The UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNESCO-UNEVOC) assists UNESCO's 195 member states strengthen and upgrade their technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems. It was established in 2000 and was inaugurated in Bonn in 2002. It currently has 13 full-time staff. In addition, UNEVOC regularly involves experts from various fields as well as interns to contribute to the work.
The acquisition of skills for work, and for citizenship, is crucial for economic and social development. It is important for individuals, for communities and, at the aggregate level, for nations. Ideally, TVET is relevant to the needs of the labour market, of high quality, and broadly accessible. This ideal is a far cry from reality for many UNESCO member states and hence UNESCO-UNEVOC gives priority in its work to those with the greatest need: developing nations, economies in transition and those in a post-conflict situation. UNESCO-UNEVOC particularly focuses on contributing to the overarching UNESCO goals in TVET. These are to assist member states improve and integrate TVET as part of the global Education for All Campaign, and also to assist the alignment of TVET with the tenets of sustainable development.
UNESCO-UNEVOC is also the hub of a network of key organizations and institutions specializing in TVET in UNESCO Member States worldwide. This UNEVOC Network includes government ministries, research facilities, planning and training institutions. The UNEVOC Network serves as a platform for information sharing and bringing TVET stakeholders and specialists together in meetings and workshops as a means to improve TVET in different regions of the world.
UNEVOC maintains a physical library that consists of books, journals, newsletters and other documents. Many of the publications in this library are also accessible online and free of charge. through an online database. The UNESCO-UNEVOC Online Library functions as a resource centre for TVET experts, practitioners and students with its wide range of over 4000 specialized TVET publications. UNESCO-UNEVOC puts particular emphasis on online knowledge sharing and knowledge provision, for example through the UNEVOC e-Forum, an online community of over 2000 TVET experts, and the knowledge-sharing portal TVETipedia (www.tvetipedia.com). The UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre also has a strong information dissemination dimension.
