Editing Vocational education (section)

===Providing broader competencies alongside specialist skills===
Skills for economic development include a mix of technical and [[soft skills]]. Empirical evidence and TVET policy reviews conducted by [[UNESCO]] suggest that TVET systems may not as yet sufficiently support the development of the so-called soft competencies.<ref>UNESCO. 2013b. ''Policy Review of TVET in Cambodia''. Paris, UNESCO. <nowiki>http://unesdoc.unesco.org/</nowiki> images/0022/002253/225360e.pdf#xml=<nowiki>http://www.unesco.org/ulis/cgi-bin/ulis.pl?database=&set=53761B39_2_350&hits_rec=2&hits_lng=eng</nowiki>&nbsp;</ref><ref>UNESCO. 2013c. ''Policy Review of TVET in Lao PDR''. Paris, UNESCO. <nowiki>http://unesdoc.unesco.org/</nowiki> images/0022/002211/221146e.pdf#xml=<nowiki>http://www.unesco.org/ulis/cgi-bin/ulis.pl?datab</nowiki> ase=&set=53761918_0_231&hits_rec=2&hits_lng=eng&nbsp;</ref><ref>UNESCO. 2013d. ''Revue de politiques de formation technique et professionnelle au Benin''. Paris, UNESCO. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002213/221304f.pdf</ref> Many countries have, however, adopted competency-based approaches as measures for reforming TVET curricula.

The HEART Trust National Training Agency of [[Jamaica]] adopted this approach, with a particular emphasis on competency standards and balanced job-specific and generic skills. Competency standards aimed to ensure that the training was linked to industry and was up to date, and that competences were integrated into training programmes, along with the needed knowledge, skills and attitudes. The balancing of skill types was to ensure adequate attention was given to job-specific skills as well as the conceptual and experiential knowledge necessary to enable individuals to grow and develop in the workplace, and more generally in society.<ref>HEART Trust NTA. 2009. ''Policy on competency-based education and training''. Draft Concept Paper. Kingston, HEART Trust NTA.</ref><ref name=":1" />