ENHANCING SUSTAINABLE LIFELONG LEARNING THROUGH COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN ZIMBABWE POLYTHECNICS

Year 2020, Volume: 12 Issue: 1, 133 - 146, 19.02.2020

Joseph Zuva Tranos Zuva

Abstract

This paper looks at Competency Based Education and Training (CBET) as a mechanism of imparting skills to learners. The paper further justifies CBET as an alternative route for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in public institutions in Zimbabwe. Over the years and recently CBET has proved to be the conduit of skills development and training that produces competent graduates capable of creating employment and promoting sustainable economic growth. TVET is capable of producing specialist practitioners for the various levels of the productive and service sectors in all the sectors of the economy. The paper advanced how competency-based education can be used as a conduit to enhance sustainable life-long learning capable of creating employment through entrepreneurship and meeting industry demands. CBET is viewed as a reform mechanism of skills development for life-long learning. For this study documentary analysis of literature was used to determine the relevant source of material for review. The selected literature, which included policy documents, journal articles and search engines were critically analysed. Document analysis of reviewed literature became the main source of information and data about TVET in public institutions. CBET is a wholesome mode of delivery which links all the three domains of learning namely psychomotor, affective and cognitive and enables graduates from this system to effectively operate in both formal and informal sectors of the economy for their livelihoods and the development of the nation at large. The training system is guided by international trends of industrialisation and modernisation; hence the paper proposes a TVET system driven by CBET that focuses on skills development anchored on continuous assessment, on the job training and innovation. In conclusion, the study established CBET as an effective mode of equipping trainees with sustainable lifelong competencies for self-reliance and economic growth. For this reason, CBET can be adopted as a useful means of growing the economy through formal and informal entrepreneurial income generating projects.

Keywords

competency, entrepreneurship, life-long learning, sustainable, skills development

References

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