Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), Kobe University
From 17 November 2025 to 15 May 2026, I participated in a traineeship programme for a six months at the UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta. The UNESCO traineeship programme is jointly organized by UNESCO and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (Japanese National Commission for UNESCO). The programme aims to promote understanding of UNESCO’s activities, foster globally minded professionals including future international civil servants, and contribute to regional revitalization through UNESCO-related initiatives. Students enrolled at universities designated as UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs are eligible to undertake traineeships at UNESCO Headquarters or regional offices for periods ranging from six months to one year upon nomination by their universities.
For 55 years since its establishment, the Jakarta Office had served as the Asia-Pacific Regional Office for Natural Sciences. Since 2023, it has also functioned as a regional office covering five Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste.
During the traineeship, I worked with the Education Sector and contributed to several projects related to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Southeast Asia. My work included supporting initiatives aimed at strengthening digital skills education in vocational high schools, promoting skills policies utilizing labour market information, preparing regional workshops on labour market intelligence, and assisting with report development related to TVET system improvement. I also had opportunities to engage in research projects on generative AI and entrepreneurship, as well as TVET systems mapping across countries. Through these activities, I was involved in drafting project documents, concept notes, terms of reference, and presentation materials, organizing background information, and participating in meetings with relevant stakeholders.
This traineeship allowed me to look at vocational education policy from perspectives different from those of my usual academic research. While research often focuses on examining a specific topic in depth, practical work requires broader perspectives that take into account policy direction, stakeholder coordination, funding opportunities, and implementation feasibility. In addition, living in a research country country for a half year enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of the social atmosphere and everyday realities that are often difficult to capture through literature and data alone.
Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Hiromichi Katayama, Programme Specialist for Education at the UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta, and to all members of the office for providing me with this valuable opportunity. I am also deeply grateful to the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES) and the Kobe University SPRING Programme for their financial support, to Professor Keiichi Ogawa for supporting me throughout the application and participation process, and to everyone else who supported this traineeship experience.
Authored by Noa Yokogawa (Doctoral student)
