WFCP Congress 2024

22 to 27 September 2024, Montego Bay, St James, Jamaica, West Indies

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Affinity Groups

Affinity Groups are an essential element of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP). The groups bring together attendees to share and learn about topics which are especially relevant to professional, technical and vocational education and training.

Each Affinity Group is organized by a member association or college with support from one or two other associations or colleges.

Purpose of Affinity Groups (open to all congress attendees)

The Affinity Groups are designed to create a forum for the sharing of challenges and best practice from across the network of WFCP members. Each group can organize itself to suit the topic and its size but primarily the purpose is to:

  • raise challenges relating to the Affinity Group topic
  • facilitate experts to provide leading thinking on the topic
  • share leading practices
  • create opportunities for members of the Affinity Group to support each other
  • promote and publish key findings to help build the body of knowledge relating to the topic.

Global Citizenship

The Global Citizenship Affinity Group was established as an international community of practice to share the best experiences and exemplary strategies and tools to prepare students for global citizenship. As the professional and technical education and training community, The Global Citizenship Affinity Group focuses on multiculturalism, cultural sensitivity, and international and virtual mobility programs, aiming to provide students with intercultural competencies and cross-cultural awareness. The Group also aims to design curriculum (and co-curriculum) to address the challenges facing international students across countries and regions.

Indigenous Education

The Indigenous Education Affinity Group advises on the issues related to Indigenous education in PTET around the world and provides input on position and research papers related to Indigenous education and skills development. This Affinity Group also identifies recommendations to the WFCP membership on how to advance Indigenous education in PTET, provides guidance for the development of Indigenous education events and meetings, and promotes the role of PTET in Indigenous education.

Applied Research and Innovation

The Applied Research and Innovation Affinity Group is an established international community of practice. Members share the results and outcomes of applied research projects undertaken by their institutions, as well as exemplary practices related to applied research and innovation. The Group is led by Tknika in the Basque Country, a Centre promoted by the Deputy Ministry of Vocational Education and Training (VET) of the Education Department of the Basque Government. Through networking and direct involvement by the Basque Vocational Training teaching staff, the Centre develops innovative projects in the areas of technology, education and management.

Sustainable Development Goals

The vision of the Sustainable Development Goals Affinity Group is to advance the awareness and adoption of the SDGs as integral to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) learning, through knowledge exchange, bridging of experiences and the creation of an engaged community of practice encompassing a diversity of views while working to embed SDG principles through our organization’s processes and practices to ensure no one is left behind.

Construction

The Construction Affinity Group will bring together construction education practitioners from around the world to share practice, develop curricula, share insights and build upon existing global construction practices. The group will also seek to engage global industry within this forum so that all parties can be assured that our provision and outputs meet the needs of this pivotal global sector. The group will facilitate the sharing of experiences and approaches so that individual institutions can gain value in tendering for work, capitalize on joint initiatives in applied research that has a shared benefit and in developing a global and common understanding in the use of new technologies and approaches within this vital field of work.

Cyber Data and Security and Social Engineering

The Cyber and Data Security and Social Engineering Affinity Group will utilize in-country networks to feed labour market intelligence (LMI), employer views and industry practice into the group to help all members keep up to date with leading practice and approaches in the industries.  The approach will involve, for instance, UK industry patrons who are leading industry experts in these fields to hold a webinar with related affinity groups members providing the UK perspective of trends and developments in these industries and the skills and competencies required to make those seeking to secure employment within them a success.

Teacher Professional Development

Higher applied education is facing both opportunities and challenges of digitalization, AI and the uncertainty of globalization. The visions, capacities and competencies of teachers are crucial to the transformation of the sector. The Teacher Professional Development affinity group aims to build up a platform for teachers to communicate, exchange and learn from each other, through a series of facilitated activities, including but not limited to exchanges, webinars, joint research and papers, training workshops, industry experience, shadowing and site visits and lifelong learning. The group proposes two categories of Award of Excellence, for institutions that demonstrate excellence in teacher professional development, and for individual teachers who are excellent in innovative, creative and dedicated teaching and learning.

Brand TVET

This new Affinity Group will launch at the WFCP 2023 World Congress with an inaugural session open to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) leaders and practitioners. The group will focus on promoting the value of TVET and elevating the work of TVET organisations and professionals around the world. Although international TVET systems and context differ, TVET faces similar challenges globally. The group’s objective is to disseminate best practice and to work collaboratively to raise the profile of TVET.