Blog: Building links between enterprises and training organisations
English
ILO
The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org
International organizations
Information is gathered from other international organizations that promote skills development and the transition from education and training to work. The Interagency Group on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (IAG-TVET) was established in 2009 to share research findings, coordinate joint research endeavours, and improve collaboration among organizations working at the international and national levels.
Participation of employers' and workers' organizations
The world of learning and the world of work are separate but linked. While one involves learning, the other produces goods and services. Neither can thrive without the other. Strong partnerships between government, employers and workers help ensure the relevance of training to the changing needs of enterprises and labour markets.
Training quality and relevance
Lack of adequate skills is often one of the most challenging obstacles in the labour markets of developing countries. Particular challenges arise when developing countries seek to shift from agriculture to manufacturing without a solid skills base. The type of skills required changes with structural transformation. When a low-income economy undergoes the process of structural change, moving from a primarily agrarian-based economy to one dominated by industry, a new set of skills is defined. Manufacturing requires skills that were not needed in agriculture.
Ethiopia is an example of this. The country has experienced a decade of high and sustained economic growth at around ten percent and is putting a specific focus on transforming the structure of its economy from being a primarily agrarian-based economy to becoming one dominated by industry. The changes have led to increased demand for skilled labor. The government of Ethiopia therefore increased the number of TVET institutions from 505 to 919 between 2011 and 2015. In 2015, more than 350,000 students were enrolled in TVET courses and the number of students is increasing every year. This rapid expansion of the system has increased the supply of skilled labor. At the same time, the economic changes have meant that new skills are demanded. To keep up colleges are hiring new teachers every year; many of whom are hired directly as graduates from TVET colleges or universities and therefore without longer practical experiences gained in a company.
What Ethiopia is experiencing often happens as low-income economies develop. A gap has developed between the training provided by the public institutions (supply) and the skills that are needed (demand). Due to a lack of proper participation of the business sector in creating standards for vocational training, the standards often do not match with the tasks and required skills expected for the companies’ workplace. As a result, TVET Colleges develop curricula and train TVET students not in full accordance with the required job demands and reality on the ground.
The government together with the business sector needs to focus on diminishing the gap between supply and demand of skilled labor. Policy-makers seeking to design skills policies face challenges that are specific to the country context. For them to fully understand the nature of the context and the skills needed, policy-makers need to engage with companies. Guiding principles based on good practices shed light on the factors that play a role in successful skills development policies. But the supply-demand mismatch for skills is also associated with the inability of the business sector to communicate the skills that are needed and, most importantly, the unwillingness to become directly involved in the creation of skills through training schemes. Firms complain about the lack of a qualified workforce, particularly as they move up the technology ladder.
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