United States of America

Engaging employers in apprenticeship opportunities

Type:

Document

Content Type:

Engaging employers in apprenticeship opportunities

Language:

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

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skpILO

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ilo

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.

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skpATSU

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access-to-training

Knowledge Products:

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:

10 Jul 2017

Open

wcmstest4_191293.pdf

This joint OECD-ILO publication provides guidance on how local and regional governments can foster business-education partnerships in apprenticeship programmes and other types of work-based learning, drawing on case studies across nine countries. There has been increasing interest in apprenticeships which combine on the job training with classroom-based study, providing a smooth transition from school to work. There are benefits to both individuals and employers from participating in apprenticeships, including increased productivity and job quality. Successful implementation is contingent on having a high level of employer engagement at the local level, notably in the design, development and delivery of programmes.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264266681-en

Subject Tags:

Apprenticeships

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apprenticeships

Identifier

639

Youth

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youth

Identifier

319

Regions:

Countries and territories:

Australia

Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a strong track record of growth and development, even in times of elevated global uncertainty. A robust demographic dividend, strong ready-made garment exports, resilient remittance inflows, and stable macroeconomic conditions have supported rapid economic growth over the past two decades. A strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continued in FY22, although a recent surge in commodity prices has presented new headwinds.

Bangladesh reached lower-middle income status in 2015. It is on track to graduate from the UN’s Least Developed Countries list in 2026. Poverty declined from 43.5 percent in 1991 to 14.3 percent in 2016, based on the international poverty line of $1.90 a day (1).

Like many of its Asian neighbours, Bangladesh faces a major challenge trying to develop modern, employability skills for tens of millions of young women and men. It has a large informal sector, which accounts for 94.7 percent of the total employment in 2017 (2). Youth continue to be highly affected by the lack of opportunities, with the share of youth aged 15-24 not in employment, education or training (NEET), estimated at 27.8 percent in 2020 (3).

TVET has a huge role to play in equipping the vast young labour force of 15-29 years referred to as the country’s “demographic dividend” with employability skills and providing enhanced support services to ensure a better transition from school to work. TVET may also contribute to reducing poverty by providing employability skills, particularly to those who drop out of school early and to a large number of unemployed and underemployed adults.

Despite many reform initiatives by the government, the TVET sector needs further strengthening through reform of policies and systems in the labour market. Enhancing industry-relevance of TVET qualifications will furthermore require closer Government cooperation with the private sector. For one and a half decade, the ILO has worked closely with the Government of Bangladesh and its Social Partners to reform the TVET sector and to improve access for people to increase their skills and employability, in particular youth, women and people from other marginalized groups.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had detrimental effects on the TVET sector, due to the nation-wide closure of all educational institutes for one and a half years, starting on 17 March 2020. Most students’ learning was effectively abolished for this duration, and learning and certification was only possible through limited online learning facilities in existence at the time. Only recently has the TVET returned to its prior activity level.

The ILO landmark programmes aim to strengthen and improve the environment for industry skills development, address the mismatch between the supply and demand for skills training, and drive the increased employability of millions of young women and men. ILO’s support to develop the skills system in Bangladesh has focused on skills system governance, development of skills policies and qualifications frameworks; delivery of quality skills training, expanding access to TVET, and involvement by the private sector.

Sources

(1) https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh/overview

(2) https://ilostat.ilo.org/topics/informality/

(3) https://ilostat.ilo.org/topics/youth/

Country Assessment and Priority (CAP) – Bangladesh strategy for skills and lifelong learning (2022)

Situation Analysis of Bangladesh TVET Sector (2019) https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—asia/—ro-bangkok/—ilo-dhaka/documents/publication/wcms_735704.pdf_

Germany

India

New Zealand

Norway

Türkiye

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Pathways to equity: Narrowing the Wage Gap by Improving Women’s Access to Good Middle-Skill Jobs

Type:

Document

Content Type:

															Pathways to equity: Narrowing the Wage Gap by Improving Women’s Access to Good Middle-Skill Jobs
													

Language:

English

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english

Identifier

skpEng

Sources:

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.

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skpOSource

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other-sources

Topics:

Gender equality

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Women represent both half of the world's population – and half the world's economic potential. Their participation in the labour market reduces poverty because they often invest 90 per cent of their income in the well-being, education and nutrition of their families. Yet labour force participation by women has stagnated at about 55 per cent globally since 2010. Moreover, women are disproportionately represented in precarious work – low-paid, low-skilled and insecure jobs.

Training plays an important role in the pursuit of equality of opportunity and treatment for women and men in the world of work. Yet women often lack access to technical and vocational education and training. Many also lack the basic functional skills, such as literacy and numeracy, to participate meaningfully in the work force. Overcoming this challenge requires the adoption of a life-cycle approach. This includes improving girls’ access to basic education; overcoming logistic, economic and cultural barriers to apprenticeships and to secondary and vocational training for young women; and meeting the training needs of women re-entering the labour market and of older women who have not had equal access to opportunities for lifelong learning.

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skpGenEqul

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gender-equality

Knowledge Products:

Research papers

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Identifier

skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

14 Mar 2017

Open

wcmstest4_187893.pdf

This report addresses women’s access to well-paid, growing, middle-skill jobs (jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree). It documents sex segregation in middle-skill jobs, and discusses how gender integration of good jobs could both reduce skill-shortages and improve women’s economic security. The report focuses on middle-skilled “target” occupations in manufacturing, information technology, and transportation, distribution, and logistics that have high projected job openings and that typically employ few women.

Subject Tags:

Employability

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employability

Identifier

643

Globalization

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globalization

Identifier

267

Low skilled workers

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low-skilled-workers

Identifier

650

Women

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women

Identifier

318

Regions:

Americas

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Countries and territories:

United States of America

Bridge the gap: Rebuilding America’s middle skills

Type:

Document

Content Type:

Bridge the gap: Rebuilding America’s middle skills

Language:

English

Slug

english

Identifier

skpEng

Sources:

Academic institutions

Research papers, synthesis reports, country and programme studies are collected from many academic institutions and national, regional and international professional associations.

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Identifier

skpAcaInst

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academic-institutions

Employers' organizations

Employers invest in training in order to improve productivity, innovate and adopt new technologies, and compete in changing markets. Case studies and research from individual employers and associations of employers on the Global KSP deal with apprenticeship and workplace skills provision, quality assurance and governance of training institutions, and employers’ roles in anticipating skill needs and in influencing national and sector policies on skills development.

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Identifier

skpEmp

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employers-organizations

Topics:

Training quality and relevance

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Identifier

skpTrainQR

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training-quality-and-relevance

Knowledge Products:

Research papers

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Identifier

skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

20 Jan 2017

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vocational-guidance

Identifier

123

Regions:

Countries and territories:

United States of America

Work-based Learning in Action: The Industrial Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship

Type:

Document

Content Type:

															Work-based Learning in Action: The Industrial Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship
													

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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Identifier

skpCaseStdy

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case-studies-and-good-practices

Publication Date:

31 Oct 2016

Open

wcmstest4_184297.pdf

Part of a series of case studies highlighting effective models of work-based learning supported by Jobs for the Future. The Industrial Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship (IMT) fills a major gap in the professional development and career pathway of entry-level production workers—the largest manufacturing job category—in diverse manufacturing sub-sectors. Although the manufacturing industry has a long tradition of using apprenticeship to train workers for highly skilled occupations such as industrial maintenance mechanics and pattern makers, little formal training was deemed necessary for workers in entry-level production positions. In recent years, as manufacturers have incorporated lean manufacturing, statistical process control, and computer numerical control (CNC) processing into entry-level manufacturing jobs, the skill requirements of entry-level jobs have increased. Not only have manufacturing employers found it difficult to recruit and retain qualified production workers, they have also had difficulty finding candidates within their current workforce who are qualified to train for high-skilled occupations. This publication describes how the IMT Apprenticeship addresses both of these challenges.

Jobs for the Future is a nonprofit organization that works to ensure educational and economic opportunity for all.

Subject Tags:

Access to training

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access-to-training

Identifier

683

Apprenticeships

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apprenticeships

Identifier

639

Work-based learning

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work-based-learning

Identifier

679

Regions:

Americas

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Countries and territories:

United States of America

Six effective approaches for Techhire initiatives

Type:

Document

Content Type:

Six effective approaches for Techhire initiatives

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:

31 Oct 2016

Open

wcmstest4_184296.pdf

Jobs for the Future is a nonprofit organization that works to ensure educational and economic opportunity for all. Information technology jobs are among the fastest growing occupations in the United States, spanning many industries. Yet over a half million IT job openings are unfilled. Many of these jobs do not require university degrees and could be filled by unemployed or underemployed Americans if they obtain training in a community college or certificate program. To meet the growing demand for skilled tech workers and to foster opportunities for entering the tech field, the Obama Administration announced the launch of the TechHire initiative in 2015. TechHire is a network of regions across the country that are working to build an ecosystem where government, employers, training providers, and other stakeholders work together in collective action to achieve a unified goal—developing a pipeline of diverse talent to meet employers’ rapidly growing IT workforce demands. This brief profiles TechHire communities and describes effective approaches for providing high-quality, accessible tech training.

Subject Tags:

Information and communication technologies

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information-and-communication-technologies

Identifier

346

Technology

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technology

Identifier

345

Vocational training

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vocational-training

Identifier

124

Regions:

Americas

Region Image

Countries and territories:

United States of America

Bridging the skills gap: Workforce development is everyone’s business

Type:

Document

Content Type:

Bridging the skills gap: Workforce development is everyone’s business

Language:

English

Slug

english

Identifier

skpEng

Sources:

Employers' organizations

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Identifier

skpEmp

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employers-organizations

Other sources

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Identifier

skpOSource

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other-sources

Topics:

Anticipating and matching skills needs

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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.

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skpAFSN

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anticipating-and-matching-skills-needs

Training quality and relevance

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Identifier

skpTrainQR

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training-quality-and-relevance

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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Identifier

skpCaseStdy

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case-studies-and-good-practices

Research papers

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Identifier

skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

24 Aug 2016

Slug

survey

Identifier

611

Regions:

Americas

Region Image

Countries and territories:

United States of America

Immigrant skills and employment: Cross-country evidence from the adult literacy and life skills survey

Type:

Document

Content Type:

															Immigrant skills and employment: Cross-country evidence from the adult literacy and life skills survey
													

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:

Migrant workers

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According to the ILO global estimates on migrant workers, there were around 164 million migrant workers in 2017.

Migrant workers contribute to growth and development in their countries of destination, while countries of origin greatly benefit from their remittances and the skills acquired during their migration experience. Yet, many migrant workers face challenges in accessing quality training and decent jobs including under-utilization of skills, a lack of employment or training opportunities, lack of information, and exploitation of low-skilled workers.

To address these challenges, countries need to strengthen skills anticipation systems to inform migration policies, increase access to education and training, and establish bilateral or multilateral recognition of qualifications and skills.

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skpMigWor

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migrant-workers

Knowledge Products:

Research papers

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Identifier

skpRPS

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research-papers

Statistical information

Data produced by the international organizations and countries on trends in skills provision, demand, and employment outcomes to help inform policy-making and monitoring processes.

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skpStatInfo

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statistical-information

Publication Date:

16 Aug 2016

Open

wcmstest4_180462.pdf

This paper studies the distributions of literacy skills, education, and employment of immigrants and natives in three host countries: Canada, the United States, and Norway. Results show that literacy skills are particularly important for groups characterized by low employment in the Norwegian labor market, consistent with the hypothesis that a compressed wage structure, employment protection, and social insurance with high replacement ratios create adverse employment effects for immigrants.

Subject Tags:

Labour migration

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labour-migration

Identifier

609

Low skilled workers

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low-skilled-workers

Identifier

650

Migrant workers

Slug

migrant-workers

Identifier

681

Migration policy

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migration-policy

Identifier

309

Regions:

Countries and territories:

Canada

Norway

United States of America

Making youth employment work: Essential elements for a successful strategy

Type:

Document

Content Type:

Making youth employment work: Essential elements for a successful strategy

Language:

English

Slug

english

Identifier

skpEng

Sources:

Employers' organizations

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Identifier

skpEmp

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employers-organizations

Topics:

Youth employability

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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.

Identifier

skpYoEmp

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youth-employability

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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Identifier

skpCaseStdy

Slug

case-studies-and-good-practices

Research papers

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Identifier

skpRPS

Slug

research-papers

Publication Date:

06 May 2016

Slug

youth

Identifier

319

Regions:

Americas

Region Image

Countries and territories:

United States of America

Recasting American apprenticeship: A summary of the barriers to apprenticeship expansion research project

Type:

Document

Content Type:

															Recasting American apprenticeship: A summary of the barriers to apprenticeship expansion research project
													

Language:

English

Slug

english

Identifier

skpEng

Sources:

Other sources

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Identifier

skpOSource

Slug

other-sources

Topics:

Knowledge Products:

Research papers

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Identifier

skpRPS

Slug

research-papers

Publication Date:

06 May 2016

Americas

Region Image

Countries and territories:

United States of America

Skills requirements for the 30 most-frequently advertised occupations in the United States: An analysis based on online vacancy data

Type:

Document

Content Type:

															Skills requirements for the 30 most-frequently advertised occupations in the United States: An analysis based on online vacancy data
													

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Identifier

skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

13 Apr 2016

Open

wcmstest4_171858.pdf

Using a sample of approximately 2 million job advertisements published online, this paper assesses which educational, skills and other requirements US employers demand the most. The analysis is focused on the 30 most-frequently advertised occupations in the United States, of different levels of complexity, and finds that employers are quite demanding in their job advertisements, even when these concern low- or medium-skilled occupations. Although vacancies for more complex occupations are generally more demanding than those for less complex ones, there is a lot of variation across the 30 occupations. Formal education is the most important criterion for employers in the United States; it is required in 67% of the vacancies examined. Specialised training and licenses, in contrast, appear to be less important. Of the cognitive and non-cognitive skills, service skills in particular are high in demand (called for in 49% of the vacancies). Other non-cognitive skills, both of a social and personal nature, are frequently included as well. Experience is the third key criterion that employers use to screen job applicants, appearing in 38% of the vacancies.

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