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GB.276/PFA/5/2
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Programme, Financial and Administrative Committee |
PFA |
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FIFTH ITEM ON THE AGENDA
Proposed 2000-01 budgets for extra-budgetary accounts
(b) Inter-American Research and Documentation Centre on Vocational Training (CINTERFOR)
1. As in previous biennia, and in accordance with the provisions for the establishment of the extra-budgetary account of the Inter-American Research and Documentation Centre on Vocational Training (CINTERFOR), the Committee is called upon to examine the estimates for this account.
2. The budget for the extra-budgetary account is included in Appendix I. Details of all expenditure proposed are given in Appendix II. The programme of activities is described in paragraphs 3 to 15.
3. CINTERFOR's programme proposals for the 2000-01 period focus on strengthening the capacity of ministries of labour, training institutions and authorities, as well as employers' and workers' organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean, to increase the effectiveness of their training and to develop their human resources systems to cope with the challenges of competitiveness and social equity. Such proposals are intended as a response to the priority demands of member States, as adopted at the 34th Meeting of the CINTERFOR Technical Committee (Montevideo, April 1999). The programme of work is closely linked to activities under the ILO regional programme for the Americas and the technical activities in the new Employment Sector. It will be managed in close cooperation with the ILO offices in the region. It also contributes to the strategic objective of furnishing greater opportunities for women and men to obtain decent employment and income.
4. The main objective of the 2000-01 programme is to help consolidate the new institutional arrangements for training, taking into account the efforts made by ministries of labour, the new management formulas introduced and the new approaches that vocational training institutions have adopted to become integrated into national training drives. It also aims to raise the quality and quantity of the training delivered, and disseminate experience and concepts regarding certification and standardized systems so as to impart training and recognize competencies. It clearly emphasizes activities to improve the employability of disadvantaged population groups, especially young people and women. For this purpose, CINTERFOR will promote horizontal cooperation and debate between countries of the region, research, advisory services, technical cooperation, the exchange and dissemination of information, and publications. The Centre's Internet website(1) is one of the main instruments recently developed by CINTERFOR for information exchange.
Subprogramme 1.
Organization and management of training systems
5. The redefinition of the new roles of governments in connection with training and the active part that several actors in the private sector play in the field of training are leading to a new institutional pattern for training in the region. In addition to the traditional training institutions, there has been an explosion in the number of training providers and programmes offered -- both public and private -- and more frequent training initiatives by ministries of labour and employers' and workers' organizations. Traditional national institutions share out their accumulated know-how with other private providers, transferring their educational technology or simply assigning them the responsibility of training target groups. Other bodies contribute to the national training effort and assist in technical and technological education. In addition to designing training policy and encouraging the presence of more players, ministries of labour promote and support better coordination and dialogue between them in order to harmonize the national picture.
6. The Centre will continue to identify the new institutional models used in the Americas to disseminate their experience and promote their analysis and further discussion. It will continue offering its technical advice to further support the development of its member institutions. Different mechanisms of exchange, dissemination and training, as well as further analysis of the results obtained, will be the instruments to be used by the Centre to contribute to current transformations and organizational changes in training. Successful moves for the consolidation of national mechanisms to analyse and promote training will also be divulged. Tripartite dialogue is an effective way of promoting awareness of the importance of training in social and economic life. CINTERFOR will thus favour the new institutional arrangements by monitoring and disseminating successful experience.
Subprogramme 2.
Management development and improvement of quality
7. The new institutional arrangements emerging require more flexible forms of management to ensure the relevance and effectiveness of training programmes. The decentralization processes under way are opening up new opportunities for the participation of social and productive players at the level of municipalities, cities, districts and provinces. Many innovative experiences come precisely from those areas, and the Centre will continue to identify them, support them and make them known. A greater diversity in the types of training on offer and in the characteristics of beneficiaries has begun to make evident a growing concern by training bodies to define mechanisms that ensure adequate management and training.
8. The programme for this biennium will try to identify and publicize local experience of training in vocational training management. It will help players to make progress in the development of novel training strategies in their own local environment, and take advantage of knowledge of similar cases elsewhere, which CINTERFOR will supply.
9. Quality products and processes are also included in the programme. The retrieval and dissemination of quality management models implemented by vocational training institutions (VTIs) will be pursued. Also contemplated is the study and methodological specification of the concept of quality applied to the many different aspects of training systems.
Subprogramme 3.
Support for social dialogue
10. The objective of this programme goes hand in hand with promoting greater participation by all social players in the processes of designing, negotiating and implementing training policies and programmes. It also seeks to coordinate efforts and encourage effective dialogue between employers' and workers' organizations, ministries of labour and national VTIs. Action by CINTERFOR in this respect aims at providing the various players with an adequate, institutionalized framework for negotiation to enable them to develop and organize better training programmes on a tripartite basis.
11. To that end, joint action will be promoted with employers' organizations, trade union federations, labour ministries and vocational training institutions. An important source of motivation to start effective dialogue is the knowledge of prior experiences; in that connection the Centre will continue to document activities under way in the bipartite management of vocational training in several countries of the region. Special emphasis will be placed on the strengthening of collective bargaining, particularly regarding the incorporation of training clauses.
Subprogramme 4.
The impact of training programmes in terms of productivity and competitiveness
12. The programme aims to reinforce the link between the quality, relevance and wider coverage of training with the access of countries to a global economy. It is clear nowadays that conditions to compete favourably are strongly dependent on a country's human resources. Better vocational training will improve competitiveness. The impact of training programmes on productivity will be the result of more qualified manpower: better workers, more flexible and creative, capable of working in teams and communicating effectively, solving problems and applying their knowledge and skills to attain production goals. These traits have been recently developed in the training approach based on occupational competencies. The orientation of training programmes to wider areas than mere work posts will turn out more flexible collaborators, better equipped to cope with the rapid changes occurring in the current scene.
13. The Centre will sponsor training initiatives aimed at the development of competencies with broad occupational scope, less restrictive than work posts. It will review and disseminate information on activities promoting wider coverage and the use of non-conventional training media for easier access to courses. It will pay special attention to the widespread growth of training programmes based on the skills or competencies approach. CINTERFOR will offer a whole range of possibilities for consultation in this area, from conceptual references and case studies to tools for immediate use in the application of this method.
Subprogramme 5.
Training as a resource to improve employability and overcome social exclusion
14. Despite a remarkable increase of training options and initiatives, the evolution of economic conditions in the region continues to restrict the access of large groups to the fruits of development. Opportunities for certain population groups (women, young people, disabled persons, etc.) to gain access to training programmes that may improve their employability can be boosted through assistance, guidelines and manuals informing them and helping them with the practical aspects involved.
15. Particularly in relation to women and young people, CINTERFOR has become a point of reference for the region, and will continue to conduct its activities to favour such groups. For that purpose, it will gather and distribute information on useful experiences and will implement several projects specifically designed for vulnerable populations (women and young persons). The Centre's objective in the case of the latter is to offer to training providers (and also to their targets) documents, examples, methodologies, projects and other material that may be useful for the definition and continuity of programmes in the region. Decision- makers in the area of active employment and training policies will find a plentiful source of information on youth-oriented programmes on the Centre's website. Regarding women, the Centre will continue to implement the programme to strengthen the technical and vocational training of low-income women, financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), whose aim is to raise the productivity and employment opportunities of low-income women, and to support their contribution to development and the reduction of poverty in the region.
Technical cooperation
16. Resources stem from the provision of technical services requested by ministries of labour and vocational training institutions. Relations with other international organizations of the United Nations system and those of a regional nature will continue (OEI, OIJ, IDB, World Bank). Cooperation links with other donors interested in training, especially from Europe, are foreseen in addition to those already established (Germany, Spain, etc.). CINTERFOR is now implementing two technical cooperation projects with extra-budgetary resources: the Network of Information, Research and Management of Vocational Training in Latin America and the Caribbean (Germany) and the Regional Programme for Strengthening the Technical and Vocational Training of Low-Income Women (IDB). Execution of both projects is expected to continue during the next biennium. Implementation of other technical cooperation projects is foreseen for the 2000-01 biennium.
Summary of proposed 2000-01 income and expenditure
17. The main sources of income are contributions from the ILO, the Government of Uruguay and the countries in the region.
18. The ILO's contribution of $1,740,000 for 2000-01 is the same in real terms as in 1998-99. As in previous biennia, the ILO's contribution covers the financing of the post of the Director, one expert, and part of the cost of local staff.
19. The contribution of Uruguay will be $100,000, as in 1998-99. In addition, the Government provides the Centre with rent-free premises.
20. The countries in the region have continued to make voluntary contributions to the Centre. The amount expected to be received in 2000-01 has been reduced to $450,000 to reflect recent trends in contribution levels. Sales of publications in 1998-99 benefited from two large one-off sales that are not expected to be repeated in 2000-01. However, a small increase over the 1998-99 budget level is anticipated.
21. A review of working methods combined with increased efficiency at the Centre have made possible a decrease of 4/00 local staff work-years compared with the 1998-99 approved budget.
22. The level of the proposals is based on the understanding that the Director of the Centre is authorized to use the budget approved by the Governing Body only in so far as the estimated resources indicated therein are made available.
23. The Committee may wish to recommend that the Governing Body approve the income and expenditure estimates for 2000-01 of the Inter-American Research and Documentation Centre on Vocational Training (CINTERFOR) extra-budgetary account, as set out in Appendix I.
Geneva, 24 September 1999.
Point for decision: Paragraph 23.
Appendix I
Inter-American Research and Documentation Centre
on Vocational Training (CINTERFOR)
The proposed income and expenditure for the extra-budgetary account for the financial period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2001 are given below, together with comparative figures for 1998-99 budgeted and estimated actual income and expenditure.
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1998-99
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1998-99
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2000-01
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A. Funds brought forward from previous period |
0 |
68 325 |
0 |
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B. Income |
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ILO contributions (including RBTC) |
1 700 000 |
1 700 000 |
1 740 000 |
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Host country contribution |
100 000 |
150 0001 |
100 000 |
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Contributions from other countries in the region |
600 000 |
550 0002 |
450 000 |
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Sales of publications |
4 000 |
21 000 |
10 000 |
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Miscellaneous income3 |
42 000 |
42 000 |
42 000 |
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Total income |
2 446 000 |
2 463 000 |
2 342 000 |
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C. Total funds available |
2 446 000 |
2 531 325 |
2 342 000 |
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D. Total expenditure |
2 446 000 |
2 531 325 |
2 342 000 |
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E. Funds to be carried forward to the next period |
- |
- |
- |
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1 Represents 1995, 1996 and 1997 contributions. 2 Includes US$80,000 arrears covering the past eight years. 3 Interest, exchange gains/losses, etc. | |||
Appendix II
Inter-American Research and Documentation Centre
on Vocational Training (CINTERFOR)
Summary of proposed 2000-01 expenditure by subprogramme
(extra-budgetary account and ILO contribution)
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Work-year/months |
Cost in US$ | ||||
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Professional |
General Service |
Staff |
Non-staff |
Total | ||
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Technical services |
2/00 |
2/00 |
395 920 |
20 000 |
415 920 | |
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Research, studies and seminars |
6/00 |
344 468 |
300 000 |
644 468 | ||
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Publications, documents and general information |
8/00 |
440 000 |
30 000 |
470 000 | ||
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Administrative services |
4/00 |
307 000 |
198 820 |
505 820 | ||
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Programme management |
2/00 |
285 792 |
20 000 |
305 792 | ||
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2000-01 proposals |
4/00 |
20/00 |
1 773 180 |
568 820 |
2 342 000 | |
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1998-99 budget |
4/00 |
24/00 |
1 913 328 |
532 672 |
2 446 000 | |
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1. http://www.ilo.org/public/spanish/260cinte/rct/eng/docs.htm.