Brú Bautista, Enrique.  Empresa humanizada: trabajo decente y productividad. (The humanized company: decent work and productivity). Inter-american Technical Bulletin on Vocational Training. Montevideo, Cinterfor/ILO. Nº 153, 2002.

It deals with the close relationship between the concepts of productivity and decent work. Through the analysis of processes and mechanisms of productivity improvement and economic growth, both of countries and enterprises, the author arrives at the conclusion that productivity and decent work are two links of the same chain and they both affect each other.

Chacaltana, Juan; García, Norberto. Reforma laboral, capacitación y productividad. La experiencia peruana. (Labour reform, training and productivity. The Peruvian experience). Lima: ILO, 2001.

In most Latin American countries, labour reform processes have introduced significant changes in the structure of private wage employment. In broad terms, employment under an indefinite term contract has suffered a relative reduction, while employment under a fixed term or temporary contract or employment under no written contract have increased.

It is necessary to ask oneself what the economic and productive implications of this situation will be in the long term. Firstly, what will the productivity potential of these workers be in the future if, as it can be guessed, only a few employers are willing to invest in training and the qualification of people hired over a certain period of time and who can leave the company after receiving training? Secondly, what strategies could be applied to achieve a sustained increase in productivity in enterprises that can have more than half of their payroll without any contract or under a temporary contract?

The authors arrive at the conclusion that when more labour turnover takes place in the labour market, as a result of the increase in temporary contract hiring, little incentives have been given -in the margin - to enterprise-based labour training. In that sense, they point out that "enterprises that show high staff turnover levels have 28 per cent less possibilities of investing in training than those which do not have this kind of turnover".

As a result, the direct effect of labour turnover on productivity is negative. In that sense "it was found that enterprises that provide training generate 25 per cent more added value than those that do not do so, by exerting control through other variables such as business size, level of assets and activity sector. It could also be confirmed that enterprises which stop spending on training (100 per cent reduction), suffer a 9 per cent reduction in their productivity levels".

Cinterfor/ILO. Vocational training, productivity and decent work. Inter-american Technical Bulletin on Vocational Training. Number 153, 2002.

This issue of the Bulletin gathers the main documents presented at the Tripartite Inter-American Seminar on Vocational Training, Productivity and Decent Work and it also includes other articles which tackle the subjects dealt with at this important event from different perspectives. Moreover, it introduces a series of charts which were prepared from the national reports presented by each delegation at the Seminar and gives a general overview of vocational training in the countries represented as well as some private initiatives taken by different social actors in this field.

Freedman, D.H. Improving skills and productivity of disadvantaged youth. ILO. Skills and Employability Department. Geneva, 2008. 33 p. (Employment Sector Working Paper No. 7)

This paper focuses attention on the connection between skills development and early labour market success for young people and their ability to realize their long-term potential for productive and gainful work. One of the key findings from this review is that effective policies and programmes address specific sources of disadvantage. In some cases, this has
required comprehensive rather than narrowly-targeted programmes in order to respond to the multiple and inter-linked sources of disadvantage.

Gallart. M.A. Skills, Productivity and Employment Growth: the case of Latin America. Montevideo: ILO/Cinterfor, 2008
112p. (Training features, 36)

The aim of this study is to illustrate the relations between training and workers’ skills, productivity and the growth of quality employment in societies in Latin America by means of an analysis of the existing information and case studies of four different countries –Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru–. A review of the activities of institutions involved and programmes implemented raises serious questions about training systems in which the greatest investment is concentrated on better-educated workers who perform in the integrated or formal sector, while poor, unemployed young people and workers in the informal sector receive training that is more limited. It seems necessary to give continuity to programmes that may succeed in correcting orientations and responding to the above challenges.

ILO. Skills for improved productivity, employment growth and development. International Labour Conference, 97th. Session, 2008. Report V.

The central aim of this report is to examine how, within a decent work perspective, countries can develop their skills base so as to increase both the quantity and the productivity of labour employed in the economy. Inadequate education and skills development keep economies trapped in a vicious circle of low education, low productivity and low income. The report therefore analyses how strategies to upgrade and enhance the relevance of skills training and to improve access to skills for more women and men can instead help countries move to a virtuous circle of higher productivity, employment and incomes growth, and development.

ILO Caribbean Office. Productivity Improvement through strengthening Management-Labour Cooperation - the Caribbean Experience. Port of Spain, International Labour Office, 2004.

Labarca, Guillermo. Formación de recursos humanos en la industria gráfica chilena. (Human resources training in the Chilean graphical industry). In: Labarca, Guillermo (Comp.) Training and enterprise: training in the process of productive restructuring. Montevideo: Cinterfor/ILO, 1999. (Tools for Change, 11).

The overall objective of this study is to provide information in order to give back up to proposed policies on training, with the purpose of improving productivity in industrial production. Some of the conclusions of this study are: any kind of training for work (formal or specialised) requires a training period to be spent on the job; detecting human resources is a key element of training strategies; the "enterprise culture" is a determining influence to the productive insertion of workers and it is the necessary complement of their training processes; workers are not the only ones who learn, enterprises do so too. It implies mainly the access to new knowledge and its internalisation, which is decisive when new technologies are introduced in the productive process or in management.

Marchese, M. and Sakamoto, A. Skills development for industrial clusters: a preliminary review. ILO. Skills and Employability Department. Geneva, 2008. 43 p. (Employment Sector Working Paper No.8)

This paper provides some preliminary thoughts on how to design cluster focused skills development interventions and how to integrate them with ILO’s overall cluster development strategy. The cluster approach has been recognized as an
effective means for the promotion of enterprise expansion and local economic development, which can contribute to employment creation, poverty reduction and the promotion of decent work. The ILO has pursuing cluster development as part of its work led by the Job Creation and Enterprise Development Department.

Martínez Espinoza, Eduardo. La formación profesional en una economía moderna. (Vocational training in a modern economy). Inter-american Technical Bulletin on Vocational Training. Montevideo, Cinterfor/ILO. Nº 154, 2003.

The article deals with the different dimensions of the relationship between training and the economic performance of enterprises and countries, mainly through topics such as productivity, competitiveness and labour market.

Mertens, Leonard. Diez años SIMAPRO en la industria azucarera: balance y perspectivas. (Ten years of SIMAPRO in the sugar industry: evaluation and perspectives). Seventh National Meeting of SIMAPRO (System for the Measurement and Improvement of Productivity) and Decent Work on Sugar Refineries, CINTERFOR/ILO, Guadalajara (Jal), 12-13 May, 2005.

Mertens, Leonard.  Training, productivity and labour competencies in organisations: concepts, methodologies and experiences.  Montevideo: Cinterfor/ILO, 2002. (Training Features, 15).

The purpose of this study is to show that it is feasible and profitable to enhance the productivity and working conditions of organisations through the ongoing learning of their personnel. Training and productivity are, according to the author, concepts which are closely related. If increasing productivity implies working in a more intelligent manner, but not necessarily harder, then it is understood that it is not possible to increase productivity in enterprises unless training actions are developed for workers in the company. It relates the concept of training with the approaches on knowledge management and learning organisations where training is provided to all members of the organisation. Management modalities and instruments of successful training experiences at enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean are analysed. To do so, specific experiences of methodologies applied in businesses in Mexico and the Dominican Republic are included.

Novick, Marta. Experiencias exitosas de capacitación de empresas innovadoras en América Latina y el Caribe. (Successful training experiences by innovating enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean).In: Labarca, Guillermo (Comp.) Training and enterprise: training in the process of productive restructuring. Montevideo: Cinterfor/ILO, 1999. (Tools for Change, 11).

This document advances in the reflection upon the dynamics existing between the development of firms' competitive ability and the training models used by innovating enterprises. Training strategies developed by dynamic enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean are analysed; in addition, different aspects of successful experiences are described and those which are considered to have contributed to good performance are especially mentioned. One of the central questions of the paper is: what role do training strategies and human resources management play in the development of learning at the enterprise? Are they associated dimensions? Are they complementary, necessary or opposite? The paper proves that successful training takes place within the internal system of the firm. On the other hand, various types of factors that influence training success are considered, for example, organisational issues, human resources management policy, strategic, methodological and technical aspects.

Palmer, R. Skills and productivity in the informal economy. ILO. Skills and Employability Department. Geneva: 2008
79 p. (Employment Sector working paper, no.5)

Given the phenomenal growth of the informal economy in the past three decades it was considered necessary to examine the linkages between skills and productivity in the context of the informal economy so as to inform the relevant chapters of the ILC Report, in particular those relating to developing countries. Indeed, the informal economy represents the primary destination for both out-of-school and school graduates in most developing countries. It often provides both skills training opportunities and a possibility of finding, or creating livelihoods. Skills development is one of the key determinants of how, and for whom, productivity growth translates into employment growth, into better work in the informal economy and to movement from the informal to formal economies.

Powers, T. Recognizing ability: The skills and productivity of persons with disabilities. Literature review. ILO. Skills and Employability Department. Geneva, 2008. 43 p. (Employment Sector Employment Working Paper , No. 3)

This working paper reviews the available evidence connecting the employment and economic status of disabled persons with their skills and productivity. It examines skills development strategies and their effect on employment, income-generation and productivity in both the formal and informal sectors in developed and developing countries. It also considers the impact of policies and practices designed to assist disabled people to achieve their productivity potential at work, including workplace accommodations and teleworking. It includes a number of illustrative case studies. It concludes with key policy messages which emerge from the literature review.

Ruffier, Jean. Productive efficiency: how factories work. Montevideo: Cinterfor/ILO, 1998.

This work is placed at the intersection of sociology, economy and engineering science and it provides a new type of analysis based on a series of studies developed in all continents by an international research team. It rejects the option of an economic war fought by everyone against everyone and it introduces some instruments for those who want to be the creators of new wealth. Finally, it shows that a modern productive system is nourished by relationships that go beyond the company's scope. It forces us to rethink production bonds.

Valle, Rogerio. Calificación y entrenamiento en empresas dinámicas de Río de Janeiro. (Qualification and training at dynamic enterprises in Rio de Janeiro). In: Labarca, Guillermo (Comp.) Training and enterprise: training in the process of productive restructuring. Montevideo: Cinterfor/ILO, 1999. (Tools for Change, 11).

This paper introduces an analysis on training policies developed by four dynamic enterprises in Rio de Janeiro. The four enterprises are engaged in: material reproduction, oil chemistry, beer production and nuclear energy. The economic and social context as well as the business restructuring processes are taken into account as a necessary reference framework to understand strategies concerning human resources and workers' training. These companies have had to introduce changes in their business strategies, their internal industrial relations, their relationship with the environment and the State and they also had to alter their technical culture, that is, the knowledge reservoir of human and material resources available in the enterprise. Each of them follows a different development path in which training strategies are designed.

 Cinterfor/OIT.  Proyecto de competencias laborales. Una experiencia con el método AMOD (Project on labour competencies. An experience with AMOD method).

The following document gives account of an experience carried out in Uruguay as part of the preparation to a course that was to be run at expert Leonard Merten's second mission in Uruguay in July 1998. During that time, an experience with AMOD was developed. It consisted of an application experience and then training in that methodology. Training institutions and enterprises of Montevideo took part in the experience ("Casa de la mujer", as a training institution within the framework of PROJOVEN programme and the company MACROMERCADO, a supermarket engaged both as a wholesaler and retailer). AMOD method is easy and quick to apply since it allows to provide short-term solutions regarding training. This text describes its application and the main conclusions drawn from such practice.