Strategies for Effective Regional Technical and Vocational Education and Training Integration via an Interval-Valued Spherical Fuzzy Approach

This article explores the current challenges of the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system in West African countries and identifies strategies for effective integration within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The study proposed a decision-making approach including the interval-valued spherical fuzzy (IVSF) Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA)-the Nearest Solution to References (REF), marking the first application of these techniques in combination to investigate regional TVET system integration within ECOWAS. Furthermore, this study introduces the FF-REF into the decision-making literature for the first time. The findings indicated that while limited funding and fragmentation of TVET programs are the two most critical challenges to effective regional TVET integration, the harmonization of TVET programs is the most appropriate strategy to overcome them. This study contributes to the literature by providing a new integrated framework for assessing TVET system integration at the regional level. It also offers practical insights for regional institutions and policymakers by prioritizing key challenges and actionable strategies to strengthen cooperation and harmonization of TVET systems across ECOWAS member states