Major Programme 75. Turin Centre

Summary of 1998-99 proposals and comparison with previous biennium (including funds from other sources)

75.1. The year 1995 brought to completion the Centre’s first Development Plan, covering the period 1990-95. At its November 1995 session, the Centre’s Board approved a second Development Plan for the period up to the year 2000. Planning for the new Plan in a context of substantive reforms in the system of multilateral relations led to several conclusions. Firstly, that training is increasingly being viewed as a key instrument for the dissemination of ILO policies and the results of its analytical work. Secondly, that training underpins the values, principles and technical capacity of the ILO. Finally, that training is a necessary component of any sound and equitable economic and social development programme adopted by member States.

75.2. The second Development Plan identifies the following objectives for the Centre: mobilizing and spreading, through training, the standards, experience and expertise accumulated by the ILO and by the United Nations system, as well as by other development partners; supporting through appropriate training actions the reform efforts undertaken within the multilateral development cooperation system; renewing and developing the Centre’s range of training products on rights pertaining to work, as well as on key areas of the United Nations development agenda, including human rights, governance, and the management of development cooperation; and the strengthening of the capacities of governments, employers and workers in the planning and management of the development process.

75.3. For the implementation of the second Development Plan, the Centre will need to develop its capacities in three areas: the development of training products based on a cooperative network of training institutions; the technical capacity to provide training advisory services and carry out training operations in the field and on the campus through cost-effective delivery structures; and an improved communication and marketing capacity, in view of the Centre’s heavy dependence on its own efforts to attract donors. The programmes of the Centre will be carried out by a flexible organizational structure that supports the design, negotiation, delivery and assessment of high-quality products, based on a proactive human resources policy and a well-equipped functional campus. The Centre’s resource-mobilization strategy will be adapted to the increasingly competitive environment. Various measures have already been adopted to improve the Centre’s organizational structure, human resources development policy and physical facilities.

75.4. For the implementation of its programmes, it is necessary for the financing system on which the Centre’s regular budget has been based in recent years to remain valid during the period covered by the second Development Plan. This financing system includes a set of direct contributions and subsidies from the Government of Italy, the ILO and a few other donors, which in total covers one-third of the Centre’s budget, leaving two-thirds to be generated by the Centre’s own activities. This situation contrasts with the financing of the Centre when it was first established in the 1960s, when 88per cent of its budget consisted of direct contributions and only 12per cent of its income was raised through training activities. Indeed, during the period covered by the first Development Plan, the Centre faced an abrupt reduction in income from ILO technical cooperation activities. The individual fellowship programme linked to UNDP-funded projects implemented by the ILO decreased substantially, with a $5 million reduction in 1995 compared with 1990. However, in the increasingly open and competitive technical assistance environment in which the ILO and the United Nations system operate, no significant increase is to be expected in direct contributions. The Centre’s challenge is therefore to increase its volume of activities by enhancing the quality and range of its programmes and products and by expanding and diversifying its training initiatives with new partners, in accordance with the objectives of its programme and its research and development strategy. The Centre will also continue to expand its programme in areas of the ILO’s core mandate, such as training in support of reforms in social protection, labour relations and labour market institutions.

75.5. The direct contribution of the Italian Government, approved on a yearly basis by a joint committee of the Italian Government and the Turin Centre, should range between $15.5 and 16 million for the biennium 1998-99. The ILO maintains its financial contribution at the same level as for the biennium 1996-97, namely $5.1million. In addition to making every effort to maintain and increase voluntary contributions from other member States, the product and marketing strategy developed under the first Development Plan will therefore be vital to make up the Centre’s budget. The expected level of income from extra-budgetary sources for the biennium 1998-99 is some $39.5 million.

75.6. In a number of areas, and particularly training to strengthen the capacity of workers’ and employers’ organizations, the ILO earmarks a share of RBTC resources for the activities carried out by the Centre in cooperation with the regional major programmes. These resources also provide seed money to increase the volume of resources through co-financing arrangements with the donor community.

Regional and technical programmes

75.7. The Centre implements a series of interrelated regional and technical programmes. In this context, the regional programmes are essentially demand-driven, with the priorities being established in specific sectors, such as vocational training, in consultation with the ILO’s field structure and with regional institutions, such as the Inter-American Research and Documentation Centre on Vocational Training (CINTERFOR) and the Asian and Pacific Skills Development Programme (APSDEP). In consultation with the United Nations, UNDP and other United Nations agencies, emphasis will be placed on the design and negotiation of multi-annual integrated projects combining training advisory services, the development of training materials, the organization of training courses and individual fellowship programmes. The staff of the Centre will also assist its various development partners, including the United Nations, UNDP, other United Nations agencies, the European Commission and the European Training Foundation, to elaborate terms of reference and participate in project assessment.

75.8. In addition to the delivery of training services in the respective fields, a major effort will be made to focus on the research and development capacities of the Centre with a view to the development of a range of new training products and programmes that respond to clear needs. These programmes will be implemented in close collaboration with the respective ILO major programmes and other partners in the United Nations system.

International labour standards and human rights

75.9. The scope of the Centre’s training activities to promote and disseminate international labour standards will be strengthened in cooperation with major programme 50 (International labour standards and human rights). These activities are specifically addressed to ILO constituents responsible for the implementation and application of international labour Conventions. Standards-related inputs will continue to be included in the whole range of the Centre’s training activities. Activities will also be expanded in support of the linkages between ILO standards and the broader human rights system of the United Nations and cooperation will be reinforced with the United Nations Human Rights Centre.

Women in development

75.10. Training in this field will be specifically designed to promote and integrate women into the development process in areas such as entrepreneurship, community-based activities, working conditions and equality of opportunities, labour policies and vocational training. At the same time, gender issues will be integrated into the mainstream of the Centre’s programme, in close consultation with major programme 140 (Equality for women).

Training for employment

75.11. With unemployment remaining at the top of the agenda in both industrialized and developing countries, it is inevitable that training policies and systems will be measured in terms of their employment creation capacities. Training managers, policy-makers and the social partners have to be aware of the close linkage between training and employment and be given tools to improve the linkages between training provision, labour market requirements and overall macroeconomic policies. In close collaboration with the relevant ILO major programmes, the Centre will participate in the development of a programme based on a package on “training as an element of labour market policies”, which will include modules and methodologies on training policy and labour market analysis; and a package designed more specifically to target the issue of unemployment among the weakest and most disadvantaged groups of the labour force, which will focus on the respective roles of the public and private sectors.

Small enterprise development and employers’ activities

75.12. Training programmes in these fields will focus on the creation and development of enterprises. Carried out in close collaboration with major programme 65 (Enterprise and cooperative development), the training activities will also cover strategies and instruments for local and regional economic development, including the planning and management of economic development agencies. In close consultation with major programme 225 (Employers’ activities), training activities for employers’ organizations will be designed to strengthen their capacities, with specific emphasis on the training needs of employers’ organizations in transition economies.

Training for private and public sector development

75.13. In response to the recognized need to reform the role of the State in economic and social development and to strengthen the corresponding role of the private sector, in recent years, in cooperation with major programme 100 (Sectoral activities), the Centre has built up a training programme in the field of public sector human resource development, as well as initiating a pilot programme on privatization in the transition economies of Asia and Europe. Building on this experience, the programme will be further developed in collaboration with major programmes 60 (Employment and training), 65 (Enterprise and cooperative development) and 80 (Labour relations and labour administration).

Training for labour relations

75.14. Building on the experience acquired in the biennium 1996-97, in cooperation with major programme 80 (Industrial relations and labour administration), the Centre will expand its capacity to carry out training activities in the fields of the prevention, management and settlement of labour disputes. Particular attention will be paid to the design of practical and simulated training activities on the various methods of managing labour disputes, including mediation, conciliation and arbitration.

Training of social security managers and personnel

75.15. There is growing demand for training related to the sound functioning of social security institutions, particularly in transition economies and countries involved in the process of reforming their social protection systems. Support will be provided to these countries for the evaluation of their social security training needs, the design of appropriate training programmes and the development of modular training packages. This work will be carried out in close cooperation with major programme 110 (Social security) and the European Commission.

Workers’ education

75.16. The workers’ education programme will address the priorities and guidelines determined by the Workers’ group of the Governing Body. As an integral component of major programme 230 (Workers’ activities), the Centre’s courses will focus on assisting trade unions to improve their own training capacities. New training packages will be developed on industrial relations, collective bargaining techniques, the application of labour standards and the economic and financial analysis of enterprises. Another priority activity will be the development of training materials and courses for the use of unions in the field of information technologies.

Management of development cooperation

75.17. Training in this field will be consolidated and broadened with a view to strengthening national capacities and pursuing the training of trainers. This work will be based on a comprehensive training package incorporating the experiences of the ILO and the United Nations system in the area of the management of technical cooperation. In this context, emphasis will be placed on action at the national and regional levels and on networking between training teams in participating countries (technical cooperation among developing countries — TCDC). Throughout this work, increased participation will be sought from the representatives of the ILO’s tripartite constituents, and particularly of trade unions and employers’ organizations. The current programme will be expanded through the development of the existing training package to make it more generic and therefore more attractive to a wider range of development partners. New modules will be introduced on topics such as donor relations, public procurement, monitoring and evaluation, investment feasibility analyses and TCDC. Special tailor-made training courses in this area will be designed and made available to development agents outside the ILO and the United Nations system. In the implementation of the programme, increased emphasis will be placed on countries where management weaknesses are compounded by the nature and magnitude of reconstruction and development needs, such as countries in transition, the least developed countries and countries affected by wars and natural disasters.

United Nations system training programme

75.18. A triple approach will be adopted by this programme. In the first place, training support will be provided for the field operational activities of the United Nations system. Secondly, the experience acquired through field coordination workshops will be expanded, leading up to a second generation of workshops. Thirdly, support will also be provided for the more widespread implementation of new operational concepts, such as “country strategy notes” and the “programme approach”, as well as new monitoring and evaluation methodologies. In addition, training support will be expanded in the fields of management training, induction training, policy seminars and the development of training materials at the request of specific agencies and programmes, including the ILO. In this context, the recently approved United Nations Staff College project, with an initial duration of five years (1996-2000), will develop a series of training services for the staff of the United Nations and for national, governmental and non-governmental personnel associated with activities of the United Nations. The Staff College project is conceived as a United Nations self-financed project and will operate through a network of training institutions, of which the Centre will form the hub. It will improve linkages and integration between sectors and programmes of activity in the United Nations system in areas such as the management of complex emergencies, economic and social policies, operational activities for development, human rights, humanitarian affairs and peace-keeping and peace-making. Through the provision of management training at various levels, one of the overall objectives of the Staff College project is to develop a common United Nations system culture.

Educational methodologies and technologies

75.19. The concept of training has been undergoing significant changes, with much greater emphasis being placed on flexibility, self-learning, skills development and the use of modern educational technologies. The Centre is gradually introducing new methods and new technologies into its mainstream training activities. The objective is for the Centre to develop, over the next five years, into a leading institution in terms of new and innovative educational methodologies and technologies as a privileged partner of some of the major public and private sector institutions in this field. A modern approach will therefore be developed based on an effective combination of learning methods and training delivery technologies, and will be placed at the service of other training institutions, particularly in developing countries. This will involve: the production of an updated version of the modular series on training design and training planning; the development of a comprehensive training package on the selection, use and application of new educational technologies; and the expansion and further development of the training package on open and distance learning.

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