The Hot Line is normally issued monthly to all members and highlights IVETA activities and selected professional happenings.

IVETA Africa Regional Conference, Livingstone, Zambia, Complete; A full report is available on the conference, which was attended by over 200 individuals from over 20 countries and organizations. A wide array of plenary and small group sessions addressed the theme of Achieving Poverty Reduction through Quality Vocational Education and Training in Partnership with Industry. Details of the program can already be found on the Conference web site www.ivetazambia.org.zm, a summary of Conference proceedings can be found at www.iveta.org, and electronic copies of main presentations/papers can be obtained from the IVETA Secretariat ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). The next Africa Regional Event is planned for 2009 in Namibia.

Network for Policy Research, Review and Advice on Education and Training (NORRAG) is a free-to-join network, supported by the UK and is committed to encouraging critical analysis of international development, especially in the field of education and training, through a network of researchers, policymakers, donor agencies, and NGOs. The main product is the NORRAG NEWS (NN) digital newsletter that is produced twice per year. It has a large number of concise papers, focusing on policy implications of research findings and/or on the practical implications of new policies formulated by multilateral agencies or donors. The current issue, NN40 (May 2008), is on “Education for sustainable development.” Earlier issues --which span back over 20 years - have included, for example: Best Practice in Education & Training;  Technical and Vocational Skills Development; Education and Training Out of Poverty?; Special Theme on 2005, Millennium Project & World Summit & the Commission for Africa and G8; Education and Skills in Eastern, Western and Central Africa; Development Cooperation  and Partnerships; and Aid Targeting. NORRAG has about 2,250 members; slightly over one third of these come from the South. Many of them contribute to the NORRAG NEWS. You can become a member by registering yourself at the web site: http://www.norrag.org/registration.php.

2008 IVETA Annual Conference on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. The theme is Youth Employment/Unemployment: The Role of Vocational-Technical Education.” Abstracts for proposed presentations are due September 15, presentations will be selected by October 15, and complete papers are due by November 15. Dr. Robert E. Norton, 2008 IVETA Annual Conference Chair and Vice President for N. America, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , fax 614-292-1260 is organizing the program and papers should be sent to him. Complete and detailed information, including the Conference Registration Form (deadline for submission to the IVETA Secretariat is November 17), can be found at http://www.iveta.org.

IVETA General Business Meeting. The membeship meeting will be held on December 3, in conjunction with the Annual Conference in North Carolina.
Elections for IVETA Executive Committee Members. Elections will be held during the Annual Conference and IVETA members are encouranged to submit nominiations to the chairperson of the Nomination Committee, Roland Dubois , This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it by Sept 20. The Ballot will be placed on www.iveta.org in early October. Descriptions of all Executive Committee positions can be found at www.iveta.org Bylaws, Article 3.

IVETA Annual Awards. Members are encouraged to make nominations for the following awards to be presented in North Carolina: (a) the Silvius Wolansky award to an Outstanding Leader in Technical Vocational Education and Training for significant contributions to the advancement of technical vocational education and training locally, nationally, and internationally; (b) the Joel Magisos Exceptional Service Award to an IVETA member for long-term support to the continuing development of IVETA; (c) the Valued Supporter of IVETA award to a member for exceptional support during the present year; and (d) the Robert D Cain Business/Organization award to a company, government agency or educational institution, for continuing or for new support to IVETA. Nominations, with supporting information, should be sent by email no later than October 10 to the Chairperson of the Awards Committee, Dr Christopher Parkin This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Fax: +44 1582 472173 (UK). Descriptions of all awards can be found at www.iveta.org, Bylaws, Article 4.

IVETA Newsletter: The theme of the first revised Newsletter, which will be on the IVETA members’ web site by the end of September, addresses the changing role of secondary vocational education. With the advent of the knowledge economy, secondary education is increasingly becoming compulsory in most developed and many middle income countries, part of basic education, and is the key transition point to the world of work and/or future specialized education. In developing countries, primary education completion rates are increasing, which puts pressure on Governments to provide more spaces in secondary education. The above trends raise questions about the appropriateness of old-style specialized and tracked secondary vocational education, which is expensive, often provides youth with weak basic education skills, and results in their having difficulty in adapting to the demands of the changing knowledge economy. Secondary general and vocational education are increasingly merging, and vocational training is increasingly left to upper secondary, with a function of providing core work skills from a general family of occupations to facilitate initial entry to the workforce and to post secondary specialized training institutions. These trends are discussed in several of the Newsletter articles, and the September Issue of the ACTE Journal “Techniques” has a number of articles on Career Clusters and Pathways in secondary education.

Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Convention: We encourage IVETA members to attend the ACTE Conference. To get the best rates, you first need to be a member of ACTE (you can do this on-line, international membership is only USD60). You can register for ACTE membership and the Conference, by going to www.acteonline.org (to register for the Conference click on 2008 Convention registration and housing on the right of the main web

New IVETA Web Site. The updated web site is operational with a number of new features, including: (a) integrated public and member sites on one server, (b) instant translation of all parts of the web site, and (c) new features for members including a “Job Bank,” a members’ “forum,” a place for members to put their resumes, and an archive section. To log in to the member part of the site, members should use: (a) as a name, their first initial, followed by a period, then their last name, and (b) the generic password “iveta2008” (the name and password are in lower case).   The first initial and last name that members use to log in must be exactly the same as in the IVETA membership roster. Members can change and personalize their own password.

Dr. David H. Fretwell, IVETA President, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it