Keywords

1 Introduction

Founded in 1996 in the United Kingdom (UK), Nisai is an early pioneer of online education, using 56 kilobits per second dial-up modems to enable teachers to deliver lessons using virtual classrooms. Things have come a long way over the last 20-plus years, yet there is still a lot of resistance and a lack of understanding when it comes to online learning, as shown in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. It is Nisai’s mission to show that online does not mean lower quality, that online does not mean fewer opportunities, and that online does not mean one cannot access a full and varied curriculum.

Nisai has been working with its international partners to consider the need for formal certification and accreditation in the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector. This has allowed us to study systems currently in place, and to engage in discussions around the need for change in the TVET sector, to see how we can establish changes in our own practices. With the way the world has been affected by the global pandemic, and with many educational institutions having to close during this period of lockdown, the acceptance of online learning has allowed for steps to be taken. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of larger reforms.

2 Educational Disruption

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) concern is that nationwide closures are impacting over 60% of the world’s student population. Several other countries have implemented localized closures, affecting millions of additional learners (UNESCO 2020). UNESCO has been able to track some of this impact, with the peak disruption being shown in April 2020 (see Table 10.1, Figs. 10.1 and 10. 2).

Table 10.1 Learners affected by COVID-19 lockdowns
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Fig. 10.1
An area graph depicts the total learner and the percentage of affected learners from May 2020 to August 2020.

Source Based on figures from UNESCO. Education: From disruption to recovery. https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse. Accessed 2 October 2020

Share of learners affected by COVID-19 (Graphical representation of the percentage of all learners who were affected by school closures due to COVID-19 across preprimary, primary, lower-secondary, and upper-secondary levels of education [ISCED levels 0–3]; as well as at tertiary education levels [ISCED levels 5–8]). COVID-19 = coronavirus disease.

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Fig. 10.2
A line graph depicts the variation in the number of country-wide school closures from May 2020 to August 2020. The line first rises and then falls gradually.

Source Based on figures from UNESCO. Education: From disruption to recovery. https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse. Accessed 2 October 2020

Country-wide school closures due to COVID-19 (Graphical representation of school closures around the world due to COVID-19. COVID-19 =coronavirus disease).

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This same pattern will be reflected for those accessing technical and vocational education and training. We are seeing internationally that these closures are leaving significant skills gaps in international labor markets that will go on to impact the recovery of the economy for many years to come. These educational gaps would not be purely based on technical knowledge, but on development of many skills, including communication, leadership, etc. There have been several studies that look into skills regression throughout the summer break, and this will only be magnified during this extended period of lockdown. The majority of these, such as by speech pathologist Gosling (2012), Blanton (2015), and Oxford Learning (2020), are focused on the impact of this regression within a particular geographical or educational area. However, we need to extend this further to consider global implications of location and societal changes. An innovative approach to training and accreditation now is sure to benefit not only the individual learner, but also the local community and global society.

The numbers in Box 10.1 from Oxford Learning (2020) show what can be expected following a 2-month closure. Considering the impact of COVID-19 will be felt for many more months (see Box 10.1), many schools will have been closed, and further closures may still be put in place, by the time we return for a new academic year. The outcomes would be unthinkable; thus, we need to ensure that a more robust system is in place to prepare for any future disruptions to the provision of education and training.

Box 10.1 Effects of a 2-Month Summer School Closure

  • An equivalent of 1 month of learning is lost after summer vacation.

  • 2.6 months of math skills are lost over the summer.

  • 2 months of reading are lost over the summer.

  • 6 weeks are spent relearning old material in the fall to make up for the summer learning loss.

  • By the end of grade 6, students who have experienced summer learning loss over the years are on average 2 years behind their peers.

  • Two-thirds of the income-based achievement gap is attributed to summer learning loss by the start of high school.

Source Oxford Learning 2020. Summer learning loss and how to prevent it. https://www.oxfordlearning.com/summer-learning-loss-and-how-to-prevent-it/. Accessed 2 October 2020.

These sobering facts highlight the very real problem that the world is currently facing: we have to move the provision to the population, rather than moving the population to the provision.

3 Inclusive Education

It is vital that learners are able to continue their progression and that peers are able to challenge each other to reach the next level of development. Stability and consistency within education and training will help learners understand their own role and what is expected of them, as well as allow them to build confidence in attempting to complete the required activities. Online learning can support this consistency, meaning that even at a distance, our young people are able to continue to grow and develop.

Online learning can help to provide the opportunity for extended study to some students who were not physically able to do this in the past. Some remote areas are limited in their development as there is no expertise within that region yet, no expert who can pass on their knowledge and experience. This means that within a local village, the same skills and trades are passed on from one generation to the next, without further improvement. This could lead to that village being left behind as the world continues to evolve and as further industrial, technological, or educational revolutions take place. By bringing the expert to this area remotely, the skills and passions of each individual can be supported.

Online learning will also allow for the expansion of TVET provision, providing further opportunities and growth for all involved. It also means that the delivery can continue throughout troubled times, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, and this will all ensure that our young people continue to be trained, are ready to enter the workplace, and are not further disadvantaged. Additional skills are also developed during this provision, with learners being responsible for their own progression. They have to be in control of their learning, making sure that they access their online classes, that they are completing work independently, without the teacher watching them do this. Learners are more autonomous and will be better prepared to self-motivate once they enter the workplace. These skills are beneficial to their long-term future, and so we need to look to online learning as a delivery platform that can suit all learners with all needs, not just in response to one crisis for a short period of time.

According to Meresman (2014, p. 8), “Involving parents and the community is an important principle of quality, both in and out of the classroom. It is even more relevant in the case of inclusive education, which is much broader than formal education and should not only take place within the four walls of a classroom…. Schools, by involving parents and the community, tend to establish better reputations in the community.” Working within the community to build this reputation will be particularly important within vocational areas and for training of post-16-year-old learners, who are more involved in the choices for their own progression and how this will lead directly into a profession. If they can collaborate with a local partner to complete their training, this may lead to further opportunities to continue this relationship, and the chance to gain employment with them. By bringing local people into local jobs, the economy will maintain stability or begin to grow.

Online education can follow the same path within the local community. Experts can be sourced from around the world to allow for best practice to be shared and for advancements to be made, to keep up with international standards. Vocational subjects will work alongside the requirements within the local economy to fill gaps in the market and to ensure that workers are able to attain the highest levels of quality.

Online education can provide an alternative to the traditional structure of training, and allow personalization of the curriculum in accordance with local needs. Nisai is able to work with local partners to develop a curriculum that suits the needs and requirements of the local community. This means that each area can specify the areas of support that they require, and Nisai is able to source the expertise and build the community spirit around the project. This could allow learners to go straight into a workplace, or it could provide them with recognized training and certification to allow them to enter a higher education establishment. This progression is the ultimate goal, with the learners being able to recognize an improvement within their personal goals and outcomes. Unfortunately, those areas with the most need are often the ones without the infrastructure to support the required development.

Online learning does not have to mean that the student is alone at their computer all day. This is something that can be included within the wider society. It is sometimes even crucially important that a sense of community is maintained. Some students escape to a school as a sanctuary, where they are safe in the knowledge that there is a routine and support available to them. As Washington (2020) explains, these students live in communities that are violent or economically disadvantaged. The school building is often the one place of peace or the hub of the community. If school doors keep closing where can the children go? What happens to their social-emotional well-being? Closing the doors of an urban school would be one more inconsistency in the students’ lives. Consistency is vital for most learners, as they will be disadvantaged by periods of change wherein they have to settle into new routines and new experiences, thereby losing learning time.

4 Online Learning Communities

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to online learning by many traditional schools, learners have found that their lessons did not continue in the same way they did before. Now, learners are responsible for their own work and completing this in a timely fashion. They have to log into new systems to access lessons. They have limited contact with their teachers and have to teach themselves in some instances. Nisai students, who were already used to online learning, saw no disruption. Their teachers were still in the classrooms during the scheduled times, and the work was set and marked the same way throughout the year. They were able to continue to work in preparation for assessment by their teachers at the end of the course, or for their move to the next year of study, without having to deal with a shortfall. Our attendance rates actually increased during this period as our learners came to appreciate the consistency that they were being offered, and to make the most of the opportunities that they have been given over and above their peers.

Traditionally, learners who have been engaging with online learning are those who had found difficulty with mainstream education. They found themselves behind their peers, or needed to find a new way to work that would be beneficial to them. With the changes that came about in response to the need for continued education in the face of COVID-19, these same learners are now finding that their peers are having to adapt to their ways of working. They have been able to achieve more during this time, which in turn has increased their own levels of confidence. Confidence in learning is a vital skill, and can help them to aim for the highest goals.

According to Washington (2020)Footnote 1:

Decision-makers overlook consistency when it comes to a student’s academic success and social-emotional well being. Students need stability in every aspect of their lives. They need it at home and school. The children need security with their family and living situations. Also, students need it in their place of learning. Students need to see the administrators, teachers, and staff members that are a part of their lives Monday through Friday and sometimes on weekends, too. Students want to look at and be with their friends, whom they’ve known for years. Therefore, they need the persons, places, and things that make them a part of something great.

An online community can be built so that learners do not miss out on the social aspects within their education. The multipurpose use of Nisai’s physical centers, such as in Viet Nam, means that a whole community can be built around the needs of the leaners. Our learners are not left on their own to find their way through their education. Rather, they are supported, they are surrounded by staff who are able to help, and they can communicate at a time that suits them from wherever they are.

5 Planning for the Future

The development of a suitable curriculum for any course is a difficult process. Many things need to be taken into consideration, including ensuring the longevity of a course by future-proofing the information and skills to be tested. Most world leaders and officials in ministries of education are extremely well educated and so they can be confident in making certain judgments in relation to this. However, the education that they have received, to a high degree, is an academic curriculum, and therefore they have less experience in relation to vocational subjects and what should be on a TVET curriculum at this stage. Expert knowledge is a vital aspect of successful progression into the workplace. Nisai is able to work alongside industry experts to be able to build qualifications that will ensure all requirements are met. These qualifications reflect the skills that the industry experts have highlighted as core skills, as well as those that have been missing from other forms of training. Working alongside exam boards, it is possible to quality assure this process and ensure that both academic and vocational skills are met to equalize standards.

Working with industry experts at the development stage is beneficial to both the industry for final outcomes, and the educational establishment for teaching purposes. Studies have been completed following the growth of demand for TVET, and the results have been mixed. Although there is positivity within the development of technical and vocational studies, teachers still have to find their way within this new area, highlighted through some negative factors. Albashiry (2015) claims that among the challenges encountered were the lack of senior management support, unfavorable work conditions, the high rate of middle managers’ attrition, and the lack of formal professional networking and liaisons with industry. Teachers can recognize the importance of working alongside industry experts, and this is something that we need to encourage within further consultations in curriculum design.

Society has developed over the years, and many facets of life have changed to reflect this: shopping can be completed at the click of a button; work is completed remotely; and cars are using electric power to limit the use of fossil fuels. However, education has remained the same. Technology has become the glue of a modern society, and yet education is hesitant to enact further change to embrace this. Ten years ago, changes were beginning to be made in the classroom with the introduction of interactive whiteboards, and yet not much more has happened since then. Schools could already be incorporating the use of virtual exchange programs, demonstrating the ability to personalize learning routes within available resources in an online program, or providing opportunities for anonymous communication to support learners in sharing their concerns during a learning program. The online learning platform allows for all of this and more. Technology is a tool that can be used for development across many areas of life. And yet, why has education not followed this same process? Rote learning is no longer suitable to our modern society. Change is coming at such a pace that books are being left behind. Technology allows us to stay up-to-date with advances across the globe, and to keep pace with the establishment of a multicultural society.

The development of societal roles within learning gives further call for changes in education. We need to recognize the importance of experience and expertise. This must be reflected in our acceptance of various forms of evidence for accreditation, and may mean that more real-life experience is gained for the learner. If we are living in an online society then why should we not learn in one? Embracing online skills from the outset will make the learner more confident in using these within other elements of their lives, and make them more prepared for entering the workplace and the skills that are required there. The development of new techniques across the globe can be instantly shared with others, meaning that more immediate action can be undertaken to develop an area in need. TVET online learning will therefore not only benefit the learner, but the whole community that they belong to.

The fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0 is leaving many young people at risk as industry is changing and developing, becoming more autonomous and introducing more computerized roles that will replace the need for people within these employment areas. According to i-SCOOP (2020),Footnote 2

Industry 4.0 is the digital transformation of manufacturing/production and related industries and value creation processes…. [A]s Industry 4.0 has unfolded, computers are interconnected and communicate with one another to ultimately take action without human involvement. As a result of the help of smart machines that keep growing technologically, our factories will become more efficient and fruitful, and less wasteful. Ultimately, the network of these machines that are digitally inter-linked with each other creates the true power of Industry 4.0.

It is this level of automation that is a cause for concern for the future of TVET. Entry-level or low-skilled positions are becoming obsolete, with young people requiring more skills now than at any time in the past to be able to enter the job market. We have seen Western countries rely on the outsourcing of positions, such as call centers, to developing countries. The future of this arrangement is now at risk due to the increased automation of first-line support with the role of artificial intelligence. This means that we need TVET to include an increased focus on employability skills, and how to develop our young people to allow them to achieve within the workplace.

However, it is worth pointing out at this point that Industry 4.0 does not guarantee that there will be fewer jobs, only that these may be different. Future Ready Education (2020) tells us that the worker who uses his hands to mould a specific engine part will soon perform similar tasks in a virtual or augmented situation. An employee who stacks products will now use a joystick to do so. This means that some jobs will be removed due to the streamlined nature of development and the efficiency in which tasks can be completed; however, the majority of jobs will require upskilling. This is what we need to focus our attention on at this time for our young people to be prepared for this new world of work.

Nisai has begun to incorporate changes to certification and accreditation in technical and vocational areas, although we do recognize that we too are still at the start of this journey that is ever evolving. Our experience and established relationships within the UK while working in pursuit of governmental and examination benchmarks means that we have also been able to forge relationships with international partners to consider local requirements and standards. The use of qualified teachers, industry experts, and continued training at all levels ensures that all delivery and assessment methods are appropriate for the required outcome. We have been able to develop a number of projects that have been successful in their implementation, and have allowed us to learn for the future in terms of the benefits and responses to these. I will briefly share a selection of some of these now for reference purposes in line with the innovations that Nisai has launched.

  1. (i)

    Nisai Global School. The launch of Nisai Global School (NGS) has given us a number of physical centers across Asia. These centers are used for mixed purposes for our own online lessons, and for community use. The learners who are engaged with NGS are able to communicate with peers around the world at the same time they are undergoing continuous learning. We have learners who are hoping to complete qualifications of the UK standard, and use these to aid their progression into international universities for their further studies. Alongside this, we have learners completing courses that are cross-curricular in their design, and which allow for further planning of their skill development or global citizen role. This includes a course around the Sustainable Development Goals, or a course around leadership or enterprise skills. These courses have all been popular and allow for learners to gain a certificate of completion, showing potential educational establishments or employers that the learners have pursued self-development programs along with their academic studies. Assessment within these courses is largely traditional, but will vary from formal examinations to completing a portfolio of evidence to allow for certification.

  2. (ii)

    Accredited qualification. Working with one of our international partners, Nisai has established an accreditation of qualifications that allows for the formalization of informal learning. Through joint efforts, a course has been developed to ensure that with the completion of a portfolio of work based on the training that has been delivered, learners are able to gain qualification and prove their ability within their local workforce. Varied use of evidence builds personalization into the course, allowing different students to benefit, regardless of their background and with respect to the opportunities available to them, while still maintaining a high level of quality.

    This qualification has been developed with an examination board in the UK, thus reflecting the depth of quality that is required to complete training at this level. By working with a local partner, Nisai is able to ensure that the skills gained are relevant to the market and would provide the best form of training. The certification can place the learners ahead of their peers when applying for jobs, and allow them to progress further within their future careers.

  3. (iii)

    Community immersion. Nisai is working with one village that is very remote from other training facilities, and helping to build a community learning project there. Through this we are able to provide learners and local workers with formal qualifications, and help develop their English language proficiency. They will be able to share skills and knowledge for local jobs, as well as consider professions that may have seemed out of their reach previously. This will allow for development of the economy and progression of the community as a whole.

These projects are proving beneficial during the COVID-19 pandemic, but have in fact been in place even before the pandemic. They will continue to be in place going forward. Online education can give learners confidence in using technology, which will benefit them in their future workplace as most workplaces will be heavily relying on technology. COVID-19 is not the only natural disturbance to education. Across the globe there are many issues each and every year. These may include psychological trauma following violent acts at school, natural disasters such as earthquakes and flooding, or even times of war. These issues will not only affect education in these areas, but also the success of businesses. There will be interim periods where businesses may have to close if the environment dictates this, but if they are able to continue by using an online method for remote working, or by using the time effectively to complete staff training, then these businesses may be in a more secure position to be able to reopen when it is suitable.

Since September 2019, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (2020) has compiled a list of disruptions around the world, as shown in Box 10.2. If the development of learners is adversely affected during the summer break, then how much more will our young people and economy suffer if they have to deal with just a few of those listed events? How will they be able to reach their full potential and challenge their peers to develop and continue to change the world?

Box 10.2 Natural and Human-Made Disruptors to Learning, September 2019–2020

  • Hurricane Dorian

  • Australian bushfires

  • California wildfires

  • Tropical Storm Imelda

  • Amazon wildfires

  • Spring tornadoes

  • Puerto Rico earthquakes

  • Midland, Michigan dam breaches

  • Southern Border humanitarian crisis

  • Rohingya refugee crisis

  • Yemen humanitarian crisis

  • Venezuelan humanitarian and refugee crisis

  • Monsoon floods

  • Midwest Derecho

  • North American wildfire season

  • Beirut explosion

  • Civil unrest in the United States

  • Atlantic hurricane season

  • Coronavirus disease

Source Center for Disaster Philanthropy. 2020. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/our-approach/disasters/.

The depth and breadth of these events show that no area is clear of potential disruption to learners, and reinforces the belief that we should all prepare so that the education of our young people can remain consistent through time. Stability within all education and training opportunities is vital.

6 Conclusions

There are many possibilities for certification and assessment development within education and training, and this is something that we should embrace. The world is changing around us, and education has to adapt to reflect this. Only through this adaptation will we be preparing our young people for the world of work and a society that they are going to be entering upon completion of their studies. The growth of a community as part of this education and training is vital, with experience and expertise being seen in many settings and situations.

Nontraditional providers of education are going to become more important in future developments. As with Nisai, we can work across many different platforms at one time, incorporating local and global requirements within one place, making developments that can incorporate the needs of all stakeholders, such as the learners, the government, and the employer. This will all come together in building a larger learning community, using local knowledge and expertise from around the globe. There are fewer restrictions to this system than with traditional schooling. Private education providers have a wider scope for development and will be able to react in real time to developing needs and changing environments. The experience that we build from this can be used by the government to formalize required changes to the curriculum and to highlight further changes that will be needed in the future.

Although the global pandemic has caused a lot of difficulties around the world, and many people have found themselves disadvantaged as a result of this, there are also some positives that we can take from this event. The acknowledgment of the need for change, the continued acceptance of online education as an alternative to traditional learning or alongside it, and the openness of all areas of government and business to establish new routines, show that educational reform is possible, and we must now embrace this opportunity. The learner has been at the center of all plans for change, and the power of this is exciting. The future of education across all levels and platforms can return to the learner and how to prepare them in a practical manner has been recognized as important. Skills have been recognized as being as important as knowledge. This growth can allow us to build larger learning communities, using experience as well as formal training to help to develop our young people.

This is an exciting period in education and training. We are seeing a revolution in an old system and can do our piece to sculpt the future for the benefit of our young people. Certification and accreditation will continue to change. We will continue to find new ways in which we can ensure that young people have the right skills, as well as knowledge, to take them into the workplace. We will see changes to our leadership whose acceptance of the introduction of a multicultural, cross-curricular society will dictate the pace of this change. We cannot rest on our laurels, and we cannot be naïve to think that the changes that we have introduced so far are enough. This is the start of a long journey, and one that I am proud to be a small part of.