The year 2025 was an eventful year for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)-related events. The following is a list of events that took place in 2025.
Global & International TVET Events in 2025
Global TVET Forum 2025 — held 28–30 October 2025 in Berlin. Key highlight was the launch of the initiative towards a global TVET agenda, designed to coordinate global TVET policy, innovation and cooperation. The forum outcomes were to support initiatives towards a global TVET agenda.
Africa Skills Week 2025 — held 13–17 October 2025 at the African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The theme was “Strengthening Foundations for TVET Development in Africa,” with a focus on inclusive skills systems, digital & green skills, and aligning TVET with labour-market needs. Organized by AU and ILO, the outcome was a launch of the 10-year Continental Strategy 2025 – 2034 aimed at bridging Africa’s skills gap through policy, partnerships, digital transformation, and supporting youth/women build a skilled workforce for industrialization under Agenda 2063.
ATUPA Annual International Conference 2025 — August 2025, in Durban, South Africa. The conference was themed “Empowering Africa through TVET: Driving Sustainable Development, Youth Empowerment, and Economic Integration in the Era of Industry 4.0.” It also included the Pan-African Youth Forum 2025. Conference outcome was the creation of a youth forum as a vibrant space for knowledge sharing, networking and showcasing innovations that are expected to shape the future of TVET and youth empowerment in Africa.
ASEAN TVET Conference (ATVET) 2025 — 13–14 August 2025, at World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This convened policymakers, industry leaders and TVET institutions to discuss regional collaboration, qualification harmonization, skills gaps, and inclusivity especially for marginalized groups and women.
Conference outcomes were actionable commitments by focusing on tangible outcomes for skills development, industry alignment by driving industry – relevant curricula and deeper partnerships showcase of innovations by highlighting new technologies shaping the future of work.
TVETIC2025 (6th Technical & Vocational Education & Training International Conference) — held 10 September 2025, organized by the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
The conference focused on innovation in TVET, sustainable development, and strengthening education-industry linkages. Conference outcomes were that the participation from local and international institutions, created a dynamic environment for knowledge sharing and networking.
Regional / Institutional TVET Events in 2025
NUST 2025 TVET Conference — hosted by the Department of Technical and Vocational Education & Training (DTVET), Faculty of Commerce, Human Sciences and Education, at Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), on 22-24 October 2025 in Windhoek, Namibia. A platform for exchanging ideas on sustainable development, technology advancement and workforce empowerment through TVET. Conference outcome were that discussions and policies on TVET must be aimed in making TVET a catalyst for economic diversification and social equity.
Themes & Emerging Focus Areas in 2025 TVET Events
From the events above, several recurring themes and strategic priorities for 2025 emerged in TVET globally and regionally:
Global coordination & agenda setting — The Global TVET Forum and the launch of the “global agenda” reflect a push for more coordinated policy, data sharing, and partnership across regions.
Youth empowerment & inclusion — Events such as Africa Skills Week and ATUPA Conference emphasized youth, inclusivity (women, marginalized communities), and bridging TVET to employment.
Aligning TVET with labour-market needs, digital & green transitions — many conferences highlighted Industry 4.0, green skills, sustainable development, and better education-industry linkages.
Regional networking and knowledge sharing among institutions — Conferences like TVETIC2025 and the NUST TVET Conference facilitated collaboration, research sharing and adaptation of best practices in TVET across regions.
What This Means for Africa’s TVET Policy
These 2025 events signal several important opportunities:
The global push (via the Global TVET Forum) for a unified TVET agenda could provide frameworks you might align with when designing national/institutional policies.
African-regional events like Africa Skills Week or ATUPA Conference highlight growing continental momentum — institutions could benefit from best practices, regional collaborations or funding linked to these continental agendas.
Themes like green skills, digital transformation and industry alignment — which are increasingly central — resonate with modernizing TVET and integrating new sectors
Institutional conferences (like TVETIC2025 or NUST’s conference) show value in research collaboration and knowledge exchange.
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