Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and its integration into general education at the university level

Abstract

This paper seeks to demonstrate the progress that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has made in cementing its place in general education (at the tertiary level) as a legitimate component of the education process for economic development and prosperity. It explores the reasons for the separation of liberal arts education from professional education in an earlier period, and the continued attempt to maintain the separation between general education and TVET in the 21st century. With the inevitable move towards a knowledge-based economy in developed and developing countries, the role of both general education and technical education is being heralded as vital to the performance of this modern approach to economic development. The paper also examines the factors that are driving these changes and the potential benefits to be derived from the integration of general education and TVET. Finally, the paper concludes that based on the growing symbiotic relationship between general education and TVET, it can be safely predicted that, increasingly, the distinction between general education and acquisition of skills for work will gradually disappear and will cease to be an issue for the education system in the long run.