If the world is to rebound from its international economic slump, it will need to de-stigmatize vocational education.

So said experts at the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), held in Doha, Qatar this week.

The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development founded the summit in 2009.

This year’s summit, titled "Collaborating for Change,” attracted more than 1,000 delegates representing 100 nations. Participants included educators, political leaders, and employers.

Many of those who attended emphasized the need for vocational education to help bridge gaps in skills worldwide. Governments, they said, should introduce policy reforms to attract young people to vocational education programs.

The problem, acknowledged by many who attended the summit, is a perception that vocational training is “an option for losers,” said Valerie Hannon, co-author of the book “Learning a Living.”

That perception, however, must change if the world wants to create jobs and equip youth for employment, said Hannon.

She pointed to Finland, which has gone a long way toward removing the vocational training stigma. "The vocational route [in Finland] is not seen as an option for losers,” she said. “There's flexibility and courses lead to accreditation recognised by employers."

In South Africa, meanwhile, vocational training colleges are having a difficult time attracting students in large numbers.

The result of this trend is that more than 75 million young people are jobless worldwide. The “terrible unemployment crisis,” said Christine Evans-Klock, director of the International Labour Organisation’s department for skills and employability, is partly owing to the fact that employers cannot find qualified applicants.

The perception that vocational training does not lead to good jobs is rampant, said Evans-Klock. However, “most vocational jobs are highly technical [and] they are very intellectually stimulating. We need [to do away with the notion] that people in vocational training are those that can't make it to university. If we can turn that around, we'll see employment get better.”

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