Round Table on the Integration of Youth into Working Life

Introductory Document

 

(UNESCO/IIEP)

 

The round table addressed issues pertaining to the role of technical and vocational education and training in the integration of youth into the labor market, and how it can facilitate the transition from school to work in particular. The focus was on current policy responses in selected countries.

The effects of globalization on production and labor markets call for progressive adaptation in the lives of workers. As a result, marginalization is on the rise among many sectors of society. In the developing world, wage employment will remain out of reach for many youth who have not completed secondary or even higher education, while in advanced economies the transition into the labor market tends to become an extended and fragmented process, possibly involving some temporary or subsidized jobs. Among such complex and volatile working lives, a wide range of activities in both the formal and informal sectors is also taken up.

The magnitude of structural unemployment and underemployment is especially high for youth more often than not. Main factors mentioned are: sustained demographic pressure, social disintegration and economic stagnation. Poverty and social exclusion become key concerns.

Vocational education and training are often considered as "a major vehicle to equip young people with the skills they need to earn a living." However, questions must be raised; for instance: the mode of delivery, good management, and the profitability of maintaining large vocational training systems in stagnant or recessive contexts where labor demand is falling and economic growth insufficient. The right policy must be worked out for each context in order to create realistic and effective transition pathways.

The objectives of the round table, within a comprehensive framework, were to:

• review evidence emerging in different parts of the world
• provide the basis for a wide exchange of views and experiences
• outline particularly worthy responses.

Questions were explicitly raised in preparation for the event, involving the adequacy of training as an instrument of integration, the applicability of policies, the impact of selective (socially targeted) measures, lessons from experiences in the informal sector, and how to ensure that learning continues beyond the transition process.

Five focus topics:

• YOUTH AT RISK IN ADVANCED ECONOMIES. Difficulties presented to early school leavers on account of global trend towards increasing the level of education, and different failures whether they be of market, institutional or social nature. Controversies surrounding the long-term impact of targeting youth at risk. (Marianne Durand, OECD)
• YOUTH TRAINING SCHEMES. Preliminary evaluation reviews of labor market training programs spreading beyond advanced economies. Considerations are given to three Latin American programs. In Chile Joven and Proyecto Joven (Argentina), training is contracted on a competitive basis from private providers, who have to find enterprises willing to hire participants afterwards or accept them for internships—effective mechanisms of targeting training to real demand. The recently created Brazilian program, on the other hand, does not put providers in charge of placing trainees. It does have interesting attributes to contrast with the "Joven" projects, however. (Claudio de Moura, IDB)
• TRAINING FOR THE INFORMAL SECTOR. As is likely to continue, most school deserters find work in the informal sector. In order to improve their ability to create opportunities for themselves, training can be given, though the differences between traditional apprenticeships or similar experiences and informal economies are important. There is a recognized need to build upon existing practices. Policy interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa are trying to strengthen traditional apprenticeship schemes, often with NGO support. Internationally comparative investigation is recommended to analyze the contribution to such youth, self-employment access notwithstanding. The paper from Kenya illustrated the role of the informal market and reflects upon policy options to support such processes. (Ahmed Ferej, Moi University)
• PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORKS. Consultation frameworks between key actors. Government stipulation of involvement of employers and trade unions. Influence of long historical processes aside, high levels of coordination among stakeholders—including TVE institutions, enterprises and local authorities (not just the macro- level)—make TVE policies more effective by ensuring responsiveness and relevance to local markets, providing appropriate incentives, developing a training culture and fomenting solidarity. Therefore, the paper on South Africa analyzes processes of consultation, consensus-building and policy-making for an upgrade of the country's skill profile. Focus is also placed on high-risk groups, including black youth in general. (Adrienne Bird, South African Department of Labour)
• IMPACT OF ECONOMIC CRISIS ON TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK: SPECIAL FOCUS ON KOREA. Recent economic crisis has shaken long-standing practices and patterns of school-to-work transition, and increased youth unemployment has become a very demanding policy task to address appropriately. The group at highest risk are high school graduates. Statistics reveal important changes to consider in education and labor. Long-delayed structural adjustments are being hurried by the crisis. The country is at a crossroads between devolving into an oppressive system of segmented opportunity structures or evolving into a pathway structure leading to ample life-long learning. (Kioh Jeong, Professor at the Hongik University)
• LINKS TO WORK. Closer links between schooling and work is another important way to facilitate the integration of young people. Intervention is opportune when youth are still in school. Two broad types of measures can be outlined. The realities of the workplace can be better integrated into learning processes. Work-experience programs head in that direction. Secondly, management reforms are pushing TVE to be more flexible and responsive. To ensure market relevance, decentralization plays a part in those reforms, increasing certain managerial responsibilities at the regional, provincial and local level as well as the autonomy of school managers. The appropriate degree of decentralization is, however, a common issue for debate. In different ways, linking schooling to the working world figures into all five papers.

 

The Chairperson of the Congress—of which the Round Table was a part—was Francoise Caillods, Coordinator of Decentralized Programs, International Institute for Educational Planning/UNESCO. The Rapporteur was David Atchoareana, Programme Specialist, International Institute for Planning /UNESCO.

The Prime Minister of Korea and the Assistant Director-General of ILO gave Congratulatory addresses.

There were six themes, developed through four plenary-style opportunities, as well as four commissions, whose agenda was broken down into sub-themes, typically of 20-minute sessions. Here is a list of the six themes focused upon during the event's five days:

1. the changing demands of the 21^st century: challenges to TVE (plenary 1 and 2)
2. improvising systems providing education and training throughout life (Commission I)
3. innovating the education and training process (Commission II)
4. TVE for all (Commission III)
5. changing roles of government and other stakeholders in TVE (Commission IV)
6. enhancing international cooperation in TVE (plenary 3)

Special theme: TVE in Korea (plenary 4)

In the first plenary, keynote speeches were given by the former president of the BIBB and the president of the National Centre for Human Resource Development of Jordan. Then presentations were given on the outcomes of 5 regional preparatory conferences.

In the second plenary, 10 stakeholders of TVE made 10-minute presentations on their perspectives. Later there was a panel debate as to the future orientation of TVE.

The third plenary was opened with reports of the commissions' work, followed by a historical overview by UNESCO's Deputy Director-General for Education, and then 10 minute presentations on the perspectives of partners and Member States.

The last primary consisted of three Korean presentations followed by the Rapporteur's oral report, adoption of recommendations, and the closing ceremony.

The sub-themes for theme 2 were: TVE as an integral part of national education systems; flexible access to TVE throughout life / policies for coordinated systems; sound initial education to ensure re-trainability; educational and vocational guidance and counselling.

The sub-themes for theme 3 were: new methods in the initial training of instructors / facilitating continuous competence-upgrading ; interaction between work & education; introduction of mew information technology, environmental issues and foreign languages into TVE; entrepreneurship and training for self-employment and small business; assessment, accreditation of work experience and certification standards.

The sub-themes for theme 4: access for girls and women; TVE for marginalized people, and for people with special needs.

The sub-themes for theme 5: public/private sectors' TVE provision; role of government / national agenda and legislation.

For two hours on Tuesday, the following topics were also foreseen: promoting linkage between TVET and enterprises; youth school-to-work transition; the future of work and adult learning; technical education between convention structures and modern means. Likewise, for Wednesday, the following were foreseen: training and employment in countries emerging from crises: local initiatives and international support; challenges for TVE in countries in transition; flexible delivery of TVE.

The Second International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education was thus held in Seoul, Republic of Korea from the 26^th to the 30^th of April, 1999.

 

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