More than 70 adult educators from six countries in Latin America met for the third “Encuentro Andino” of youth and adult education in La Paz, Bolivia from 30 November to 2 December. Together with representatives from the ministries of education from Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, they discussed the current approaches, experiences and challenges of technical and employment-oriented education.
Since 2012, DVV International has organised transnational events for adult educators from the countries of South and Central America. As the so-called Encuentro Andino, these meetings have meanwhile become firmly established. They offer state and civil society actors a joint platform for the discussion of relevant topics of local youth and adult education and at the same time promote professional exchanges beyond the respective national borders.
The participants of the third Encuentro Andino dealt with the current perspectives of technical education and training, as well as with the question of what education could and should be able to provide to young people and adults in order to noticeably improve their living conditions. This question is particularly relevant in contexts where classical vocational training doesn’t work or doesn’t work adequately.
Three panels highlighted the value and framework conditions of technical education and training in the context of national education policies, presented innovative approaches and experiences of concrete educational work, and dealt with the current challenges of a future-oriented and target-group-suitable design of corresponding educational concepts and offers.
Under the active participation of the delegations from Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru as well as Guatemala, Colombia and Mexico, current reforms and their importance for the further development of employment-oriented education were discussed. It became clear, among other things, that the imparting of technical knowledge and skills alone was not enough. What is needed are more holistic approaches that address development potentials in the local context and, in addition to entrepreneurial know-how and soft skills, primarily convey and promote social values and the value of solidarity.
In his closing speech, the serving Bolivian Deputy Minister of Education, Noel Aguirre, praised the sustained commitment of DVV International for the successful institutionalisation of youth and adult education in the national education system of Bolivia.
Further information as well as publications on the event can be found at www.dvv-international.org.bo
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