinars

First session: Online vocational learning system

 
The session presented policies required for developing and delivering online TVET within a country. The session also identified challenges faced and steps to be taken to develop and strengthen the online learning system.

Second session: Traditional versus online TVET programmes


The session discussed about online, blended and offline distance learnings as well as the involvement of industries in the learning process. The session also discussed about the organization of offline learning session that are necessary for practical and psychomotor skills following the health protocol and requirements of occupational safety and health (OSH).

Third session: Guidelines and standards for online TVET providers


The session underscored guidelines and standards for distance learning providers. These included support mechanism for teachers, interaction among students, content composition and facilitation of learning activities.

Fourth session: Setting up an online TVET


The session talked about the basic design of TVET system and its cost requirements. Some solutions were discussed to answers problems faced by most learners such as internet connection and equipment needed.

Fifth session: Design of online TVET courses


The session provided steps for designing and developing effective online learning materials. A variety of steps was presented ranging from analysis of online delivery, preparing students for online session, to the usage of video/audio materials.

Sixth session: Usage of new technologies


The session talked about utilizing new technologies in online TVET course delivery. Video is considered the most popular technology to use for both teachers and students in their teaching-learning process. The session also highlighted the accessibility of courses and learning materials to smart phones.

Seventh session: Development of virtual reality as a tool for online training delivery


The session discussed about the usage of virtual and augmented reality technology. Considering the cost and users’ digital literacy, the session recommended easy-to-use applications such as google street view, google 360 photo sharing etc.

Eight session: Pedagogy skills development for online instructors


The session presented professional development of online TVET instructors, including how to improve pedagogical skills, motivating learners and monitoring learners’ progresses. Three steps were identified to support instructors: improving skills, providing continued support and supporting transition to the new normal.

Ninth session: Assessment of skills through online learning in tourism and hospitality


The session talked about assessment and certification, with a focus on hospitality sector. The session shared the implementation of hybrid/blended learning by involving hospitality industry, practical demonstration and maximizing interactions through video conference.

Tenth session: Addressing digital literacy gaps


The session concluded with addressing digital literacy and accessibility gaps in online TVET. The session highlighted the importance of improved digital literacy for the instructors and learners; and steps to accelerate digital transformation.