Abstract:

The National Framework Qualifications for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NFQ-TVET) in Honduras is a public policy instrument aimed at harmonizing levels of competence, certificates, and diplomas, as well as facilitating the work of educational institutions in technical and professional training. This initiative, developed collectively in 2018, was mandated by constitutional Article 158, involving the Ministry of Education and the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) to coordinate the development and articulation of the National Education System.

The purpose of the Qualifications Framework is to promote articulation among the educational components of the system to enhance training itineraries and programs, thus influencing students' working lives by deploying greater skills and learning during their training process. Additionally, it aims to establish efficient mechanisms that link productive sectors with training institutions, facilitating the early integration of students into the workforce (NFQ-TVET, 2018).

The NFQ-TVET was built using descriptors from the Regional Qualifications Framework for Higher Education in Central America, which in turn is derived from the European Framework. These descriptors outline the minimum scope of training aspirations for each level, including disciplinary and professional knowledge, application of knowledge, information analysis and problem-solving, innovation, autonomy with personal, professional, and social responsibility, communication, and professional, cultural, and social interaction.

As an instrument of change, aiming to reform the approach to TVET in the country, the NFQ-TVET has encountered various receptions and thus challenges in its implementation, both within educational institutions and in the activities of educational and labor sector institutions.

To identify the main challenges in implementing and launching the NFQ-TVET, research has been conducted to understand the criteria that define the creation of new training programs based on learning outcomes by level, admission criteria, competency level scaling, and its linkage with the productive sector. Utilizing a qualitative methodological approach, various actors involved in the development, approval, and implementation processes were consulted to gauge their perception of achieving approval for this instrument and its implementation in educational institutions. Additionally, inquiries were made regarding its level of acceptance within the labor sphere in accordance with aspirations for order and recognition of the different accreditations awarded in the national education system.

The results of the consultation indicate that the main challenges include institutional articulation for managing change in internal processes of creating new educational offerings, limited knowledge of the tool, low political incidence of decision-makers regarding changes in government, limited space for dialogue, lack of commitment to collective action for its implementation, and questioning of the legal recognition and validity of the tool.

To address these challenges, a critical work route has been identified through the TVET Technical Table to consolidate a validation and updating strategy for the NFQ-TVET as a fundamental part of TVET Public Policy, involving different state and productive sector institutions.

Keywords:

Workforce development, descriptors, lifelong learning.