Conference 02: "Technical and Vocational Education and Training between Societal Culture and Labour Market Requirements: Challenges and Stakes", Tunis, Republic of Tunisia, October 2021

The second conference was held at ALECSO headquarters in Tunis during the period 26-28 October 2021 with the gracious hospitality of the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training of the Republic of Tunisia, with the participation of delegations from fifteen (15) Arab countries, namely: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, Lebanon, the Comoros, Somalia, Palestine, Qatar, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, and Yemen, and a number of national, regional and international organizations: UNESCO, ICESCO, the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, the Arab Union for Technical Education, and a representative of the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts. The conference discussed the topic of "Technical and Vocational Education and Training between Community Culture and Labor Market Requirements: Challenges and Stakes" through the following reference documents: "Technical and Vocational Education and Training between Community Culture and Labor Market Requirements", the document of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Professional Integration of the Republic of Tunisia "Strategic Orientations for Developing the Workplace Vocational Training System", "Indicators for Monitoring and Evaluating the Returns of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training System in the Arab World", "Mechanisms for Obtaining Data on Technical and Vocational Education and Training, its Qualifications, and Labor Markets' Needs", "Towards Building a Unified and Comprehensive Arab Framework for Educational and Training Qualifications and Skills", and the document of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States (Department of Education, Teaching and Scientific Research) "Follow-up on the Implementation of the Arab Leaders' Decision on the Comprehensive Development Plan to Advance the Technical and Vocational Education System",

The conference issued nine (10) recommendations, of which seven (7) recommendations were directed to the Arab countries and three (3) recommendations to ALECSO, as follows:

• First - Recommendations directed to the Arab countries: Calling upon the Arab countries to:

1. Improve the attractiveness of technical and vocational education and training through various mechanisms such as organizing a periodic Arab skills competition
2. Establish a labor market data observatory in the Arab countries that lack one, to rely on it in formulating technical and vocational education and training policies.
3. Develop mechanisms for foreseeing the professions of the future.
4. Develop special programs to support the culture of entrepreneurship among trainees to prepare them to launch their own projects.
5. Integrate learning and skills about professions into basic/preparatory education curricula with the aim of creating professional orientations among young people.
6. Update legislation to encourage the private sector to invest in technical and vocational education and training.
7. Allocate the necessary funding for developing technical and vocational education and training.

• Second - Recommendations directed to the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization: Calling upon ALECSO to:

1. Build a unified Arab qualifications framework.
2. Develop standards for determining the outcomes of technical and vocational education and training.
3. Monitor and disseminate successful Arab and international experiences in the technical and vocational education and training sector.