Trends and Issues in the Technical and Vocational Education in 10 Indo-Pacific Countries

Timely analysis of trends and issues in TVE can help TVE stakeholders cope with rather than oppose them. Educating in the direction of the trend and resolving the important issues can maximize TVE's chance of success. The purpose of this paper was to identify trends and issues in the TVE in 10 Indo-Pacific countries. To achieve this purpose, a cross-country analysis with a word cloud analysis was employed. Consequently, the following nine trends were identified: (1) Accelerated adaptation to emerging technologies and the evolution of industry; (2) Improving or diversifying TVE accessibility and increasing the enrollment rate; (3) Enhancing alignment between the TVE and higher education sectors; (4) Promoting employment-based, work-based, or competency-based learning models; (5) Strengthening TVE educators'/trainers' practical skills, industrial working experience, or qualification requirements; (6) Gearing TVE with lifelong learning; (7) Encouraging employer or industry involvement in TVE; (8) Enhancing quality assurance and autonomy in the TVE system; and (9) Providing more career counseling or career exploration. In addition, the following six issues were identified: (1) TVE does not have the same positive public image as academic education; (2) Insufficiency of qualified TVE trainers/teachers; (3) Extreme challenges to teach hands-on skills online; (4) Weak involvement of social partners; (5) Fragmentation of TVET management; and (6) The continued lack of a well-constructed qualification framework and quality assurance system.