Pre-apprenticeship programs (PaPs) for Latin America and the Caribbean during and after the COVID-19 crisis
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
Other sources
Experts from many international, regional and national agencies generously share their views, experiences and findings on skills, helping policy-makers among other stakeholders to understand the linkages between education, training and the world of work, and how to integrate skills into national development planning to promote employment and economic growth.
Research papers
Working papers, reports, and other publications from international organizations, academic institutions and bilateral agencies. Research findings to stimulate informed debate on skills, employment and productivity issues.
This publication aim is to provide a starting point for a transformation process in the VET systems in LAC, to offer attractive educational solutions for different groups of young people and to lay a solid foundation for developing future skilled workforce that meets the requirements of the private sector translating into growing economies in the region.
The five key messages of this publication are:
* Most importantly, pre-apprenticeships are the “feeder” of quality apprenticeships and “heal” shortcomings from compulsory schools to smoothen the transition to quality apprenticeships.
* Pre-apprenticeship programs should help to expand existing initiatives of quality apprenticeships in the region because they increase the pool of qualified candidates and, therefore, may lead to more interest on the side of the employers.
* Pre-apprenticeships have the potential to help tackling some of the existing problems in the region like skills gaps, low graduation rates from secondary education, low permeability in the education system, fewer chances for vulnerable groups, high drop-out rates in VET and child labor.
* The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is demanding for a new and innovative solution like PaPs and for acting now, because many of the problems mentioned have intensified in the crisis.
* The inspiring example from Mexico, as well as the reports from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Paraguay, illustrate and validate the concept of PaPs that we propose in this publication and confirm that PaPs might be the missing piece in the puzzle for VET in the region.
Apprenticeships
Americas
