Towards demand-based skills development through public-private - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Towards demand-based skills development through public-private partnership

Akiko Sakamoto Skills Development & Employability Specialist, ILO

National Tripartite High Level Dialogue on Employment, Industrial Relations, and Social Security Session 3

Outline of presentation

• 1. Role of skills, main issues and challenges
• 2. Public private partnerships (PPP) in skills

development

• 3. Towards quality apprenticeships
• Including role of tripartite actors
• 4. Skills diversification for expanded employment
• pportunities

Role of skills

• Improve employability of workers
• Facilitate start-up of enterprises/income-

generating activities

• Contribute to higher productivity and business

expansion

• Key factor for moving up value-chains, providing

quality goods and services

• Enable more companies to compete on quality

(with high skills) as opposed to cost, contributing to creating more high skills/wage jobs

Issues and Challenges

• The formal training system largely set up for the

formal sector, school leavers who can be trained on a full-time basis

• Limited access to those in the workplace and

informal economy

• Limited flexibility, quality and relevance (delivery

mode, content, curriculum, management)

• Skills mismatch
• Limited involvement of industry in the skills system

making PPP essential

Form of PPPs

Policy

Jointly formulate skills policies and legislation Jointly monitor and evaluate their implementation

System

Identify skills demands Develop skills/competency-based standards, and qualifications Set up mechanism for assessment and certification Set up mechanisms for workplace learning (incl. apprenticeship)

Training Delivery

Provision of workplace learning (apprenticeships) Joint assessment and certification of skills Joint management of former gov’t training institutions

Critical role of private sector

• Private sector can help fill the quantitative gap
• Private sector can improve relevance and quality
• f skills training
• Private sector can improve training-employment

and training-productivity linkages

Filling the quantitative gap

• Promoting industry-led, workplace learning
• Participation in apprenticeship, offering on-the-

job training opportunities

• Setting up new industry-led training centers (e.g.

sector-based)

• Special funds set up to facilitate private sector

training

Filling the qualitative gap

• Provision of information on skills demands
• Inputs to development of skills/competency

standards and training curriculum

• (Joint) management of training institutions
• Complement institution-based training with

practical training on the job

• Involvement in assessment and certification

How can we increase industry engagement?

• Limited tradition of industry engagement in skills

development has been an issue

• Skills are not always top of the priority if business is

competing on low-cost

• Investing in skills makes sense when skills become

part of business/sector upgrading strategy

• Sector-based skills bodies play an important

intermediary role (e.g. Australia, England, Canada, India, Bangladesh, Turkey)

Skills for sector development

(leather, Bangladesh)

• Good example of PPP
• Setting up of Industry Skills

Councils for skill standards and curriculum development supported by the govt

• Official certification
• Integration of skills in sector

development strategies

• Alignment of skills supply and

demand based on current and future scenarios

• Industry-led training

initiatives

• Raising employers’ awareness

and demands for investing in skills

Role of the partners

• Set a clear and coherent legal

framework and national policies

• Lead system building
• Improve gov’t training institutions
• Develop incentives, or institutional

mechanism for industry participation

• Facilitate, monitor and evaluate
• Participate at policy, system-building

and delivery levels

• Skills utilization – this involves a shift

to high value-added, quality business

• Participate at policy, system-

building and delivery levels

• Ensure the practice of training

according to the agreement

• Contribute to design and

implementation of training

• Promote equal access to training
• Promote skills recognition,

remuneration according to skills

Government Employers Trade unions

Towards quality apprenticeships

Definition

ILO defines apprenticeships as a form of:

“systematic long-term training for a recognized

• ccupation that takes place substantially within an

undertaking or under an independent craftsman and should be governed by a written contract ...and be subject to established standards”

According to G20 (2012),

“apprenticeships are a combination of on-the-job training and school-based education” –no single standardized model

Why apprenticeships?

Apprentices Employers

• A means of overcoming the

‘work-inexperience’ trap​

• Acquire skills in a structured

way that are closely matched with the demand

• f work
• Often access to frontline

technologies

• Obtain formal

certification ​for their learning​

• Gain not only technical skills

but general transferable skills

• Able to train staff according to

their skills and practical requirements

• ​Apprenticeship is a unique

source of recruitment

• Apprentices contribute to

production and service​

• Often provided with financial

incentives (e.g. tax rebates)

Challenges/Barriers

• Limited tradition of industry engagement in skills

development

• Concerns for apprentices as a source of cheap

labour

• Limited structured training (and/or weak

monitoring), not leading to a qualification

• Over-regulation or under-regulation
• Financing, poaching/job-hopping
• Weak support mechanisms
• Poor image of apprenticeship

Features of Quality Apprenticeship

• Relevant and rigorous training both on and off the job
• Appropriate regulations
• Social partners involvement in design and maintenance of

training program

– Turkey, Denmark, Germany

• Compulsory formal assessment and certification
• Presence of qualified staff or ‘master trainers’

– Canada, Turkey, Germany

• Presence of supporting institutions, e.g. sectoral bodies,

industrial associations

– Bangladesh, Turkey

• Target approach (one-stop shop, incl. basic skills)
• TU’s role critical to ensure the practice of training according

to the agreement

– US, Rhine countries

Local approach with embedded flexibility

(Otoronhanga, New Zealand)

• Good example of PPP – local

approach

• Apprenticeship shaped by local

stakeholders under local leadership

• Development of a network of

local stakeholders to improve the apprenticeship system

• Started as largely informal, but

gradually formalized

• Boosting image and marketing
• f apprenticeship by a formal

graduation ceremony led by the Mayor

• Positive impact: one of the

lowest rates of youth unemployment in NZ

Form of PPPs

Policy

Jointly formulate skills policies and legislation Jointly monitor and evaluate their implementation

System

Identify skills demands Develop skills/competency-based standards and qualifications Set up mechanism for assessment and certification Set up mechanisms for workplace learning (incl. apprenticeship)

Training Delivery

Provision of workplace learning (apprenticeships) Joint assessment and certification of skills Joint management of former gov’t training institutions

Sector Skill Councils or Bodies

Leading industry-led skills bodies (e.g. sector skills councils)

Local (Skill) Councils or Bodies

Leading LED by integrating skills as part of strategy

Role of the partners

• Set a clear and coherent

legal framework and policies

• Provide incentives for

private sector participation

• Develop supporting system
• Facilitate, give autonomy to

local and industry actors

• Recognition of apprenticeship

as a training/learning program

• Recognition of apprentices as

learner before employee

• Provision of quality training,
• incl. designing and maintenance
• Safeguard the rights of apprentices
• Ensure the practice of training

according to the agreement

• Contribute to design and

implementation of training

Government Employers Trade unions

Skills Diversification for Expanded Employment Opportunities

Good practices (China, Australia)

• Early warning and actions are critical
• Skills profiling, assessment and certification of

transferable skills (forestry sector, Australia)

• Re-training should focus on local labour demand

by including employers in training course planning

• Public Employment Service (PES) job-brokering

services (career guidance) can be important support service (Wuhan, China)

• Internships/work trials in companies for 3-6

months for redundant workers

Summary

Public private partnerships are an essential element for effective skill development While importance of PPP is accepted, engaging industry in skills development remains a challenge Well-regulated and structured apprenticeships can be

• ne of the most effective ways of training

Power of local/sector actions cannot be overlooked for effective apprenticeships and PPP (PPP can work best when implemented at sector/local levels, where community of interest is present) Skill diversification: Early warning and actions for skills profiling, recognition and training

Thank you

Akiko Sakamoto

International Labour Organization Bangkok, Thailand sakamoto@ilo.org