Mandate

Core mandate

 The ILO's InFocus Programme on Skills Knowledge and Employability, within the InFocus Programme on Skills, Knowledge and Employability, assists countries and the social partners in designing policies for more and effective investments in learning and training for employability, productivity and social inclusion for women and men. Education, knowledge and skills play a pivotal role in helping societies attain full employment and reach their economic and social development goals. Investment in human resources, through lifelong learning, is of critical importance for enterprises concerned with improving their productivity and competitiveness in global markets, for individuals and their representative organizations concerned with maintaining employability in the midst of rapid changes and for governments concerned with spurring productivity and fostering higher economic growth and decent work. A well-functioning education and training system enhances economic and social integration.

HRD Convention and Recommendation

Both the ILO Constitution and many International Labour Standards highlight training as a core area of work of the Organization. The major ILO instruments in the area of Human Resources Development and Training that cover all the aspects of vocational training and guidance at various level are:

Convention No. 142 concerning Vocational Guidance and Vocational Training in the Development of Human Resources (1975);

Recommendation No. 150 concerning Vocational Guidance and Vocational Training in the Development of Human Resources (1975).

The International Labour Conference, at its 88th Session, 2000, called for the revision of the Human Resources Recommendation (No. 150). Adopted in 1975, this Recommendation mirrors the prevailing economic and social conditions of that period. Although some of its aspects are still valid, economic and social developments require "a more dynamic instrument that is more applicable and used by member States and the social partners".

Preparatory work towards a New Recommendation on Human Resources Development and Training.

Within the InFocus Programme for the biennium 2000-2001, the TPE Unit aims to accomplish the major goal of:

· Increased and effective investment in training and human resources development for enhanced employability, competitiveness and growth.

This is to be achieved by:

• encouraging training systems and providers to be flexible, while meeting high quality standards;
• promoting the employability of the adult labour force through lifelong learning;
• improving the design of skill and competency standards and the portability of the skills acquired through work experience.

The current work of the Unit underpins the preparation of a new draft Recommendation. Activities of applied research and a large technical cooperation programme are focused on the following areas:

• applying the concept of employability to training policy and programme design;
• promoting investments in training;
• assisting countries introduce competency-based training and national qualification frameworks;
• promoting learning and training for high performance enterprises.

Following the 1998/99 World Employment Report: Employability in the Global Economy: How Training Matters, the Unit is currently finalizing the chapter on The Skills Challenge for the 2001 World Employment Report: Decent work in the information society (working title).