International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue XI, November 2022|ISSN 2454-6186

The Philosophy of Vocational Education in the Face of 4th Industrial Revolution: A Namibian National Training Authority Perspective

 Natalia S. Intja¹*, Gerson Sindano², Oiva S. Nauyoma^3
1Department of Language Development, University of Namibia, Rundu Campus, Namibia
²Department of Intermediate and Vocational Education, University of Namibia, Rundu Campus, Namibia
³Department of Early Childhood Education and Care, University of Namibia, Rundu Campus, Namibia
*Corresponding Author

Abstract: In as much as VTC graduates should eventually become employers upon completion, the trainers of the trainees should ensure that the trainees are abreast with the paradigms shifts in the world called the 4IR to align their programmes offered to the new ways of doing things. For this promotion to happen, from the onset of the course, trainees should be equipped with necessary skills to navigate in the digital world and curb the digital divide so that they become digital natives. Despite this recognition, business proposal education and 4IR in the job market is not emphasised at every stage of vocational education and training system. This deficiency depletes the endeavours of aligning the TVET curriculum to the philosophy of the 4IR. This paper reviews the TVET curriculum under Office Administration from Rundu Vocational Training Centre and analysed the alignment of the course’ content and what is demanded in the workforce. This study involved secondary data collected in Kavango East region of Namibia (Rundu vocational training centre). Specifically, the data were collected from one VTC under the course of Office Administration level 2. The data were collected through the documentary review using desktop research. The secondary data (the Office Administration Level 2 study guide) published in 2001 were derived and reviewed. In the first instance, each unit was reviewed to deduce conclusions whether the course descriptors and content align with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Second, all the study guide’s units were brought together in an analysis to see whether the overall units prepare trainees of Office Administration to conform with the current world trends. Data were then analysed using descriptive framework. The findings of the study suggest that the VET policy today is driven by the job market rather than the individual’s needs and aspirations.

Keywords: Namibian National Training Authority; Fourth Industrial revolution; Curriculum; Vocational Education, TVET

I. INTRODUCTION

In as much as VTC graduates should eventually become employers upon completion, the trainers of the trainees should ensure that the trainees are abreast with the paradigms shifts in the world called the 4IR to align their programmes offered to the new ways of doing things. For this promotion to happen, from the onset of the course, trainees should be equipped with necessary skills to navigate in the digital world and curb the digital divide so that they become digital natives. Despite this recognition, business proposal education and 4IR in the job market is not emphasised at every stage of vocational

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