Europe Region: How training can help workers and employers anticipate change
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
Workers' organizations
Learning new skills and upgrading existing ones help workers maintain their employability and improve their standard of living. Trade unions play a key role in increasing workplace-based training opportunities. The Global KSP shares, among other resource items, case studies, good practices and research provided by trade unions that highlight their involvement in promoting training at individual workplaces, social dialogue and collective bargaining on skills issues, and participating in developing skills policies and strengthening training institutions.
Anticipating and matching skills needs
Anticipating and building skills for the future is essential to a rapidly changing labour market. This applies to changes in the types and levels of skills needed as well as in occupational and technical areas. Effective methods to anticipate future skills needs and avoid potential mismatches include: sustained dialogue between employers and trainers, coordination across government institutions, labour market information systems, employment services and performance reviews of training institutions.
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.
Case studies and good practices
Case studies that document good practices and illustrate the benefits and lessons learnt of particular approaches or methods in real practice.
• respond to business and skill needs by identifying medium-term trends per job family and the corresponding training needs on a collective basis;
• anticipate technological and labour-market change with a view to boosting the company’s competitiveness with minimal restructuring;
• improve its workers’ employability by provision of a learning environment allowing them to be effective and efficient in their present and future jobs and to “develop their full potential”;
• develop its attractiveness vis-à-vis its own staff and potential recruits to address possible growing shortages of engineers and skilled technicians.
Employability
Human resources development
Skills anticipation
Europe and Central Asia
