Apec Project Proposal

______2008/HRDWG30/028 Session: EDNET

Operational Project Proposal: Quest for the Link Between Schools and Employment: Research on Technical Vocational Education at the Secondary Education Level in the APEC Region

Purpose: Consideration Submitted by: Japan

30th Human Resources Development Working Group Meeting Bohol, Philippines 15-18 April 2008

APEC PROJECT PROPOSAL

Facesheet

Name of Committee/Working Group: Human Resource Development Working Group, Education Network (EDNET)

Title of Project: Quest for the Link Between Schools and Employment: Research on Technical Vocational Education at the Secondary Education Level in the APEC Region

Proposing APEC Economy: 1) Japan Co-sponsoring APEC Economies: 2) ; 3) Project number: Date received by Secretariat: (To be filled in by Secretariat) (To be filled in by Secretariat) (Tick  one) [  ] Project seeking APEC funding [ ] Progress Report [ ] EvaluationReport (Tick  one if applicable) [ ] Operational Account [ ] TILF Special Account [ ] APEC Support Fund (Tick  if applicable) [ ] QAF attached QAF not applicable [ ] QAF attached Financial Total cost of proposal (US$): Amount being sought from APEC funding Information US$ 356,460 (US$): FY2009 – US$ 158,620 US$ 170,880 FY2010 – US$ 197,840 FY2009 – US$ 67,400 FY2010 – US$ 103,480 Type of Project: [ ] seminar/symposium [ ] short-term training course [ ] survey or analysis and research [ ] database/website [ ] others (Please specify)

Project start date: March 2009 Project end date: December 2010 Brief Description of Project -- its purpose and the principal activities (including when and where): [Purpose] This research project aims at drawing a set of practical policy recommendations on Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) at the secondary education level in the APEC region in order to contribute to the reduction of unemployment in young people and to sustainable and equitable economic development. For this, the project studies the effectiveness of TVE provided under the school systems together with roles of the government, especially in the dimension of S chool-to- W ork , from both the macro and micro perspectives. The project focuses on secondary schools and colleges, particularly in the public sector, and their linkages with the workplace in view of the crucial roles schools play in the formation of good citizens for social stability and human resources for the economic development. Existing research, including the one currently being undertaken by the Project Overseer, have identified that the gaps in policy, finance, and relevance of TVE pose major constraints for the effectiveness of TVE. Building on these findings, the particular research questions for this research project are as follows: (1) What are the key characteristics of TVE and the labor market in the APEC region today? (2) How effective is public TVE in sample APEC economies? (3) How relevant is TVE to needs of the industry in sample APEC economies? (4) How responsive is TVE to needs of students/learners in sample APEC economies? (5) What kind of internal and external factors exist which influence the status quo of TVE within the sample APEC economies? (6) What are the differences and similarities of these factors and what explain these differences and similarities in sample APEC economies? (7) What would be recommended for TVE to be more effective for the economic and social development in the APEC region?

[Structure of the Project] This project is designed to span four years divided in to two phases: Phase I and II. Phase I is comprised of case studies in the APEC region and Phase II is conducts comparative studies based on the outputs of Phase I. This proposal is for Phase I , covering research question s (1) (2) (3), and (4) . Case studies shall be jointly carried out in three other APEC economies to start with in collaboration with researchers of the respective economies.

Phase I: Case Studies Phase II: (March 2009 -December 2010) (January 2011 -December 2012)

Case Study I Case Study II Comparative Study and Mar-Dec 09 Jan-Dec 10 Comprehensive Study for the APEC region

Case Study Team Case Study Team Comprehensive study by all experts 1st Experts 2nd Experts whom participated in Phase I Workshop Workshop 3rd and 4th Experts Workshop Common Research Common Research International Symposium for Framework and Framework and Dissemination of the Results and Methods Methods Recommendations Obtained. Case Studies Case Studies Final Report Intermediate Phase I Report Research Report

Research Questions for 2009 Research Questions for 2010 What are the key characteristics of TVE (3) How relevant is TVE to the needs of the and the labor market in the APEC region industry in sample APEC economies? today? (4) How responsive is TVE to needs of How effective is public TVE in the sample students/learners in sample APEC APEC economies? economies? [Principal Activities for this Proposal] The project will implement the following activities during the proposed duration: Year 1 (March – December 2009) a) A workshop among key experts from APEC member economies hosted by the Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education (CICE), Hiroshima University, Japan will be organized in order to develop research framework, methods, and concrete research questions for case studies (tentatively in March 2009). b) Participating APEC economies and Japan will implement case studies (from April to September 2009). c) The Intermediate Research Report will be prepared with the findings of the case studies and analysis actively utilizing teleconference (from October to December 2009).

Year 2 (January – December 2010) d) The 2nd Experts Workshop will be organized to share the results of Year 1and revise the research framework, methods if necessary. Concrete research questions for Year 2 will be defined (January 2010). e) Participating APEC economies and Japan will implement case studies (from April to September 2010). f) The Phase I Report will be prepared with findings and analysis actively utilizing teleconference (from October to December 2010). These results will be analyzed comparatively and comprehensively in the succeeding two years, i.e. Phase II.

Project Overseer: Name, Title and Organization (M/F) Mr. Kazuhiro Yoshida, Associate Professor, Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education (CICE), Hiroshima University, Japan (M) Ms. Miyuki Okamura, Researcher, Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education (CICE), Hiroshima University, Japan (F)

Postal address: Tel: +81-(82)-424-6247 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Fax: +81-(82)-424-6913 Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8529 E-mail: [email protected] Japan [email protected] Signature of Project Overseer: (Separate written confirmation acceptable for email submission) Date: Signature of Committee Chair/WG Lead Shepherd: (Not applicable to Progress Report and Evaluation Report)

(Separate written confirmation acceptable for email submission) Date: Details of the Project Proposal

Please provide your answers in point form or as succinctly as possible below each paragraph heading.

A. Project Design

Project Objectives

1) Describe briefly how this project directly responds to the priorities set by APEC Leaders and Ministers and/or the vision of the host economy. Please make reference to the relevant parts of APEC documents.

There is growing consensus among APEC economies about the urgent need for strengthening human resources development in today’s globalized world. During the 19th APEC Ministerial Meeting held in September 2007 in Sydney, Australia, APEC leaders welcomed “the deepening of our work on human resources development, recognizing that the APEC workforce should be equipped with 21st century skills so that it can adapt more quickly to a more open and competitive marketplace”. During the 4th APEC Education Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) preparatory symposium “Education to achieve 21st century competencies and skills for all: respecting the past to move toward the future” held in January 2008 in Xi’an, China, Career and Technical Education (CTE) and/or Technical Vocational Education (TVE) were discussed actively among APEC Leaders, showing the results of a variety of activities conducted such as the “Policy Survey: 21st Century Education and Competencies” and the “APEC Survey on CTE/TVET”. As this topic becomes a theme to be discussed in the 4th AEMM to be held in June 2008 in Lima, Peru, TVE is one of the pivotal issues among all APEC economies for success in sustainable and equitable economic growth in the globalized economy in the 21st century.

2) Describe the key objectives of the project – usually no more than three

To respond and strengthen the directions mentioned in the above, t h e research project aims at drawing a set of practical policy recommendations on Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) at the secondary education level in the APEC region in order to contribute to a reduction in unemployment of young people and to sustainable and equitable economic development. For this, the project studies the effectiveness of TVE provided under the public school systems together with roles of the government, especially in the dimension of School-to-Work from both the macro and micro perspectives. The project focuses on the secondary schools and colleges particularly in the public sector and their linkages with the workplace, in view of crucial roles the schools play on formation of good citizens for social stability and human resources for the economic development.

3) Assessment. With reference to each objective in paragraph 2), provide the current status and expected end-of-project target, so that the success of the project can be measured over the short and medium term. The targets should be quantitative but if this is not possible then a precise description of the change aimed at should be given. Where appropriate, sex- disaggregated data should be used for assessment in order to detect any differential impact of the project on men and women.

Existing research including the one currently being undertaken by the Project Overseer, have identified that the gaps in policy, finance, and relevance of TVE pose major constraints for the effectiveness of TVE. Building on these findings, particular research questions to reach the project’s key objective mentioned in paragraph 2) above are set as follows: (1) What are the key characteristics of TVE and the labor market in the APEC region today? A sub-set of questions include among others: economic and employment situations in general, the overview of policies on human resource development and industrial development during the last decade, the size, types, and providers of TVE and training in general (2) How effective is public TVE in sample APEC economies? A sub-set of questions include, among others: enrollment by major program/course, curriculum contents, providers/managers/teachers, levels of intended skills and competencies to be acquired, facilities and equipment, graduate employability, costs and finance (3) How relevant is TVE to needs of the industry in sample APEC economies? A sub-set of questions include among others: identifying key industries in sample economies, labor-market information system, employability of TVE graduates, involvement of the industry in TVE at various aspects, requirement of employers in key industrial areas, assessment of TVE graduates by the employers (4) How responsive is TVE to needs of students/learners in sample APEC economies? A sub-set of questions include among others: who are the students/learners, expectations of the students/learners, actual choice of TVE graduates (5) What kind of internal and external factors exist which influence the status quo of TVE within the sample APEC economies? (6) What are the differences and similarities of these factors and what explain these differences and similarities in case economies? (7) What would be recommended for TVE to be more effective for the economic and social development in the APEC region?

The end-of project target is the output of research question (7), i.e. the practical recommendations for effective TVE applicable in the APEC region. The findings of research questions (1) to (6) will feed into arriving at this end-of- target for this project.

4) Explain who the intended beneficiaries of this project are.

The intended beneficiaries are, primarily, policy makers, government officials, researchers, educators and educationists who develop the TVE curriculum and manage and/or implement TVE at the school level. Also the research outputs will contribute to the qualitative improvement of TVE which will be provided to the students, and subsequently benefit industries which shall employ these young generations. The secondary but considerable benefit shall be the formulation and strengthening of a research network in the APEC region which will be a great asset for further international technical cooperation. This network will lead to the cultivation of the young researchers as well as to the professional development of all researchers in the TVE area, which shall result continuous improvement in the quality of TVE.

5) Describe precisely the expected project outputs. Describe how these outputs will benefit the targeted beneficiaries.

The expected outputs of this proposal will be shown in chronologic order as follows: - A comprehensive research framework for the case studies and comparative analysis - Key characteristics of TVE as well as the labor market - Clarification of the historical change of the relationship between industrial structure and TVE - Identification of the basic knowledge, skills, and competencies that are demanded by sample industrial sectors - Identification of the responsiveness of TVE to the needs of sample industrial sectors - Identification of the responsiveness of TVE to the needs of students/learners - Identification of the factors which influence the status quo of TVE and their correlations - Identification of the differences and similarities of these factors as well as any correlations - Proposal of TVE recommendations for the APEC region

These outputs will benefit the intended beneficiaries by: (1) Identifying concrete gaps in TVE policies, thereby informing policymakers and government officials of room for improvement (2) Sharing the analytical framework for this project and establishing a network of researchers, which researchers can use to enhance their research activities (3) Allowing educators to implement adjusted curriculum that more aware of needs of students and the industry (4) Providing opportunities for students and industries to provide their input into this research project (5) Identifying possible scopes of collaboration in TVE for the industry, provided that as a result of this project, the TVE/labor market information is more widely available to students (6) Helping students clarify their learning objectives and raising their employability (7) Enabling the industry/employers to recruit more committed workers who have more relevant skills and knowledge

6) For applications under the TILF Special Account: Describe briefly how this project will contribute to the APEC Trade and Investment Liberalization and Facilitation (e.g. relevance to specific parts of the Osaka Action Agenda).

Not Applicable.

Linkages

7) Which other APEC fora have been consulted about this project and what were the results?

8) Active Participation Describe how the intended beneficiaries among APEC stakeholders –APEC fora, governments, private sector and civil society, men/women- will participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the project.

At the beginning of the project, key researchers of each case study economy will jointly elaborate the research framework and methodology for this project. In order to undertake case studies, an international research team for each case economy (case study team) will be organized with researchers from corresponding economies and from Japan.

In the process of conducting case studies, each team will actively communicate with other organizations such as universities, ministries, research institutes, international cooperation agencies, public/private business companies, etc. in the respective economies.

9) Project influence Describe how this project might contribute to any current or completed projects or activities in APEC or elsewhere. Why is APEC the most appropriate institution to fund the project?

This project will contribute to the assistance and guidance of member economies to prepare and conduct any TVE improvement activities in the future. The current APEC surveys, “Policy Survey: 21st Century Education and Competencies” and “APEC Survey on CTE/TVET,” were good references in designing this project. This will also contribute to building a research network in the APEC region, especially between Asia and Latin America. As the APEC region is an economic engine of today’s world, the strengthened network and research results are expected to be utilized in the economic and social development of other regions e.g. Africa, in the near future. This project is based on the research project “Skill Development and Economic Development: Implications for International Cooperation in Low Income Countries” being conducted from April 2006 to March 2009 by the Project Overseer, funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Technology of the Government of Japan. Methodology

10) Describe the project’s methodology. Break down the project implementation into discrete functional steps over time with the associated outputs clearly specified. Identify the principal risks involved in each step if any, and explain how they will be managed. Risks may include major delays and failures, expected cooperation not materializing, etc.

Researchers belonging to participating APEC economies and Japan will jointly carry out the project. The main methodology of this proposal is the case study and partially employs comparative analysis.

[Target Educational Level] Lower and/or Upper Secondary Schools and Colleges [Duration] 21 months, from March 2009 to December 2010

Year 2009 (March - December) Objective Activities Schedule Organizing Organize the 1st Experts Meeting by Japan Case Study - The Case Study Team (CST) will be organized by inviting related APEC Team economies - Develop a research framework for the implementation of case studies and methods - At the same time, as a research reference, a tour of Kure City in Hiroshima shall be planned. Kure is a concentrated area of heavy manufacturing industries (Mitsubishi, Hitachi, etc.), automobile industries (Mazda), ultra-precision machinery factories (Disco), and March – technical high schools/colleges. April 2009 Output - CST among experts from APEC economies organized - Comprehensive research framework for the case studies and comparative analysis - Research methods determined among CST - Determine case study schedules in each case economy - Launch project website

Case Studies Methodology - Each CST will conduct a case study according to the determined research framework and methods

Output - Maps of the TVE situation and historical changes - Key characteristics of TVE as well as the labor market April – - Clarification of the historical change of the relationship between the September industrial structure and TVE 2009 - Identification of relevance and gaps between industrial structure and TVE in the past decade - Identification of the change of leading industries for case economies - Identification of the basic knowledge, skills, and competencies demanded by selected industrial sectors, and its change

Intermediate Methodology Research - By active communication via teleconference, etc, all CST will analyze Report the results of case studies which will be integrated in the Intermediate Research Report September - December Output 2009 - Publication of Intermediate Research Report I - Contents of the Report posted on the Project’s website Year 2010 (January - December) Objective Activities Schedule Share Year 1 Organize the 2nd Experts Meeting by Japan or other APEC economies January research - Share Year 1 research output among all CST 2010 output and - Develop Year 2 research framework and methods Develop Year 2 Plan Output - Research framework modified and shared among all CST - Determine Year 2 research methods among all CST - Discuss and determine direction of the Phase I report Case Studies Methodology February – - Each CST will conduct a case study according to the determined August research framework and methods 2010

Output - Identification of the responsiveness of TVE to needs of sample industrial sectors - Identification of the responsiveness of TVE to needs of students/learners

Phase I Methodology September Report - By active communication via teleconference, etc, all CST will analyze - December the results of case studies which will be integrated in the Phase I Report 2010 - If necessary, organize the 3rd Experts Meeting

Output - Comparative analysis among all CST - Publication of Phase I Report - Post report contents on the Project’s website

The results of these activities will become inputs for a subsequent extended study for rest of the project, i.e. Phase II from 2010 to 2012. The principal risk throughout this project might be schedule delays. This could be reduced by active communication among CST by e-mail and teleconference. Besides, each CST will include Japanese researcher(s) which will enhance the information sharing among different CSTs and Hiroshima University (Project Overseer) and will help the adjustment of the schedule.

11) Which APEC member economies will participate in each component of this project and what contribution are they expected to make?

We are expecting six economies will participate as joint researchers to conduct case studies during the Phase I. To date, universities in Thailand and Viet Nam have expressed their interest in collaborating in this research project. University from another economy is expected to join in the Year 1 from Asia or Latin America. Other three APEC economies are expected to participate during the Year 2, and the Project Overseer is planning to invite universities from potential APEC economies in this research study project.

To achieve the end-of-project target, i.e. draw applicable and feasible recommendations in the APEC region, the comparative study among case economies will be conducted during the Phase II (2011-2012). For this, to ensure the diversity of case studies, Project Overseer encourages participation from economies from Latin America as well as others from Asia.

Dissemination of Project Output

12) Please include a plan for the publication and dissemination of the results of the project, including: a. the nature of the target audience;

The first target audiences are the policymakers, government officials, researchers, and educators in Technical Vocational Education in the APEC region. The project’s output shall be widely shared through project’s website with any persons and organizations interested in TVE or the project..

b. the form and content; Publication of report documents during each year of the project.. Research results will be published as articles in international journals.

c. format (e.g. hard copies, floppy discs, internet uploading); Internet: APEC website and project website. Hard Copies: APEC member economies and participating universities/research institutions.

d. number of copies for the publication; 200 hard copies during each year of the project.

e. a publicity plan for: i) briefing the general or specialist media about key components of the project; All information, including details of the results of this project, can be viewed on the project website. Upon project completion (at the end of the Phase II in 2012), the results and recommendations will be presented at an international symposium.

ii) the promotion of sales or other dissemination of the final product; The materials and contents obtained during the project are not intended for sale.

f. a budget for publication and dissemination, to form part of the itemized budget. See Annex A.

Gender Concerns

13) Many projects have the potential to affect men and women differently because of their different roles and positions in many societies. What steps does this project take to ensure that it benefits both groups and in particular does not disadvantage women? (Common responses include: using gender analysis to design project methodologies and inputs (e.g. surveys); including women in the planning, management, allocation of resources and implementation of a project; taking steps to ensure equitable participation by men and women; making special efforts to disseminate project results to women; and using sex-disaggregated data for project assessment.)

An appropriate gender mix will be considered when establishing the research team in respective participating economies to ensure that gender concerns are taken into account in conducting the research and developing recommendations.

14) Show how the objectives of the project provide benefits for women. APEC Ministers have indicated (Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC) that benefits might include: increasing the involvement of women in the economy and economic institutions; integrating women into the global economy; strengthening small and medium sized enterprises; and reducing gender inequalities, including through education and training.

With findings from the project and a set of recommendations that will be proposed, the project will present job areas where female workers may potentially have more active participation with improved TVE and information systems relating to the job market. Budget

15) Please attach an itemized budget for the project in the format at Annex A. Where appropriate, provide details of the project’s budget that are allocated to activities that address the specific needs of women. The budget should illustrate the assumptions adopted (e.g. unit costs) for the computations. Remember to include all self-funding and to consult the list of eligible expenses in the Guidebook to APEC Projects. Advice on budget formulation, including acceptable unit costs, can be sought from the APEC Secretariat.

Please see Annex A.

16) A timetable for the drawdown of APEC funding requested for the project, including details of any advance payment or instalment payment requested and justifications for such requests.

This project does not require advance payments. However, the project does require waivers from the normal APEC financial rules to support case study research activities. Details of the waivers and justifications are described in the following (paragraph 17)).

17) Details of any request for waiver or exception from the normal APEC financial rules with justifications. (Examples are from tendering requirements; for advance payment; for government officials to receive funding; for active participants from travel-eligible economies to receive per diems)

Waiver is sought to fund the airfare, travel, per diem and other related expenses and fees for researchers from travel eligible economies who are government officials and/or are working for national universities/research institutes to conduct any activities of the project. These researchers are required to contribute to achieve the results of the project.

18) NOT required for projects for consideration at BMC II (July/August meeting) or for ASF projects but required for all others. Give reasons for the urgency of the project. (These projects should relate to previous APEC Ministers’ or Leaders’ Declarations or current host economy’s priorities. Reasons may include the project output as contributing to one of the major deliverables for the year)

Not applicable. Annex A APEC Project Itemized Budget for Financial Year _ 2009 * This project is: a seminar, symposium or short-term training course a survey or analysis and research project neither the above but involves the provision of equipment

No. of APEC Funding Self-Financing Items Unit Rate (USD/unit) Units (USD) (USD)

Direct Labor

- Short-term 10 1140/month 5,700 5,700 secretarial staff remuneration

- Researcher Fees 4,000 75,000

Travel for Conducting Case Studies

- Per Diem (incl. 6 165/day/person*4 days (research 3,960 accommodation) (APEC travel within case economies) econom ies)

6 165/day/person * 12days 11,880 (Japan)

- Airfare 12 400/travel/person (research 4,800 (APEC travel within case economies) econom ies and Japan)

6 1000/Thailand *2 persons 10,600 (Japan) 1300/VietNam *2 persons 3000/Asia or LAC *2 persons

Travel for Experts’ Meeting to be held in Japan

- Per Diem (incl. 6 165/day/person*4 days 3,960 accommodation) (APEC econom ies)

- Airfare 6 1200/Thailand *2 persons 13,600 (APEC 1600/VietNam *2 persons econom ies) 4000/South America *2 persons

6 400/travel/person (Tokyo- 2,400 (Japan) Hiroshima) Other Items

Publication of report 200 7.5/piece 1,500

Equipment/ Materials 50 20/book or document 1,000

Photocopying 500 0.1/paper 500

Communications 1,000

Hosting 1 1000/time 1,000

Website 1 3500/site 3,500

Research activities 3 1800/Case Study Team of 5,400 for APEC economy participating APEC economies researchers

Total (in 2009) 67,400 91,220 Itemized Budget for Financial Year _ 2010 *

Items No. of Unit Rate APEC Funding Self-Financing Units (USD) (USD)

Direct Labor

- Short-term 12 1140/month 6,840 6,840 secretarial staff remuneration

- Researcher Fees 8,200 75,000

Travel for Conducting Case Studies

- Per Diem (incl. 12 165/day/person*4 days 7,920 accommodation) (APEC (research travel within case econom economies) ies)

- Airfare 24 400/travel/person (research 9,600 (APEC travel within case economies) econom ies and Japan)

12 1000/Thailand *2 persons 20,000 (Japan) 1300/VietNam *2 persons 3000/Asia or LAC *2 persons 700/Asia 1 *2 persons 1500/Asia 2 *2 persons 2500/LAC *2 persons

Travel for Experts’ Meeting to be held in Japan

- Per Diem (incl. 6 165/day/person*4 days within 3,960 accommodation) (APEC case economies econom ies)

- Airfare 6 1200/Thailand *1 person 12,400 1600/VietNam *1 person 4000/Asia or LAC *1 person 900/Asia 1 *1 person 1700/Asia 2 *1 person 3000/LAC *1 person 6 400/travel/person (Tokyo- 2,400 Hiroshima)

Other Items

Publication of report 400 5/piece 2,000

Equipment / 75 20/book or document 1,500 Materials

Photocopying 5000 0.1/paper 500

Communications 2,000

Hosting 1 1000/time 1,000

Research activities 6 1800/Case Study Team of 10,800 for APEC economy participating APEC economies researchers

Total (in 2009) 103,480 94,360

Grand Total for 2 Years 170,880 185,580