Launch of skills training initiative for domestic workers: Improving domestic workers’ job quality and standards
Domestic work is an important occupation in many economies worldwide but it remains unrecognised as “work’’ and virtually invisible form of employment in many countries. It is also generally seen as unskilled work, a natural extension of women’s work in their own homes.
MALANG (ILO News) – Domestic work is an important occupation in many economies worldwide but it remains unrecognised as “work’’ and virtually invisible form of employment in many countries. It is also generally seen as unskilled work, a natural extension of women’s work in their own homes.
Thus, many domestic workers endure very poor working conditions, many are underpaid, have no social security coverage, work long hours, in difficult and not always in safe conditions. Some are even vulnerable to the threat of trafficking, sexual, physical and psychological abuse.
To improve domestic workers’ job quality and standards, the International Labour Organization (ILO) is launching a pilot training programme in Malang, East Java, on 4 October to improve and standardize job skills of in-country Indonesian domestic workers. The pilot programme aims to improve the recognition and work standard of domestic workers and to enhance their employability as well as the living and working conditions.
This initiative is an entry point for recognizing of domestic workers’ skills as professionals, focusing on improving and certifying domestic workers’ skills on housekeeping (including laundry) and family cooking. The curriculum of these two training programmes have been developed by the ILO through its Promoting Decent Work for Domestic Workers (PROMOTE) Project. The curriculum would be tested and tried out during this training initiative to be improved and finalized based on experiences and inputs from the participants during the training sessions.
This training programme delivers high-quality benchmarked training using the National Work Competence Standard (SKKNI) for Domestic Work which was developed based on the SKKNI of the Government of Indonesia for Individual Service Serving Household adopted in 2015. Some elements of the ILO’s Regional Model Competency Standard (RMCS) had also been used in the 2015 SKKNI.
At the learning centre, around 25 domestic workers will be trained at the Malang Learning Activity Centre during the month of October. Meanwhile, at the community level, the work has already started in August at five local communities in Malang for 50 participants, in collaboration with Lembaga Pengkajian Pembangunan Masyarakat (LPKP), an NGO deals with domestic worker and child domestic worker issues. The community-based training will continue until December 2016.
Michiko Miyamoto, Deputy Director of the ILO in Indonesia, stated that domestic work is an important source of employment for millions of women and men, dominantly women. They also provide essential services that enable others to work outside their homes. Domestic workers, thus, help keep the labour market and economies working around the globe.
“The skills development and professional recognition of domestic workers play an important role in promoting decent work for domestic workers. Skills training and certification based on nationally competency-standards can help raise the status of domestic worker as a recognized profession. This, in turn, would improve domestic workers’ employability and prospects for better employment condition,” he added.
Funded by the United States Department of Labour (USDOL), PROMOTE Project aims at promoting decent work for domestic workers and reducing child domestic workers significantly. The project works closely with national stakeholders and partners to promote Decent Work for Domestic Workers effectively.
Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO-PROMOTE Project
Tel. +6221 391 3112 ext. 125
Email: arum@ilo.org
Irfan Affandi
Staff of the ILO-PROMOTE Project in East Java
Mobile: +62811 3576 875
Email: irfan@ilo.org
Gita Lingga
Media Relations Officer
ILO Jakarta Office
Tel. +6221 391 3112 ext. 115
Email: gita@ilo.org
Thus, many domestic workers endure very poor working conditions, many are underpaid, have no social security coverage, work long hours, in difficult and not always in safe conditions. Some are even vulnerable to the threat of trafficking, sexual, physical and psychological abuse.
To improve domestic workers’ job quality and standards, the International Labour Organization (ILO) is launching a pilot training programme in Malang, East Java, on 4 October to improve and standardize job skills of in-country Indonesian domestic workers. The pilot programme aims to improve the recognition and work standard of domestic workers and to enhance their employability as well as the living and working conditions.
This initiative is an entry point for recognizing of domestic workers’ skills as professionals, focusing on improving and certifying domestic workers’ skills on housekeeping (including laundry) and family cooking. The curriculum of these two training programmes have been developed by the ILO through its Promoting Decent Work for Domestic Workers (PROMOTE) Project. The curriculum would be tested and tried out during this training initiative to be improved and finalized based on experiences and inputs from the participants during the training sessions.
This training programme delivers high-quality benchmarked training using the National Work Competence Standard (SKKNI) for Domestic Work which was developed based on the SKKNI of the Government of Indonesia for Individual Service Serving Household adopted in 2015. Some elements of the ILO’s Regional Model Competency Standard (RMCS) had also been used in the 2015 SKKNI.
At the learning centre, around 25 domestic workers will be trained at the Malang Learning Activity Centre during the month of October. Meanwhile, at the community level, the work has already started in August at five local communities in Malang for 50 participants, in collaboration with Lembaga Pengkajian Pembangunan Masyarakat (LPKP), an NGO deals with domestic worker and child domestic worker issues. The community-based training will continue until December 2016.
Michiko Miyamoto, Deputy Director of the ILO in Indonesia, stated that domestic work is an important source of employment for millions of women and men, dominantly women. They also provide essential services that enable others to work outside their homes. Domestic workers, thus, help keep the labour market and economies working around the globe.
“The skills development and professional recognition of domestic workers play an important role in promoting decent work for domestic workers. Skills training and certification based on nationally competency-standards can help raise the status of domestic worker as a recognized profession. This, in turn, would improve domestic workers’ employability and prospects for better employment condition,” he added.
Funded by the United States Department of Labour (USDOL), PROMOTE Project aims at promoting decent work for domestic workers and reducing child domestic workers significantly. The project works closely with national stakeholders and partners to promote Decent Work for Domestic Workers effectively.
For further information please contact:
Arum RatnawatiChief Technical Adviser of the ILO-PROMOTE Project
Tel. +6221 391 3112 ext. 125
Email: arum@ilo.org
Irfan Affandi
Staff of the ILO-PROMOTE Project in East Java
Mobile: +62811 3576 875
Email: irfan@ilo.org
Gita Lingga
Media Relations Officer
ILO Jakarta Office
Tel. +6221 391 3112 ext. 115
Email: gita@ilo.org