REPORT OF ACTIVITIES CINTERFOR/ILO
2001-2002

PART TWO
PROPOSAL OF WORK PLAN AND PROGRAMMES
FOR THE 2003-2004 BIENNIUM

The Centre’s programme is broadly aimed at laying down the institutional foundations of vocational training, supporting national efforts for the consolidation, enhancement and modernisation of the organisational structure of national vocational training institutions. At the same time, it also lends assistance to the endeavours of Ministries of Labour and Education in the formulation and adoption of national training policies.

Activities channelled to the modernisation of training conceptions have a basic ingredient, i.e. a trend to orient training programmes with a view to accessing labour markets rather than coaching individuals for specific work posts. Furthermore, in the society of knowledge and information there is increasing emphasis on the need to promote reforms coordinating the notion of a lifelong education with national training offers. Adoption of this approach entails postulating the need to facilitate permanent access to training opportunities, rather than the traditional attitude of a training based on specific job profiles.

The possibilities of training openings along life are specially important for less privileged population groups, with fewer opportunities, like young men and women and adults lacking the education and qualification levels required for employment. Access to relevant, good-quality training is essential for these persons to get a decent job.

On the other hand, it is undeniable that there is growing consensus about the link between vocational training and productivity. Training and personnel development actions enable enterprises and productive chains to attain better levels in their resources/outcomes ratios. This equation is essential for regional and world productivity, as it is for attracting investments capable of generating decent work.

This programme has been preceded by a renewed tempo in efforts towards sub-regional and regional integration. From North America, Central America, through the Andean Nations, the Caribbean down to the Southern Cone new movements are afoot to revive and consolidate sub-regional and regional integration initiatives. This has raised training to unprecedented heights in supranational interests, based on aspects such as the mobility of workers and recognition of their occupational skills in key sectors like hotels and tourism, transportation, manufacturing industries and many others.

The Cinterfor/ILO programme favours action for the institutional development of training, and helps in redefining policies, programmes and projects for restructuring qualification offers that are sound, stable and supportive of the concept of lifelong, good-quality training.

For all these reasons, the Centre will continue to pay great attention to its co-operation and dissemination activities in areas like:

• Development and strengthening of training institutions.
• Design and development of national training frameworks and systems for the certification of competencies (in a regional integration perspective).
• Quality management in training.
• Development of new ICT-intensive training approaches (Utilising information and communications technologies).
• Links between training and productivity in enterprises, productive chains, branches of economic activity and national economies.
• Training in crucial areas like the environment and renewable energy sources.
• Development of training approaches favouring the integration of disadvantaged populations.
• Social dialogue and its decisive role in training development.
• Sub-regional and regional integration and their effects on the training and mobility of workers.

The ILO strategic objectives Promotion of standards and fundamental principles and rights at work. Creating greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent employments and incomes. Enhancing the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all. Strengthening tripartism and social dialogue.

The Centre’s action embodies the four fundamental strategic objectives of the ILO and will sponsor the cause of the right to training as an ally in the pursuit of the objective of decent work.

Within this range of strategic objectives, the one regarding improved opportunities for women and men to get a decent employments and incomes is particularly important for the Centre, insofar as relevant and good-quality vocational training is a means for enhancing such opportunities. At all events the Centre’s activities and the very nature of vocational training contribute to the implementation of activities in the frame of the other three strategic objectives.

The proposed programme is based on and guided by the following elements:

• The requests made by Member States and adopted at the 36th Meeting of the Technical Committee (Antigua, 2003).
• The ILO strategic objective that women and men should have a decent income and job.
• The guidelines of the new ILO Recommendation on the development of human resources, and
• The regional strategy laid down in the work plan of the ILO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The following diagram outlines of the Cinterfor programme and its links with the four ILO strategies:

The Cinterfor work plan for this biennium is supplemented by the following activities outlined in the current discussions of a new proposal for the development of human resources:

• Promoting ongoing education, improving the employability of men and women workers, promoting the concept of decent work;
• Getting training to contribute in raising the productivity of enterprises, economic sectors and, in sum, of the countries themselves;
• Improving access and equal opportunities for all persons in the spheres of education and training;
• Promoting national, regional and international qualifications frameworks favouring the recognition of training and previous experience;
• Reinforcing the capacity of social actors to work together in the field of training and education.

 

The Inter-American Centre for Knowledge Development in Vocational Training (ILO/Cinterfor)
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