CRP in VET Toolbox Hackathon 2019

The European Union has launched the VET Toolbox aimed at strengthening Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems in developing countries. The VET Toolbox supports labour market analysis and offers practical advice on strengthening the links between VET and the private sector, making VET more effective and relevant, including for those most in need. CRP’s Executive Director attended a hackathon hosted by VET Toolbox on 23-24 May 2019 at Brussels, Belgium. A hackathon (also known as a hack day, hackfest or codefest) is a design sprint-like event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers, project managers, and others, often including domain experts, collaborate intensively on software projects. The goal of a hackathon is to create usable software or hardware with the goal of creating a functioning product by the end of the event.

This two-day out-of-the-box event brought together the unusual or usual suspects to tackle challenges on inclusion and public-private collaboration in Vocational Education and Training (VET). Under the track “Inclusion in VET” CRP’s Executive Director worked in a group named “Thums Up” to find a solution for the challenge: How can we increase the inclusiveness of the labour market in order to guarantee VET learners from vulnerable groups equal access, equal opportunities and respond to their needs? In solution to that challenge, the team came with an idea to develop an innovative employer led approach in partnership with TVET providers and civil society especially for disability groups.