Providing the right skills at the right time
Providing the right skills at the right time
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.
Other knowledge products
Moderators
This E-Discussion will allow experts, practitioners and representatives from a range of institutions and enterprises in different parts of the world to come together virtually to raise questions, share experiences, and address challenges on sectoral approaches to skills development. Click on the above list of names for discussion moderators, including their biographies.
Helping enterprises find workers with the right skills, and ensuring that workers acquire the skills they need to find productive employment is a key to economic prosperity and building inclusive societies. Adopting a forward-looking perspective to skills development to improve the competiveness of specific industries or sectors contributes to a country’s growth, economic diversification and to the creation of decent jobs.
The Global KSP will focus this E-Discussion on ‘Providing the right skills at the right time: The role of sectoral skills development in contributing to productive and competitive economies’. Over the next two weeks, the E-Discussion will take place in two parts. During the first week, the Global KSP will look at the current skills challenges facing industry and the labour market. During the second week, the dialogue will invite participants to share their experiences and good practices on anticipating future skills needs in specific sectors of the economy.
Week two questions: Initiatives and what works:
-Sectoral skills development approaches have proven useful in engaging employers, albeit they take different forms within different national contexts. What models of employer engagement have you identified as being effective when examining approaches to sectoral skills development?
-What role can tripartite sectoral skills councils play in anticipating the needs of a sector for current and future skills training, assessing the quality and relevance of training programmes and improving relevance?
-What are some effective examples of forward-looking strategies for developing skills in a particular sector that will improve the performance of enterprises and keep the skills of workers up-to-date?
-To what extent are countries considering the specific needs of their key sectors when developing national level skills development policies/TVET strategies?
