"Technical Skills Development in Africa" - Paris, 10 December 2007

Opening remarks and Purpose of the workshop

Tom Hurley, Director Human Development Department, AfDB 
Javier Santiso, Chief Economist and Acting Director, OECD Development Centre
Lucia Wegner, Project Manager, African Economic Outlook, OECD Development Centre

First Part

Session I - Technical Skills Development in Africa: Stock-taking and Institutional & Strategic Framework (9:20 - 11:00)

This first session took stock of technical skills development in Africa, looking at i) data and information available on skills needs in the economy and on access to TVET programmes, ii) the extent to which the policy and the institutional frameworks in place ensure that the learning needs of young people and adults are met, iii) whether an integrated policy framework for skills development exists, and iv) how TVET curricula match with the requirements of the workplace..

Moderator: Richard Walther, Senior Consultant, ITG/AFD
a) Current trends and issues in vocational training in Africa, Kenneth King, Professor Edinburgh University
b) Access to TVET in Africa: what do we know? Data limitations and gaps, Simon Ellis, Head of Special Projects, UNESCO Institute for Statistics
c) Challenges in Designing and implementing TVET policies: view from the government, Sanoussi Diakité, First Advisor, TVET Ministry, Senegal, GEFOP
d) How to make training responsive to labour marker requirements? Vladimir Gasskov, Senior Training and Skills Development Specialist, ILO Skills and Employability Department (EMP/SKILLS)

Session II - Lessons from Recent TVET reforms
(11:30 – 13:00)

The second session addressed internationally acknowledged sound practices in TVET, and how/if these are achieved in recent Vocational Education and Training reforms in Africa. The participants looked at some specific country examples and the role of donors in supporting such efforts. Recent reform efforts have focused on the following issues: i) Establishment of effective, flexible, and responsive national training systems to meet national economic, social and individual needs, and the adoption of laws to strengthen training programs; ii) New forms of policy, planning and administration; iii) Increased involvement of public and private stakeholders in the system; iv) Company participation in training activities; v) Development of co-financing tools and instruments. The session explored which vision, governance models and partnerships are most apt to ensure successful reform.

Moderator: André Komenan, Lead Education Specialist AfDB

e) Training in the informal sector: Restructuring apprenticeship programs, Sanoussi Diakité, First Advisor, TVET Ministry, Senegal, GEFOP
f) OECD Policy choice in secondary technical education: can they provide useful lessons for Africa? Françoise Caillods, Deputy Director, Education for All Team Leader, UNESCO IIEP
g) What is the role of donors in supporting reforms? Klaus-Dieter Przyklenk, Senior Advisor TVET, BMZ, Germany
h) Lessons learned from TVET reform in Ethiopia, Genet Meseret, Ministry of Capacity Building, TVET Reform, Ethiopia

Second Part

Session III - Financing Vocational Training: Issues and Actors
(14:15 - 15:45)

The financing of vocational training is often complex, relying on a variety of arrangements. This third session explored mechanisms used to improve investment in training and guarantee access to TVET. Which areas are used to receiving priority in financing? Who provides financing and/or regulation? What are the major financing mechanisms and instruments? Partnerships between public authorities and social partners exist across all types and all levels of training (from pre-vocational skills training schemes to workplace based learning and training for self-employed) – what works and what does not?

Moderator: Françoise Caillods, Deputy Director, Education for All Team Leader, UNESCO IIEP

i) Financing mechanisms and instruments, Richard Walther, Senior Consultant ITG/AFD
j) Issues and Options in Financing TVET, David Atchoarena, Senior Programme Specialist and Head, Training and Education Programmes unit, international Institute for Educational Planning (IIPE), UNESCO
k) Options for TVET financing: Pooling, Maiga Soufiana, Deputy Director General, Fonds d’Appui à la Formation Professionnelle et à l’Apprentissage (FAFPA), Mali
l) The functioning of South Africa funds, Devan Naicker, Deputy CEO (Strategy), ServiceSETA, South Africa
m) Training from the employers’ perspectives, Sabine Hartig, InWEnt – Capacity Building International, Germany

Session IV – Challenges Ahead for the provision of TVET
(15:45 -17:15)

How can TVET contribute to promote economic growth in a rapidly evolving world economy? An understanding of some of the socio-economic issues under which skills development is carried out in Africa is essential. To this effect, the focus of this session was on youth unemployment, migration and the fragile nature of some states in Africa. Particular attention was devoted to how to ensure the insertion of youth into the labour market, especially in countries undergoing a demographic explosion.

Moderator: Henri-Bernard Solignac Lecomte, Head, Dialogue Policy Unit, OECD Development Centre

n) Are TVET responsive to the Private sector’s skill needs? Jeena Mitry, Project Manager on Management and Human Development, Community and Institutions Development (CID Consulting), Egypt
o) Brain drain and circular migration, Jeff Dayton-Johnson, Senior Economist, OECD Development Centre
p) The role of Diaspora in facilitating the circulation of skills, Andréa Kingue, Africsearch Associate

Wrap Up and Closure

Tom Harley, Director Human Development Department, AfDB
Kenneth Ruffing, Co-ordinator, African Economic Outlook