By Andreas Schleicher and El Iza Mohamedou
For the last two decades PISA tests have helped drive educational policy reform across the world by allowing countries to compare the skills of 15-year-olds in maths, reading and science. Now, inspired by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a new international assessment is being developed by the OECD to measure the skills of learners completing vocational education and training (VET). PISA-VET will be the first attempt to measure and internationally compare the abilities of students gearing up to be business workers, electricians, hotel receptionists, car mechanics and nursing assistants. This groundbreaking initiative will redefine how we measure professional skills and give countries the opportunity to learn from each other’s VET programmes and fine-tune their education policies.
VET: a new frontier for international assessment
At the heart of PISA-VET is a new framework, launched 19th March, that will act as a roadmap for the assessment. It sets out guidelines for test design and data analysis, and defines the knowledge and skills required for vocational occupations and how they will be assessed. The test design builds on the experiences of successful professional skills assessments such as the ASCOT research programme in Germany and WorldSkills. It also makes the most of recent technological advances in assessment methods, such as the use of digital simulation to assess practical skills in the workplace.
This will enable PISA-VET to achieve its primary goal: to strengthen country skills systems by developing an internationally standardised assessment. The project aims to collect timely data on the quality and effectiveness of vocational programmes, contributing to their ongoing improvement and attractiveness. Regular data collection, akin to the PISA model, will enable the observation of trends and the impact of reforms and facilitate peer learning. Policymakers, employers, students, and social partners will benefit from invaluable insights, enhancing the quality, relevance, equity and effectiveness of VET programmes.
VET in the spotlight
All this comes at a pivotal moment in the evolution of vocational education and training. As the world undergoes major structural shifts such as the green and digital transitions, the importance of VET has never been clearer. As the fabric of societal and labour dynamics changes, VET plays a crucial role in equipping both young people and adults with skills demanded by societies and labour markets. A well-designed VET system not only addresses immediate needs but also ensures individuals possess transferable skills essential for navigating the future. Many countries recognise the increasing importance of effective, high-quality vocational programmes. As a result, it is high on the policy agenda, with policymakers keen to ensure VET is an effective vehicle for supporting school-to-work transitions and lifelong learning.
The PISA-VET initiative is not just an OECD initiative; it’s a global collaboration involving 13 participating countries, more than 100 national experts, trade union representatives, VET learners and others. Crucially, employers are taking centre stage. It is self-evident that businesses have an important role to play as partners and employers for vocational programmes. Employers’ understanding of skills needs, their expectations of VET graduates, and their experiences of training VET learners will provide crucial information to help the OECD design a relevant and credible assessment. The OECD is therefore partnering with businesses, industry and employers’ organisations engaged in VET to implement the initiative. The OECD’s partnership with Business at OECD (BIAC) is crucial in this regard and vital to ensuring a harmonious collaboration.
Next steps
There is still a lot of work to do. The next steps involve developing assessment instruments guided by the framework and piloting them in four countries: Australia, Germany, Portugal, and the United Arab Emirates. This next phase aims to confirm the reliability, validity, comparability, and affordability of the assessment. After that, PISA-VET assessments will be piloted across a wider range of countries. By expanding PISA into the dynamic world of VET, the OECD aims to break the mould and shake up the world of skills assessment. It is an exciting time and promises to deliver a future of improved quality and equity in vocational education and training.
