#190 – The Case for Vocational Technology – Part 1

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Welcome to the latest episode of our The Voctech Podcast: learning continued series, supported by the Ufi Voctech Trust and Ufi Ventures. You can follow the conversation using #voctechpodcast and #voctech. 

What’s in this episode?

This week’s episode is with Daniel Baril, Institute for Lifelong Learning at UNESCO learning. We chat about institutions forced to become agile in the age of coronavirus plus, individual or collective approaches to lifelong learning and moving to targeted education intervention. We also have guest messages from ISTE, UFI Voctech Trust, EverFi, and OpenClassrooms, and insights on distance learning via the “application culture” of China.

People

Sophie Bailey is the Founder and Presenter of The Edtech Podcast | Twitter: @podcastedtech

Sophie is the founder of the iTunes new and noteworthy, The Edtech Podcast. The mission of The Edtech Podcast is to improve the dialogue between ‘ed’ and ‘tech’ for better innovation, through storytelling. The podcast is downloaded 2000+ times a week, from over 145 countries with the UK, US & Aus in the top 3. Sophie is a mentor and advisor within the edtech community. If she’s not interviewing a University Lecturer, School Leader, Ex-Angry Bird, NGO, or Investor about education innovation, she’s chasing her son around the park or binge-reading Homo Deus.  

Daniel Baril, Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), UNESCO, and Director-General of the Canadian Institute for Cooperation in Adult Education (ICAE) | Twitter: @DanielBarilx

 Daniel Baril has long experience in lifelong learning. In addition to his position at the ICAE, he is a member of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO Education Sector, where he chairs the working group on education and adult learning, and regularly teaches courses on adult learning at the University of Québec at Montreal. Mr Baril has published widely in his field of expertise and has repeatedly contributed to UNESCO education conferences.

The UIL Governing Board elected Baril as Chair during its general meeting in November 2019. The Board consists of 12 members, drawn from every world region, who are nominated intuitu personae by the Director-General of UNESCO.

UIL is a global centre of excellence in lifelong learning. It provides support to policy-makers and builds the capacities of countries to plan and implement lifelong learning policies and programmes. The Institute publishes quality research and monitors progress in lifelong learning around the world, enabling policy-makers, researchers, practitioners and representatives of civil society to make lifelong learning a reality for all.

Listener-Feature Contributors

• Jon Chapman, Co-Founder and President for Global Partnerships, EverFi | Twitter: @EVERFI
• Pierre Dubuc, Co-founder and CEO, Open Classrooms | Twitter: @p_dubuc

 Quotes from this episode

References from this week’s episode

• Voctech Now are small grants of between £10k to £25k for projects of up to 3 months durations that can be quickly deployed to support organisational transition to remote teaching and training >>> apply now
• From ISTE > LearningKeepsGoing.org 
• From ISTE > Coronavirus response community
• Jon Chapman, Co-Founder and President for Global Partnerships for EverFi
• EverFi acquire Edcoms 
• Pierre Dubuc, Open Classrooms
• OpenClassrooms is making available to higher education institutions and professional training organizations, both public and private
• Daniel Baril – twitter
• Daniel Baril, Adult Education Blog – Lifelong Learning Blog
• UNESCO UIL – twitter
• UNESCO – twitter
• UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning – LinkedIn
• Governing Body for UIL – UIL website
• UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) – website, homepage
• UNESCO – website, homepage
• Announcement of Daniel Baril’s appointment at UIL – ICAE website
• International Council for Lifelong Learning (ICAE) – website, homepage 
• MOOC
• What is pedagogy? – article via TES
• Basic income of £48 a week in UK urged – BBC article, May 2019
• Educ-AI-tion rebooted? Exploring the future of artificial intelligence in schools and colleges – Nesta Report, Feb 2019
• Artificial intelligence in education: challenges and opportunities for sustainable development – UNESCO digital library
• AI-enabled tuition ushers in the intelligent age – Guardian article, July 2019
• China has started a grand experiment in AI education. It could reshape how the world learns – Technology Review, Aug 2019
• How is China ensuring learning when classes are disrupted by coronavirus? – UNESCO article, Feb 2020
• Global Education Monitoring Report: Education for People and Planet, Creating Sustainable Futures for All – UNESCO report 2016
• Hybrid model – explanation via World Wide Learn
• Provinces in Canada – explanation
• OECD data – website
• Mobile Learning Week 2020 – UNESCO website
• Open Source – explanation
• Futures of Education – UNESCO’s initiative 
• Peer to peer learning – explanation
• Learning management systems – explanation
• Micro learning – further information
• Paradigm shift – explanation
• Handbook on Facilitating Flexible Learning During Educational Disruption – UNESCO article

Thank you to the Ufi Voctech Trust & Ufi Ventures

The Voctech Podcast Series is produced by The Edtech Podcast and supported by Ufi Voctech Trust and Ufi Ventures.

Our aim is to help improve vocational skills in the UK’s workforce by funding digital solutions for vocational learning. We only fund activity that is ‘scalable’ through technology, ie projects that use digital methods to widen access to vocational learning. While digital learning solutions are potentially open to all, we are especially keen to assist digital projects which involve post-school age vocational learners that have failed to be engaged by the education system. Contact: kate.atha@ufi.co.uk, Head of Communications, Ufi Voctech Trust.

Ufi Ventures offers early-stage ventures finance and support that draws on the depth of Ufi’s experience in developing digital technologies for skills needed for work. We can invest from £150,000 up to £1m as equity or debt into early-stage companies who share our mission and meet our investment criteria. We are keen to collaborate and co-invest with other value-aligned investors interested in the opportunity presented by the changing nature of work and skills. Contact: richard.male@ufi.co.uk

Tell us where you are listening in from

We’d love to hear about innovative technology or approaches you are developing or using in adult education. Leave your stories in the comments below. Alternately, record a quick free voicemail via speakpipe for inclusion in the next episode. Finally, you can post your thoughts or follow-on links via twitter @podcastedtech or via The Edtech Podcast Facebook page.