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Improving skills development in the informal sector: Strategies for Sub-Saharan Africa

Improving skills development in the informal sector: Strategies for Sub-Saharan Africa

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Improving skills development in the informal sector: Strategies for Sub-Saharan Africa
Language:

English

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english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

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.

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skpIntOrg
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international-organizations
Topics:

Access to training

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Access for all to good quality education, vocational training and workplace learning is a fundamental principle of social cohesion and economic growth. Some groups of people may require targeted attention if they are to benefit from education, training and employment opportunities.  

This is particularly the case for disadvantaged youth, lower skilled workers, people with disabilities, and people in rural communities. The attractiveness of vocational education and training is enhanced when combined with entrepreneurship training and when public policies encourage utilization of higher skills by business. 
 

Identifier
skpATSU
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access-to-training
Knowledge Products:

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. 

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skpCaseStdy
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case-studies-and-good-practices

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. 

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skpRPS
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research-papers
Publication Date:
20 Aug 2013
Open
wcmstest4_067645.pdf
Sub-Saharan Africa has millions of nonfarm workers engaged in small and household enterprises outside formal wage employment, constituting the informal sector. Previously seen as a pool of surplus labor expected to be absorbed by future industrialization, this sector has instead become a persistent feature of the region’s economic landscape, and accounts for a majority of new jobs created off the farm.

Expanding the sector’s potential as a source of employment for the region’s growing workforce and improving its productivity and earnings are priorities for poverty reduction. This publication examines the role played by education and skills development in serving these priorities.

The study looks at how formal education, technical and vocational education and training, apprenticeships, and on-the-job learning shape employment and earnings in the informal sector in five countries: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania, that together account for one-third of the nearly 900 million people living in Sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, the paper examines: (a) the employment characteristics of the informal sector, (b) its size and impact on poverty, (c) the profile of education and training in the informal and formal sectors and the links with employment and earnings, and (d) the skills development strategies of those working in the informal sector.

The importance of this study is its quantitative assessment, using household surveys, of the relationship of different sources of skills development to the sector in which one works and to one’s earnings. The paper also examines a set of economic constraints to skills development and offers an insightful approach to improving employment outcomes, including examples of successful interventions taken from the five countries and elsewhere.
Subject Tags:

Apprenticeships

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apprenticeships
Identifier
639

Informal economy

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informal-economy
Identifier
187

Poverty alleviation

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poverty-alleviation
Identifier
149

Vocational training

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vocational-training
Identifier
124
Regions:

Africa

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Countries and territories:

Rwanda: Technical and Vocational Education and Training Policy

Rwanda: Technical and Vocational Education and Training Policy

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Rwanda: Technical and Vocational Education and Training Policy
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

Governments

Governments hold a wealth of knowledge on skills development, and are increasingly realizing the value of learning from each others’ experiences. Their policy documents, programme evaluations, and research findings contain their experience and ideas on how to better link skills to employment

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skpGov
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governments
Topics:

Access to training

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Access for all to good quality education, vocational training and workplace learning is a fundamental principle of social cohesion and economic growth. Some groups of people may require targeted attention if they are to benefit from education, training and employment opportunities.  

This is particularly the case for disadvantaged youth, lower skilled workers, people with disabilities, and people in rural communities. The attractiveness of vocational education and training is enhanced when combined with entrepreneurship training and when public policies encourage utilization of higher skills by business. 
 

Identifier
skpATSU
Slug
access-to-training

Financing of training

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Initial education and training and lifelong learning benefit individuals, employers and society as a whole. Economic principles dictate that the costs for services with public and private benefits should be shared between public and private funding, or else too little training will be provided or taken up. Effective mechanisms for financing skills development vary according to countries’ economic and political circumstances and the degree and level of social dialogue established.

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skpFinanT
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financing-training

Training quality and relevance

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skpTrainQR
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training-quality-and-relevance
Knowledge Products:

National policies and initiatives

National legislation, policies and initiatives on the issue of training and skills development and the world of work. 

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Identifier
skpNatPol
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national-policies-and-initiatives
Publication Date:
07 Jan 2013
Open
fm11g_011816.pdf
The TVET policy aims to: (1) assure guidance and counselling, planning, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of TVET activities; (2) provide relevant theoretical and practical training in all sectors; (3) satisfy needs of priority sectors by training workers for the relevant qualification areas; (4) provide the graduates with required skills, i.e. ensure their employability; and (5) develop work values and attitudes of workers. The priority areas of intervention identified for the TVET policy are: development of a TVET systems, improved access to TVET programmes, high quality of TVET programmes, provision of well-trained TVET teachers, and ensuring sustainable financing of TVET programmes.
Subject Tags:

Employability

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employability
Identifier
643

Financing training

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financing-training
Identifier
673

Human resources development

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human-resources-development
Identifier
118

Informal economy

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informal-economy
Identifier
187

Poverty alleviation

Slug
poverty-alleviation
Identifier
149

Private sector

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private-sector
Identifier
229

Vocational training

Slug
vocational-training
Identifier
124
Regions:

Africa

Region Image
Countries and territories:

Project brief: The Adolescent Girls Initiative

Project brief: The Adolescent Girls Initiative

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Project brief: The Adolescent Girls Initiative
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

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.

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Identifier
skpIntOrg
Slug
international-organizations
Topics:

Access to training

Thumbnail

Access for all to good quality education, vocational training and workplace learning is a fundamental principle of social cohesion and economic growth. Some groups of people may require targeted attention if they are to benefit from education, training and employment opportunities.  

This is particularly the case for disadvantaged youth, lower skilled workers, people with disabilities, and people in rural communities. The attractiveness of vocational education and training is enhanced when combined with entrepreneurship training and when public policies encourage utilization of higher skills by business. 
 

Identifier
skpATSU
Slug
access-to-training
Knowledge Products:

Promotional material

Presentations, discussion papers, meeting reports, promotional materials, videos, fact sheets, brochures and newsletters on skills development for employment.

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Identifier
skpAIM
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promotional-material
Publication Date:
23 Nov 2012
Open
fm11g_005415.pdf
In 2008, the World Bank launched the "Adolescent Girls Initiative" to promote the transition of young women from school to productive employment. The program is being piloted in eight low-income countries (Afghanistan, Jordan, Lao PDR, Liberia, Haiti, Nepal, Rwanda, and South Sudan) and is currently reaching some 17,000 girls. Each program is individually tailored to the country context, with a common goal of discovering what works best in programming to help adolescent girls and young women succeed in the labor market. With new knowledge of what works, successful approaches can be replicated and brought to scale.
Subject Tags:

Entrepreneurship

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entrepreneurship
Identifier
182

Lifelong learning

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lifelong-learning
Identifier
400

Vocational training

Slug
vocational-training
Identifier
124

Women

Slug
women
Identifier
318

Youth

Slug
youth
Identifier
319
Regions:
Countries and territories:
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