Launch of PISA-VET framework, a global milestone

WorldSkills International has been supporting the development of an internationally standardized assessment for Vocational Education and Training (VET), which aligns well with the spirit of WorldSkills . The OECD initiative has reached an important milestone, with the launch of the PISA-VET framework scheduled for 19 March 2024 online.

Inspired by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which has been providing countries with comparative data on the skills of 15-year-olds in maths, reading, and science for the last two decades, PISA-VET will measure the abilities of future business workers, electricians, hotel receptionists, car mechanics, and nursing assistants.

A critical programme by the OECD, the PISA-VET framework is a joint effort between 13 countries as well as more than one hundred experts, employers, and international partners, including WorldSkills. Our well-established professional skills assessment methodology has been one of its bases. The participation of WorldSkills Experts in the development phase of the programme is helping confirm the validity of these metrics and the international comparability of the results.

The PISA-VET framework will act as a roadmap for the assessment, setting out guidelines for test design and data analysis, and defining the knowledge and skills required for vocational occupations and how they will be assessed.

The assessment is expected to have three components: tests of content knowledge, digitally assisted immersive simulations, and live demonstrations, the last of these drawing on the direct experience of WorldSkills.

“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,” said Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills at OECD, and El Iza Mohamedou, Head of the OECD Centre for Skills, on a recent blog post. “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.”

The main goal of PISA-VET is to collect data on the quality and effectiveness of vocational programmes that can help countries strengthen their skills systems, and improve the attractiveness of VET.

The webinar Launch of the PISA-VET Framework: A Global Milestone in Future-Ready Professional Skills will explore the framework’s innovative approach and how the landscape of vocational skills and education can be collectively redefined.

The panel of leading experts will include:

• Yoshiki Takeuchi, Deputy Secretary General, OECD
• El Iza Mohamedou, Head of OECD Centre for Skills
• David Hoey, CEO, WorldSkills International
• Hanni Rosenbaum, Executive Director of Business at OECD
• Markus Schwertel, Director for Hewlett-Packard’s Global Policy & Strategy team
• Olga Mironenko Stampfer, Vice President, International Relations at United Health Group

Register to join the webinar, scheduled for 19 March at 11am CET.