Quality-Assured Certification: The Key to Greater Workforce Mobility in the Caribbean and Internationally  Patricia McPherson, CARICOM Secretariat Robert Gregory, Education Specialist ACCC Conference June 2, 2013

PRESENTATION OUTLINE PART 1: SETTING THE CONTEXT TVET IN THE REGION CARICOM (What is it, Why in existence) The Birth of the CARICOM Single Market Caribbean –Canada Relations TVET IN THE REGION In formal and non formal education Its portability within the Free Movement of skills Regime TVET –The Answer? -

PRESENTATION OUTLINE PART 2: ROBERT’S PART -

CARICOM The Caribbean Community Established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas signed at the historic Chaguaramas Convention Centre, Trinidad and Tobago 4 July 1973

CARICOM: The Original Signatories Jamaica Hon Michael Manley Barbados Hon Errol Barrow Trinidad & Tobago Dr the Hon Eric Williams Guyana Hon Forbes Burnham

St. Vincent & Grenadines CARICOM CARICOM Fifteen Member States Antigua & Barbuda The Bahamas Barbados Belize Dominica Grenada Guyana Haiti Jamaica Montserrat St. Kitts & Nevis Saint Lucia St. Vincent & Grenadines Suriname Trinidad & Tobago

British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Turks and Caicos Islands CARICOM CARICOM Five Associate Members Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Turks and Caicos Islands

CARICOM OBJECTIVES OF THE COMMUNITY include Improved standards of living and work Full Employment of labour & other factors of production Enhanced levels of international competitiveness

Enhanced co-ordination of foreign economic policies CARICOM CARICOM OBJECTIVES OF THE COMMUNITY include Enhanced co-ordination of foreign economic policies Enhanced functional co-operation

The birth of the caricom single market and economy (csme)

CARICOM CARICOM The Treaty of Chaguaramas was revised to include the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, and signed by Heads of Government on July 5, 2001

January 2006 - Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas entered into force through ratification by twelve Member States January 2006 - The CSM became operational; six Member States signed the Agreement July 2006 – Six other Member States signed the Agreement

Montserrat is awaiting entrustment February 2008 – Haiti ratified CSM Agreement - The Bahamas is not a part of the CSM - Montserrat is awaiting entrustment

capital, technology, labour CARICOM The CSME:- A single enlarged economic space Functional cooperation Macro- economic and sectoral policy coordination Free movement of goods, services, capital, technology, labour Common external trade policy Non- discriminatory access to the region’s resources & markets for CARICOM nationals The Single Market

CARICOM The CARICOM Community The Member States of the (CARICOM) have responded to the economic challenges of globalisation and trade liberalisation by deepening the integration process through the creation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The free movement of skilled persons one of the main pillars of the CSME. Issues of skill development through TVET and the portability of qualifications, have assumed renewed importance in positioning the Region for competitive participation in the global economy.

CARICOM The CARICOM Community common system and understanding of quality assurance issues all levels of Education and Training, including TVET In order to achieve this, there must be: Regional Qualification Framework – articulates qualification and certification at all levels of Ed and Training

Member States Member States The CARICOM Community committed themselves to free movement of nationals within the Community Member States required to put in place mechanisms to ensure full and complete compliance Member States These steps are critical to the smooth operation of the free Movement of persons in which CARICOM Skilled Nationals can exercise the key principle rights to which they are entitled.

Household Domestics with a (CVQ) or equivalent qualification CARICOM CARICOM University Graduates Media Workers Sports persons Musicians Professional Nurses Teachers Artisans Artistes Holders of associate Degrees or equivalent quals Household Domestics with a (CVQ) or equivalent qualification Persons eligible for Movement The institutionalisation of a regional system of Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQ) is seen as a crucial element in facilitating the free movement of workers while also contributing to the enhancement of skills training in both institutional as well as on-the job settings. Such a scheme also facilitates the credentialing of skills for experienced persons already in the workforce.

Robert Gregory’s part

The Regional Strategy The Process Bottom up - 12 National 3 Regional Consultations Ensure integrity, respectful of contributions Verification, ratification Advocacy Strategy, lobbying Importance of ownership and accountability Bottom up, consulted with 12 countries, then ratified with 3 regional consultations, total of over 350 persons from all groups: industry, education, government, youth, all social partners: Employers, labour, Govt. (Education, Labour, Finance, Investment and Commerce) plus NGOs Bottom up design to ensure integrity of content, respect and recognition of contribution made to Strategy’s content, verification and ratification of Country reports, ratification and endorsement of Strategy Framework and content with a higher level stakeholder community including Ministers, University Heads, Lead Employers, Union Leaders and NGOs. Design of a country level advocacy and lobbying strategy prior to COHSOD, an implementation plan with detailed accountabilities in each country and the Region. The facilitating impact of a carefully cultivated and broad-based stakeholder ownership and accountability for “their strategy” and success at COHSOD and the implementation to come.

Difference from Previous Strategy “Regional TVET Strategy for Workforce Development and Economic Competitiveness: Skills and Credentials--the New Global Currency” Vision Statement: Sustainable economic prosperity through the creation of a globally competitive regional workforce enabled by a market-responsive education and training system Difference from Previous Strategy Economic not social domain Focus on Credentials Accountability Implementation Overview of Strategy Title of Strategy: Regional TVET Strategy for Workforce Development and Economic Competitiveness Byline: Skills and Credentials: the New Global Currency Vision Statement: Sustainable economic prosperity through the creation of a globally competitive regional workforce enabled by a market-responsive education and training system Difference from previous Strategy: Solidly set in the economic rather than social domain Focus on credentials as critical to international competitiveness Example of Red Seal: how Caribbean workers were able to work in Canada with Red Seal With Implementation Plan, accountability measures, The plan is that each country would develop its own strategy based on the Regional one

7 Pillars of the Strategy TVET redefined and promoted as an agent of Workforce Development and Economic Competitiveness TVET Integrated with General Education for life and livelihood A CARICOM Training System Labour Market Intelligence for Workforce Development Career Guidance and Counselling Instructor Training TVET Financing: Public Private Partnerships This is an overview: I will now go through these one by one.

1. TVET redefined and promoted as an agent of Workforce Development and Economic Competitiveness Shift from supply to demand-driven High level skills, not ‘dunces’ Innovation and entrepreneurship Focusing on practical skills, greater socioemotional development Positive Marketing TVET redefined and promoted as an agent of Workforce Development and Economic Competitiveness Shift from supply to demand driven training Recognition that TVET requires high level skill development TVET is for everyone, not for ‘dunces’ Focus on innovation and entrepreneurship (TVET model, with its focus on practical skills, as research Pat pointed to, leads to greater socioemotional development (employability skills) thus is more desirable to employers Marketing of TVET needs to change, to show TVET in a modern light, leading to high skill acquisition and often, high paying jobs, and often lucrative self-employment

2. TVET Integrated with General Education for Life and Livelihood . Stop marginalization of TVET as ‘less than’ Ensure students graduate with some practical skills Not dead-ended “Education makes you trainable and Training makes you employable, while attitude keeps you employed” TVET Integrated with General Education for life and livelihood Stop marginalization of TVET as ‘less than’ Ensure students graduate from Secondary school with practical skills related to an area of demand in the labour market as well as necessary academic preparation for graduation. “Education makes you trainable and training makes you employable, while attitude keeps you employed” Ensure that TVET is not dead-ended; that there is a qualifications framework in place that allows students to move thr0ugh the education system

CARICOM Training System Need to develop the regional Training system so each country can deliver CVQs Need to train and capacitate smaller countries Diagram A CARICOM Training System Need to develop the regional training system so that each country can deliver CVQs and they are transferable across the region Need to train and capacitate the smaller countries so that they are not disadvantaged in the development and delivery of CVQs

A CARICOM TRAINING SYSTEM

4. Labour Market Intelligence for Workforce Development LMI needs to drive planning, evaluation, new program development Modeled on ‘just in time, good enough’ Predictive Sectoral Involves multitude of means of collecting intelligence including priorities of gov’t, investment community, etc. Labour Market Intelligence for Workforce Development Labour Market Intelligence needs to drive TVET planning, evaluation and new program development Modeled on Canadian ‘just in time, good enough’ labour market intelligence that is predictive, based on a sectoral approach and involves a multitude of means of collecting intelligence, knowledge of priorities of government, investment community, etc.

5. Career Guidance and Counselling Almost non-existent in Caribbean Mostly personal, academic Need new kind of counsellor Knowledge of Labour Market Self assessment tools and strategies Unbiased towards academia Service to workforce and students Career Guidance and Counselling Career Counselling almost non-existent in Caribbean institutions Most counselling is personal or academic counselling. Need new kind of Career Guidance counsellor Knowledge of the labour market Self-assessment tools and strategies Unbiased towards academia Career Guidance Services provided to students in schools and tertiary institutions as well as to members of the workforce

6. Instructor Training Instructors with current knowledge, skills and credentials from industry “It’s easier to teach a plumber to teach than to teach a teacher to plumb” Student-centred, competency-based Standards Flexible hiring practices Instructor Training Instructors with current knowledge, skills and credentials from industry Lesson from the Canadians: “It’s easier to teach a plumber to teach than to teach a teacher to plumb” Need student-centred competency-based approach Need standards for instructors, flexible hiring practices

7. TVET Financing: Public Private Partnerships Need new models of financing Ministry of Education can no longer carry entire burden Strategies to engage industry Applied Research, joint undertakings, contract training Need Sector-driven public private partnerships Industry, line ministries, education ministries and sector leaders and investors join forces E.g. Megaprojects Need new models of financing Ministries of Education alone cannot carry the burden Need new strategies to engage industry, build trust, work towards Donations of equipment (Naming opportunities), land and expertise Applied research, joint undertakings, contract training, exchanges, etc. Need to develop sector-driven public private partnerships Industry, line ministries (mining, transportation, etc.) and Ministries of Education join forces to plan for skills training sector by sector e.g. training in mining, logistics, etc. Where megaprojects are planned, training should be identified upfront as a key component of the megaproject and funds should be set aside money to invest Most often, training is a budget line in a megaproject: our job is to ensure it is used to invest in our citizens’ skill development to fill the positions

C-EFE Project Synergy between C-EFE and Regional Strategy Project is assisting to: Strengthen regional capacity Develop 16 Canadian Caribbean institutional partnerships in sectors/programs of high priority in labour market Model Canadian best practices C-EFE Project Synergy between C-EFE and Regional Strategy (good timing, shared priorities) Project is assisting to: Strengthen the regional capacity to plan and implement TVET: setting standards, training assessors, building portal for LMI and CVQs Developing 16 Canadian-Caribbean projects that will advance the CVQ system of the Caribbean and at same time model Canadian best practices

Next Steps Implementation Accountability Roll out of the Regional Strategy Regular reporting and monitoring In our consultations, the participants strongly insisted on increased emphasis on implementation and greater accountability for the new Strategy. Therefore, in developing the strategy, we included Implementation Steps (24 in all) for each of the pillars. In addition we set a five year time line to achieve the implementation. We recognized that each country is at a different stage of development and has different challenges; therefore we are encouraging each country to develop its own implementation plan, in line with the Regional one. The early results are most encouraging. Grenada has already done that and other islands are planning to. It is quite amazing, in a culture that is not accustomed to rapid action and accountability, how the Regional Strategy is making an impact. It was obviously timely and of great need.