POLICY DEVELOPMENT ON SKILLS – INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES and GOOD PRACTICES Carmela I. Torres Senior Skills & Employability Specialist ILO DWT Bangkok National Workshop on TVET Policy in Cambodia Phnom Penh, Cambodia 10 April, 2012

Outline Why National skills policy is important Systemic challenges of skills development systems Why Policy as opposed to enhancing skills programmes Key principles of a sound skills development policy International Labour Standards on skills development; G20 Training Strategy Variations of skills development policies Recent Skills policies & strategies around the world Selected Country Examples National skills policies matter

Why National skills policy is important Driving forces are economic, social and developmental… For increase competitiveness, rapid national economic growth To move up from ‘low’ to ‘high value’ cost, wage, skills-based economy For inclusive economic growth Growing commitment to achieving social equity, social inclusion, poverty alleviation & peace

Systemic challenges of skills development systems Skills mismatch Poor quality & relevance of training Weak governance and coordination Limited outreach Limited involvement of social partners (government, workers & employers) Financing

NATIONAL POLICY for SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, TVET, HRD or LIFELONG LEARNING Provides vision of the skills development system for the country Presents directions for reform Puts in place appropriate mechanisms and modifies or introduces schemes to support the agreed priorities SKILLS DEVELOPMENT POLICY

Why a Policy vs Enhancing Skills Programmes Bring coherence to the system Facilitate policy coordination & coherence Facilitate concerted & planned actions & reforms Clarify institutional arrangements Anchor existing good practices Pledge political & collective will & commitment

Key Principles of a sound skills development policy Shared responsibility Skills need to be an integral part of economic growth & employment strategies Lifelong learning is an important goal to be pursued via specific programmes Equal opportunities for education & training Linking skills to improved productivity, employment growth & development (ILC 2008)

Convention 142 on Human Resources Development (1975) Recommendation 195 on Human Resources Development: Education, training and lifelong learning (2004) Conclusions from International Labour Conference on Skills for improved productivity, employment growth and development (2008) “The ILO supports skills development to improve3 the employability of workers, productivity of enterprises and the inclusiveness of economic growth” International Labour Standards on Skills development G20 Training Strategy

G20 Leaders : quality jobs at the heart of recovery (2009) Adopted a framework for STRONG, SUSTAINABLE and BALANCED GROWTH ILO : develop a training strategy Leaders pledged : support national strategies for skills development building on the G20 Training Strategy (2010)

Building blocks of strong training & skills development strategies Anticipating future skills needs Participation of social partners Sectoral approaches Labour market information & employment services Training quality & relevance Gender equality Broad access to training Financing & Assessing policy performance

SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES Government responsible for pre-employment training Employers are responsible for further training Workers for making use of the opportunities for education & training POLICY ACTIONS  Sector-based approach  Workplace learning  Public-private partnerships

Skills as an Integral part of broader policies Coordination is crucial Integrating skills…. With national development strategies: Costa Rica, Ireland, Korea, Singapore In sectoral strategies: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Netherlands, South Africa & UK In local economic development strategies: Nepal, Mozambique

Variation of skills development policies  Stand-alone National policy (or Strategy or Plan) for: Skills Development, TVET, HRD or LLL  Integrated policies: Skills is a part of: a.General education or employment, labour policies b.Competitiveness, industry strategy, policies

Examples of Recent Skills Policies & Strategies around the World Afghanistan (2010/11) Bangladesh (2010) Cambodia (2012) China (2010) India (2009) Korea (2008) Mongolia Nepal (2007) Pakistan (2009) Philippines (2010) Sri Lanka (2010) Australia (2010) New Zealand Denmark (2007) Germany (2010) Ireland (2007) Romania ( ) Spain (2008) UK (2011) Ethiopia (2008) Gambia (2006) Ghana (2007) Morocco (2005) Rwanda (2008) South Africa (2005; 2010) Swaziland (2010) Brazil (2008) Chile(2008) Argentine Colombia(2010) Barbados ( ) Bahrain (2009) Jordan (2007) Palestine (2010) Yemen(2005) Oman ( ) Notes: Skills policies and strategies included here primarily target post-secondary technical and vocational education and Training, and titled such as VET, TVET, HRD, or skills development, policies or strategies.

Selected Country Examples IRELAND SSSSSKILLS Nat Employment and Training Authority Vocaitional education committees Dep of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Dep of Education and Science Sector training agencies Early identification of skills Ad vi- sor y Co un- cils Ireland’s skills, industrial, labour market & research policies are interconnected through a network of interlinked organizations

SINGAPORE: Tight coordination between skills & economic growth strategies 1990s to 2000 and beyond Economic strategies Towards a sustained economic competitiveness & national prosperity : Singapore Manpower 21 Skills development strategies & initiatives: Emphasis on intermediate skills  Strengthening of polytechnics (science & engineering)  SPRING programme to promote workplace learning  Emphasis on key core skills  Singapore Skills recognition system (2000)  Singapore Workforce Development Agency  Singapore workforces QF

AUSTRALIA: Shaping our Future Four objectives 1.Industry will have a highly skilled workforce to support strong performance in the global economy. 2.Employers and individuals will be at the centre of vocational education and training. 3.Communities and regions will be strengthened economically and socially through learning and employment. 4.Indigenous Australians will have skills for viable jobs and their learning culture will be shared 12 specific strategies clustered under 3 headings: Servicing the needs of businesses, individuals and communities flexibly and inclusively; Building the capability and capacity of public and private registered training organisations; Improving the quality, accessibility, responsiveness and reliability of VET across Australia.

For further information please contact: Carmela I. Torres Senior Skills & Employability Specialist ILO Decent Work Team Bangkok Tel No E mail address: THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!