The AI Literacy Imperative: Moving Beyond "Using" AI to "Understanding" AI in TVET Curricula

Abstract

In today’s education system, artificial intelligence (AI) is predominantly framed as a productivity tool—a means of reducing cognitive friction for learners. This conceptual paper argues that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has adopted a dangerously superficial approach to AI by fixating narrowly on this instrumental function. While efficiency gains are valuable, current instruction overwhelmingly emphasizes vocational shortcuts over systematic education on AI epistemics, bias, and ethics—content that, in the authors’ analysis of available curricula, remains largely absent. This imbalance risks producing graduates who are uncritical, passive consumers of “black‑box” technology rather than reflective practitioners capable of questioning AI outputs. Synthesizing peer‑reviewed literature, the paper advocates for a paradigm shift toward comprehensive AI literacy: understanding how AI works, where it fails, and how it affects society. TVET institutions are uniquely positioned to lead this shift because their hands‑on, competency‑based framework can embed critical AI critique—for example, through algorithmic auditing exercises integrated into vocational tasks—directly into authentic learning. The paper concludes by offering actionable recommendations for policymakers and educators. At stake is whether TVET produces tool users or tool shapers.