The Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC), together with the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) has organized the In-Country Program on 21st Century Skills for TVET, held at the CTEVT Conference Hall in Kathmandu, Nepal from March 18 to 22, 2024. The program was joined by 30 participants composed of college directors, deputy directors, instructors, lecturers, administrators and practitioners from TVET institutions across Nepal.
The five-day program was designed for participants to understand the concept of 21st Century Skills and Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0; discuss the importance of 21st Century Skills for TVET on Digitalization; and develop a curriculum framework incorporating 21st Century Skills and IR 4.0. With this, competitiveness and sustainable development within the Asia Pacific region can be achieved as preparation for the challenges and opportunities in the 21st century.
The program was jointly supervised by the CPSC Director General Prof. G.L.D. Wickramasinghe and CTEVT Member Secretary Er. Mahesh Bhattarai. Meanwhile, CPSC Governing Board-Engaged Faculty Consultant Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen and CTEVT Director Mr. Deepak Prasad Poudel served as the Program Coordinator and Local Program Coordinator, respectively.
CTEVT Vice Chairperson Mr. Khagendra Prasad Adhikary (upper left) and CPSC Governing Board-Engaged Faculty Consultant Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen (upper right) deliver their respective opening speeches; Dr. Ulaganathen hands over the CPSC 50th Anniversary Book to Mr. Adhikary (bottom)
During the opening ceremony, Mr. Poudel welcomed the participants and distinguished guests as he delivered his welcome speech. Mr. Khagendra Prasad Adhikary, CTEVT Vice Chairperson, and Mr. Suresh Adhikari, Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) and Chief Guest of the program led the ceremonial lighting of the oil lamp, while Nepal's National Song and CTEVT Song were sung. Furthermore, Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen highlighted the objectives of the program and gave his opening remarks, together with MoEST Joint Secretaries Mr. Ima Narayan Shrestha and Mr. Shiva Kumar Sapkota, and Er. Bhattarai from CTEVT.
Guided by the objectives, the five-day training program sailed through workshops and presentations of the theme papers. These were facilitated by Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen, along with Mr. Brad Ker, General Manager of Labtech Academy and Er. Bhattarai. The theme papers were focused on the following topics: Integrated 21st Century Skills in TVET; Digitization for Global Competitiveness; TVET 21st Century New Skill in IR 4.0 and Beyond; Digital Learning Components in 21st Century; Technological Adaptation and Continuous Learning; and 21st Century Skills in Workforce Demand.
Aside from the workshops, a National Seminar on “Empowering New Skills in the 21st Century” was conducted on March 21, 2024. The sessions were facilitated by Mr. Ker; Dr. Shesha Kanta Pangeni, Asst. Professor at Kathmandu University School of Education; and Dr. Usha Bhandari, Senior National Program Officer at SWISS Agency for Development and Cooperation. In addition, Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen moderated the question-and-answer forum after the discussion of the Panel Speakers.
Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen facilitates the question-and-answer forum during the National Seminar
The five-day training program concluded with a closing address delivered by Er. Mahesh Bhattarai and Mr. Khagendra Prasad Adhikary. In their speech, they extended their gratitude towards the participants and the collaborative efforts made by the CPSC and CTEVT. They also expressed their enthusiasm towards more programs that will cater to the continuous development of TVET in Nepal. Selected participants delivered some words of appreciation and shared their respective insights from the five-day program, followed by the awarding of certificates of completion.
Awarding of certificates to the participants
