The technological revolution is transforming societies, bringing about significant changes in human capabilities through the expansion of innovation in machines, algorithms, and artificial intelligence, as well as through comprehensive networking, including the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0. 

According to the report “The Future of Jobs 2020,” automation and a new division of labor between humans and machines will affect 85 million jobs worldwide by 2025. As Saadia Zahidi, director at the World Economic Forum, points out, “COVID-19 has accelerated the arrival of the future of work, forcing companies, governments, and workers to work together to implement a new vision for the global workforce.” 

In this context, there is a real increase in workforce diversity and in the challenges of training and retraining people to meet increasingly complex demands. It is clear that there is no alternative but to adapt to this changing landscape, and to do so, it is essential to invest in education, strengthen educational systems and vocational schools, and make them more attractive, innovative, and aligned with the needs of the 21st century. 

In Brazil, there is a growing trend toward expanding vocational education, particularly technical programs. However, it is not enough to simply ensure access and retention; above all, we must guarantee the quality of these programs to meet the needs of the workforce. How can this be achieved? There are several approaches, but the important role of assessment and its indicators stands out, as they guide policies aimed at establishing quality standards compatible with constant technological, labor, and social changes. 

It is true that the concept of quality is complex and cannot be defined solely by the information that an assessment can provide. However, its results reveal information about a reality that is sufficient to guide education systems and support decision-making. 

Large-scale external evaluation has become established as a positive measure for assessing the quality of basic and higher education through various programs implemented by the Ministry of Education. However, there is still no defined policy for the evaluation of vocational education, although steps are being taken in that direction. 

It is worth noting the unique nature of vocational education; as such, an assessment model also presents its own complexities and various challenges, such as the national alignment of reference frameworks by competency, course, professional field, or technological area (what to assess); the development of valid, reliable, and high-quality assessment tools appropriate for vocational education (how to assess); the scope and implementation strategies (who); the frequency of assessment (when); and the use of sophisticated statistical and psychometric analysis procedures, especially for practical tests.   

Among the few large-scale evaluation initiatives in vocational education, the program implemented by the National Industrial Apprenticeship Service (SENAI) is worth highlighting here. SENAI operates in 28 professional fields within the industrial sector, using a competency-based training model, and thirteen years ago it established a Vocational and Technical Education Assessment System (SAEP) to assess demand for courses, the development and quality of programs, the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching and learning, student placement in the labor market, and employer satisfaction with the training of new workers. 

One of the main aspects of the assessment system implemented by SENAI concerns the evaluation of student performance, which consists of two assessment processes, as specified below:

Objective Assessment:a test of specific knowledge with items that present real-world contexts and expose students to situations similar to those they will encounter in the workplace, in order to evaluate the course’s effectiveness in preparing students for their chosen profession and their ability to practice it competently. The exam is administered to students completing technical programs and strictly adheres to the technical requirements of Item Response Theory (IRT).

Practical Assessment: simulationsof real and feasible workplace situations that future professionals may encounter in the workforce, requiring the mobilization of resources and means to resolve challenges, and resulting in observable outcomes that demonstrate the skills expected for the practice of the profession. 

One of the challenges of assessment in EPT concerns the measurement of social-emotional competencies, which helps to better guide the pedagogical approach in the training process for these workers. It is widely agreed that social-emotional competencies are not innate or fixed; rather, they can be learned, practiced, and taught. 

According to “The Future of Jobs Survey,” essential skills such as the ability to think critically, flexibility and adaptability to new situations, a proactive mindset, an innovative attitude, self-management, resilience, problem-solving initiative, leadership, and social influence consistently rank among the top priorities for worker retraining and upskilling. 

It is equally essential to understand and analyze the characteristics and conditions of the school environment and the related factors that influence learning. Studies show that understanding these factors and being aware of them has become increasingly important. The same is true from the perspective of providing vocational and technical education. 

Given the specific nature of this program—namely, the development of technical and professional skills—only a few additional requirements need to be added to this overview. Therefore, special attention must be given to the school’s management and infrastructure, as well as its relationship with the productive sector and the world of work. 

Reflecting on student performance results—while understanding the profiles of the stakeholders involved and the context in which they operate—allows the teaching staff to gain a more accurate understanding of the external and internal factors that influence the teaching process and student learning (KELLAGHAN, 2011). This insight makes it possible to design initiatives that are effectively aimed at improving the satisfaction of the stakeholders involved and the quality of each technical program evaluated. 

On the other hand, it is well known that achieving the same level of performance is much more difficult in some schools than in others. Thus, the performance scores obtained on assessments raise a number of questions, with the aim of better understanding the phenomenon of education and thereby implementing interventions that contribute to academic success for all. 

Thus, the factors associated with evaluation can help answer the following questions: Are there differences among the evaluated schools? What causes a school to perform well in some programs but not in others? How does infrastructure affect the performance of specific programs? To what extent? Do students who are already working perform better? To what extent does teaching quality affect student performance? Which schools are most effective at training workers? What do they have in common? The list of questions that can be asked does not end here; however, we will only have the answers through evaluations that provide us with this feedback.   

In conclusion, we can say that there are countless challenges in assessment within vocational education, but its results offer countless possibilities, including a picture of the quality of the programs that goes beyond the level of their indicators. 

It is important that they be used as guidelines for new initiatives and policies aimed at improving the quality of vocational education, while respecting the autonomy, diversity, and context of each school. 

Without overlooking the importance of putting the results to use, the evaluation should not remain confined to the upper echelons of the organization. Its findings must reach decision-makers at every level of the hierarchy—in different languages—with the primary goal of changing the way people think, feel, and act. Just as a coin has two sides, the effort is only worthwhile if the results are applied to change reality. 

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*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bett Brasil.

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