81282807-Professional Education for Economic Growth Sectors in Central Asia

Description

Even before the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the region, the socio-economic situation of broad social strata in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan was difficult. Currently, around 12.4 % of the population live below the respective national poverty line. The Central Asian countries are confronted with high unemployment, especially among young people. Despite the national economies' high demand for skilled workers, even young people with completed professional qualifications often fail to find adequate employment. Not only because of the economic impact of the pandemic, but also due to an average population growth of 1.8 % per year, it can be assumed that youth unemployment will present the Central Asian states with growing social and economic challenges in the future. Women will be particularly affected. Since almost 30 % of the workforce in Central Asia is still employed in agriculture, the processing of marketable foodstuffs plays an important role as a growth sector. Alongside textile products, food is one of the product groups with the highest export growth. The need to train qualified specialists is correspondingly high - not only in the field of food processing, but also for the procurement of raw materials, storage, distribution, etc. There is a high demand for the development of know-how in the field of logistics in all Central Asian countries, which extends across agricultural and the entire industrial sector. The technical cooperation measure "Professional Education for Economic Growth Sectors in Central Asia" (PECA), commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, promotes the modernization of professional education in Central Asia. It thereby focuses on the food processing industry and the logistics sector. Working both at the level of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and of higher education (HE), the measures of the Project aim at - the introduction of international quality standards, - improved labour market orientation and integration of the business sector in vocational education and training, - the establishment of dual or cooperative approaches, i.e. the combination of learning within the real work situation and school-based learning, and - regional harmonization of professional education systems in Central Asia. The methodological approach of the Project rests on two pillars: a) the promotion of reforms of the normative regulatory framework for professional education in the partner countries, and b) the development and introduction of employment-effective qualifications at different levels in the areas of food processing and logistics. PECA"s overall objective can be summarized as follows: The capacities of professional education systems in Central Asia to provide qualified specialists and managers for economic growth sectors in the region are improved. To create the necessary legislative basis for a modern professional education system, the responsible ministries in the partner countries are advised on the drafting of corresponding laws, regulations, etc. At the same time, PECA uses cross-border cooperation as a resource to advance the modernization of professional education systems in Central Asia and to ensure their regional compatibility. Concrete experiences gathered at national level, are exchanged and shared for the purpose of mutual learning. PECA also has a strong focus on promoting new employment-effective qualifications. The participating TVET and HE institutions in all four partner countries will receive support on the introduction of several educational programmes in the fields of food technology and logistics. Furthermore, PECA - in close cooperation with professional associations and other industry organizations in the region - will foster the development of demand-oriented short-term qualifications for company personnel. Lot 1: PECA"s project component "Strengthening Education & Training Capacities" promotes the capacity of education & training providers in Central Asia to offer demand-oriented qualifications for the food processing industry (Output 3) and the logistics occupational field (Output 4) at various levels: It aims at the establishment of market-relevant, high-quality TVET and higher education programmes as well at the introduction of short-term in-service trainings for company employees. Within this component, the contractor will be responsible for preparation, implementation and monitoring of four Work Packages (WP): Work Package 1 (WP 1): Development of a distance-learning study course "Master of Vocational Education (M.Ed.)" as an in-service training offer for TVET teachers WP 1 foresees the development of a distance-learning offer for practicing TVET teachers in food technology, which leads to a formal Master of Education"s degree. The distance learning course to be designed is intended to provide in-service teachers at vocational colleges in the field of food engineering/technology with the opportunity to gain further subject-specific and pedagogical competencies and achieve the degree "Master of Vocational Education in Food Technology". The task of the contractor is to consult four pre-selected partner universities in Central Asia on the development of this distance-learning study course "Master of Vocational Education (M.Ed.)". The consultancy includes both technical and organizational aspects of developing and implementing the programme at the given university. One crucial aspect of the consultancy will be the design of the fitting blended-learning format, i.e. the adequate mix of online-based learning and classroom learning. Work Package 2 (WP 2): Development of the cooperative B.Sc. Logistics study programmes at four more partner universities (one each in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) During the previous project phase of PECA, a first group of four Central Asian universities had been supported in introducing a cooperative Bachelor"s study programme "Logistics" with a focus on the food processing industry. Based on an existing generic curriculum, the contractor"s task is to design cooperative Bachelor"s programmes "Logistics" at four more pre-selected universities in Central Asia. Depending on the situation at the given university, such study programmes can be either newly developed or established by revising an existing programme. A crucial building block of WP 2 is cooperation with industry to make sure that the study courses are responsive to market needs. A systematic involvement of the private sector in the development and implementation of each customized study program is to be foreseen. Besides, the design of these cooperative Bachelor"s programmes "Logistics in the Food Industry" are to be carried out, on the one hand, to best fit in with the institutional and national requirements of each university/country and, on the other hand, to ensure that the Bachelor"s programmes still comply with the quality standards of the European Higher Education Area. Work Package 3 (WP 3): Development and introduction of dual TVET programmes in the field of logistics at one selected college each in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan WP 3 aims at developing and implementing dual TVET programmes in logistics at pre-selected vocational colleges in Central Asia. In agreement with the respective college, the TVET programmes shall be established in one of the following fields of logistics: logistics operations, transport operations, freight forwarding, warehousing. Depending on the situation at the given college, such a TVET programme can be either newly developed or established by revising an existing programme. The task of the contractor is to consult the vocational colleges on the development and implementation of dual TVET programmes "Logistics". The consultancy includes both technical and organizational aspects of developing and implementing specific programmes in accordance with the demands of the economy in the respective region, where the given college is located. Systematic involvement of the private sector into the development of respective occupational standards, curriculum development and the implementation of the TVET programmes needs to be foreseen. Work Package 4 (WP 4) Development and introduction of modular further training courses on "green Food technology" and "green logistics" for skilled workers and management staff WP 4 aims at the development and implementation of demand-driven short-term qualifications for employees in the food industry and the logistics sector - with a focus on "green economy" approaches. Such short-term courses (STC) - targeted as in-service trainings at company employees - can be quickly developed and offered in response to specific industry needs. The task of the contractor is to consult pre-selected provider organizations in Central Asia on the development and implementation of the following STCs: - a modular further training course on green technologies in food production and processing for skilled workers in food companies, - a modular further training course on green logistics for managers in the logistics sector. To ensure the demand-orientation of the STCs and their compliance with formal prerequisites of the national professional education systems, stakeholders both from industry and relevant government agencies need to be included in the development process. Furthermore, capacity development to the provider organizations will need to focus on their management and organizational capacities, the provision of necessary teaching capacities to ensure high-quality implementation of the STCs, and, finally, recognition of these short-term qualifications in the national labour markets.