Food and Fibre COVE - new approach to learner pathways

The Food and Fibre CoVE(Centre for Vocational Education Excellence) and the Workforce Development Council - Muka Tangata -   have developed a new skills framework for their sector. Both Muka Tangata and the CoVE supports industries across agriculture, horticulture, seafood and Veterinary services. 

The project's website also provides links to the framwork, the research report (prepared by Kathryn Koopmanschap and Dr. Nicky Murray), and the recommendation paper. 

The framework is informed by an analysis to various international frameworks and alignment with the Aotearoa NZ context. The work arose from the need to recognise the skills many people bring into the industry so that they can fast track through the industry-specific qualifications. 

The framework components include core transferable skills, core technical skills, industry-specific skills and bodies of knowledge. 

All in, a step in the right direction to help provision qualifications that are industry-led, easily understood by industry and learners, flexible, transferable and with the ability to bridge both formal and informal learning. 

Skills framework - summary of Singapore Skills Framework by UK NESTA

 This interesting article on the learnings of NESTA (the UK agency for 'social good) on Singapore's Skills Framework developed by their Skills Future organisation - via Soon Gog Joo's post on LinkedIn. 

The article summarises well, the challenges posed by rapid shifts in how work is constituted, requiring workers to respond to these changes in the job market. The article rationalises the need for skills framworks; defines what skills frameworks as "description of skills, knowledge and competencies required in different jobs"; and most importantly, lays out the application of skills frameworks to:

- support career transitions

- find gaps in career ladders

- measure skill transferability

There are good graphics in the article to help explain the concepts introduced and discussed.

In short, it provides a opportunity for workers, beyond just the normal descriptions of what is required to do work in an occupation (e.g. the information on Careers NZ) towards helping workers to work out how to shift between occupations. What are the common skills and synergies between occupations and where are the gaps to be plugged to enable a shift / change in career path or to move up the career ladder.