Story:
College Technical Program and Delivery Transformation in Bolivia
College Technical Program and Delivery Transformation in Bolivia
About this Project
Country:
Bolivia
Project Type:
Program Development, Institutional Strengthening, Diversity, and Inclusion
Sector:
Technology
Delivery Format:
In-Person
Partners:
Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), Global Affairs Canada, El Instituto de Aprendizaje Industrial (IAI) in Bolivia, Ministry of Education of Bolivia, College of the Rockies, and Niagara College
Project Year & Length:
2014-2017; three years
The Opportunity
- Existence of a national development strategy to establish a comprehensive base of relevant training programs that could support national priority sectors and enable improved economic opportunities for its population.
- Low participation rates among women within the trades and technology sectors is a global concern, but more severe in Bolivia, where there is historical underrepresentation in both education and industry sectors.
- Growing poverty rates outside urban and semi-urban centres, particularly affecting women, girls, and historically marginalized indigenous groups.
- Women and girls were showing an increased interest in new opportunities for careers and economic empowerment.
- Colleges were looking to ensure their program development and delivery skills were linked to industry needs and focused on student success.
Our Approach
- Completed a national sector scan and labour market assessment to identify key skill areas needed by industry.
- Developed a specialization in Hydropneumatics as part of industrial mechanics to supply the sector with industry-ready employees.
- Worked with industry and college partners to develop a career program that crossed both trades and technology.
- Designed market-driven programs with a student-centred teaching approach, all grounded in industry consultation and partnerships.
- Established an employer engagement model to identify skills gaps and link that to program development involving faculty in exchange programs, communities of practice and localized options for employment-driven education.
- Integrated gender and social inclusion, accountable governance and environmental sustainability in program design and delivery.
Partner Outcomes and Success
- New program development enhanced the quality and consistency of applied demand driven training, that in turn increased the IAI’s reputation with industry and students.
- Increased participation rates for women into trades and technology programs.
- Enhanced acceptance and policy changes to increase the acceptance and support of women in trades and technology employment.
- An enhanced industry-driven program design and delivery model was implemented, supported by student centred learning and industry engagement.
- Improving the socio-economic well-being of vulnerable youth and women in Oruro.
Niagara College's Institute for Global Education and Training
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