Skills for IT!
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
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.
Sectoral approaches
Matching skills to labour market demand requires reliable sectoral and occupational information and institutions that connect employers with training providers. Sector based strategies and institutions have proved effective in engaging all stakeholders in promoting both pre-employment training and life-long learning.
Training quality and relevance
Youth employability
Globally, nearly 68 million young women and men are looking for and available for work, and an estimated 123 million young people are working but living in poverty. The number who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) stands at 267 million, a majority of whom are young women. Significantly, young people are three times as likely as adults (25 years and older) to be unemployed.
Skills development is a primary means of enabling young people to make a smooth transition to work. A comprehensive approach is required to integrate young women and men in the labour market, including relevant and quality skills training, labour market information, career guidance and employment services, recognition of prior learning, incorporating entrepreneurship with training and effective skills forecasting. Improved basic education and core work skills are particularly important to enable youth to engage in lifelong learning as well as transition to the labour market.
Policy and strategy
Recommendations and advice on resolving policy challenges related to skills development systems and their linkages to the world of work. Concise syntheses of experience from the international organizations.
Strategic priorities for skills development to support the growth of the IT industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The IT industry is one of the fastest growing industries in BiH with a high potential for the creation of decent jobs. However, the lack of skilled workers hinders growth and expansion. To support policy makers and the companies in the IT sector to address this challenge, the International Labour Organization Office for Central and Eastern Europe and Bit Alliance developed a diagnostic background and conducted a skills foresight workshop on November 18th, based on the ILO Rapid STED Methodology.
The background study identifies quantitative and qualitative skills deficits of IT companies in both IT and non-IT occupations and analyzes the existing offer for education and training. It was presented and discussed at the "Skills Foresight Workshop" on October 18th with the participation of IT companies, representatives of TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and higher education institutions.
The background study reveals that the IT the sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina offers an increasing number of employment opportunities, which are particularly attractive to new employees due to rapid wage growth. According to the study by 2030 Bosnia and Herzegovina will need more than 25 000 developers, 6000 test specialists and 3000 DevOps experts. Although the supply of qualifications in the IT sector is growing, it is not evolving fast enough to meet the needs of the companies in the long run.
The foresight workshop was conducted in a participatory manner, allowing participants to express their opinions and to prioritise actions. The three most important recommendations are:
- Encouragement amendments to legal and administrative frameworks, to allow for curricula updates in response to technological change
- Encouragement Interdisciplinary programs between Economics and of Electrical Engineering faculties, to train non-IT specialists in the IT industry (e.g. on Business Information Systems, HR, Digital Marketing, Project Managers, Product Owners, Scrum Masters, etc.)
- Establishing secondary vocational schools for IT to complement secondary IT education in Schools of Electrical Engineering, grammar and high schools with IT streams.
Based on this, the International Labour Organization and Bit Alliance will develop a strategic skills development plan for the IT sector. The validated plan and the background research will be published in late 2021 and be freely accessible online.
Sectoral approaches
Self employment
Skills anticipation
Youth employment
Europe and Central Asia
