Technical skills , which refer to the acquired knowledge , expertise and interactions needed to perform a specific task , including the mastery of required materials , tools or technologies .
Digital skills , which are cross-cutting and draw on all the above skills , describe the ability to access , manage , understand , integrate , communicate , evaluate , and create information safely and appropriately .
Partnering for Skills Development in East Asia and the Pacific ( Source ; World Bank )
East Asia and the Pacific countries are among the fastest-growing economies in the world . Growth is particularly dynamic in the industry and service sectors . As these economies become increasingly more developed , East Asia and the Pacific are confronted with critical skills challenges .
Demand for more highly-skilled labour has been increasing and across the region , there ’ s a growing need for employees with skills that range from socio-emotional and cross-cultural knowhow to automation management and technology . Employers are voicing demand for technical and vocational skills in surveys and as a result , returns on secondary and tertiary education , as well as vocational and technical degrees , are growing .
Recently , skills shortages and mismatches have become more prominent across countries in the region . This is further exacerbated by several demographic trends , such as ageing populations and increasing migration within and across countries . In response , many East Asia and Pacific countries are increasingly emphasising skills development and job creation in their respective economic development plans .
The World Bank Group is working with East
Asia and Pacific partner countries to :
● Provide advice for policies that support skills development throughout a person ’ s lifecycle , taking changing economic needs into account ;
● Convene experts and decision-makers to discuss best practices and trends within the region ; and
● Support projects and programmes that bolster education , social protection and jobs .
What is New Vocationalism ( Source : IGI Global )
In contrast with older traditional forms of vocational education , new vocationalism refers to the efforts of an educational institution “ to build on the abilities that gained them ( students ) a place at university and develop a strength that experts in lifelong learning have concluded will serve them well for their entire life : willingness and ability to learn without close supervision ”.
Nexus between Science and Technology ( Source : Britannica )
The history of technology is longer than , and distinct from , the history of science . Technology is the systematic study of techniques for making and doing things ; science is the systematic attempt to understand and interpret the world .
The situation began to change during the medieval period of development in the West ( 500 – 1500 CE ) when both technical innovation and scientific understanding interacted with the stimuli of commercial expansion and a flourishing urban culture . The robust growth of technology in these centuries could not fail to attract the interest of educated men .
Early in the 17 th century the natural philosopher Francis Bacon recognised three great technological innovations — the magnetic compass , the printing press , and gunpowder — as the distinguishing achievements of modern man , and he advocated experimental science as a means of enlarging man ’ s dominion over nature .
By emphasising a practical role for science in this way , Bacon implied a harmonisation of science and technology , and he made his intention explicit by urging scientists to study the methods of craftsmen and urging craftsmen to learn more science . Bacon , with Descartes and other contemporaries , for the first time saw man becoming the master of nature , and a convergence between the traditional pursuits of science and technology was to be the way by which such mastery could be achieved .
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