A new article by CERE experts — Vera Maltseva, Maksim Nikitin, Santosh Mehrotra, and Jun Li — explores this question in the October special issue of the "Educational Studies Moscow" journal, titled “Educational Mosaic: Understanding BRICS States”.
How Public-Private Partnerships are Reshaping TVET in BRICS
A new research article by CERE experts Vera Maltseva, Maksim Nikitin, Santosh Mehrotra, and Jun Li has just been published in the October special issue of "Educational Studies Moscow", dedicated to the educational systems of the BRICS countries. Their piece, titled "Public–Private Partnerships in TVET: An Overview of Current Practices in the BRICS Countries", offers a timely and comparative look at how Russia, India, and China are building collaborations between state and industry in vocational education.
As the authors show, public–private partnerships (PPPs) have become a key strategy to modernize technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems across these rapidly developing economies. Drawing on case studies and theoretical insights from the field of skill formation, the article explores how countries with very different governance structures — from Russia’s centralized approach to China’s more decentralized model, and India’s hybrid path — all rely increasingly on partnerships with industry to align TVET with evolving labour market demands.
The research highlights that while these countries face shared pressures — including outdated curricula, skill mismatches, and limited resources — their approaches to PPPs reflect unique institutional and political contexts. Nevertheless, across all three, the growing involvement of employers in shaping curricula, delivering training, and supporting student transitions into work is clear.
Importantly, the article contributes to broader comparative discussions within the CERE Observatory. It shows that studying TVET governance through the lens of PPPs offers not only practical lessons but also deeper insight into how education systems evolve in response to economic transformation.
The authors suggest that more attention is needed to understand when and how PPPs can be effectively institutionalised. As BRICS countries continue to search for effective ways to strengthen their vocational education systems, this research underscores the importance of cooperation between government, business, and education — and the potential for shared learning between countries.
As the authors show, public–private partnerships (PPPs) have become a key strategy to modernize technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems across these rapidly developing economies. Drawing on case studies and theoretical insights from the field of skill formation, the article explores how countries with very different governance structures — from Russia’s centralized approach to China’s more decentralized model, and India’s hybrid path — all rely increasingly on partnerships with industry to align TVET with evolving labour market demands.
The research highlights that while these countries face shared pressures — including outdated curricula, skill mismatches, and limited resources — their approaches to PPPs reflect unique institutional and political contexts. Nevertheless, across all three, the growing involvement of employers in shaping curricula, delivering training, and supporting student transitions into work is clear.
Importantly, the article contributes to broader comparative discussions within the CERE Observatory. It shows that studying TVET governance through the lens of PPPs offers not only practical lessons but also deeper insight into how education systems evolve in response to economic transformation.
The authors suggest that more attention is needed to understand when and how PPPs can be effectively institutionalised. As BRICS countries continue to search for effective ways to strengthen their vocational education systems, this research underscores the importance of cooperation between government, business, and education — and the potential for shared learning between countries.
22 October 2025
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