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| EMP/SKILLS Policy Challenges |
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The work of EMP/SKILLS always serves to meet and fulfil the call of its policy challenges in line with the ILO’s strategic framework of decent work. The policy challenges aim to contribute to the fulfilment of the ILO’s Global Employment Agenda and the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda which commits the ILO to create greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent work and income. The EMP/SKILLS policy challenges:
Investment in education and training. There is a critical need for a greater overall investment in education and training, particularly in developing countries, for all people (including women and groups with special needs, such as people with disabilities). Education and training investments should be closely linked to economic and employment growth strategies and programmes. Responsibility should be shared between the government (primary responsibility), enterprises, the social partners, and the individual.
Basic education, literacy and core skills. Literacy and basic education cannot be leapfrogged. Urgent reforms are needed to improve basic education and the literacy of people in the poorest countries. The development of “core work skills” (such as communication, problem solving, etc.) is an important part of the reform to prepare individuals for the knowledge and skills-based society.
Reforming vocational education and training systems. To make lifelong learning for all a reality, countries will need to make major reforms of their vocational and education and training systems. School-to-work schemes for young people should integrate education with workplace learning. Training systems need to become more flexible and responsive to rapidly changing skill requirements. Reforms should also focus on how learning can be facilitated, not just on training for specific occupational categories.
Recognizing an individual’s skills. Many people have acquired skills from a wide range of non-traditional sources, but these go largely unrecognised. It is critical that people should be able to have their skills recognized as part of a national qualifications framework, irrespective of where the skills were obtained.
Promoting social dialogue on training. There is an urgent need to involve the social partners more closely in discussions on training policy and skills development, if the desired reforms and increased investment are to become a reality. It is clear that governments can no longer be the sole voices on education and training. The more successful training systems are underpinned by a strong social dialogue process.
Advocating labour market programmes for disadvantaged people. Promote active labour market programmes, including effective approaches to skills acquisition and development, in formal and informal settings, for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market – including people with disabilities.
Reforming employment services and promoting cooperative efforts between public and private employment agencies. Public employment services are usually the dominant government institution responsible for providing a variety of active labour market programmes, but their capacity often needs strengthening. In addition, recent international trends in the growth of private employment agencies and the outsourcing of public services provide new ways for public and private agencies to work together.
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