Meeting Report - G20 Training Strategy Knowledge-Sharing Workshop on Skills for Employment

At their Summit in Pittsburgh in September 2009, G20 Leaders acknowledged the role of skills development to support a broad framework for strong, sustainable and balanced growth. They called on the ILO, in partnership with other international organizations, to develop a training strategy for their consideration. In preparing this strategy, the ILO drew on the tripartite agreements adopted at the International Labour Conference in 2008 on Skills for improved productivity, employment growth and development and on the experience of other organizations shared through the Inter-Agency Group on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The resulting G20 Training Strategy provides a strategic framework for linking skills development to the world of work. It takes a life-cycle perspective based on the broad availability of good-quality education as a foundation for future training; matching skills supply to the needs of enterprises and labour markets; enabling workers and enterprises to adjust to changes in technology and markets; and anticipating and preparing for the skill needs of the future.

The document was welcomed by the Leaders at their Summit in Toronto in June 2010 and included in the Multi-Year Action Plan on Development adopted at the Seoul Summit in November 2010. The pillar on Human Resources Development of that Plan called on international organizations to work together to support developing countries, in particular low-income countries, to “continue to develop employment-related skills that are better matched to employer and market needs in order to attract investment and decent jobs.”

The G20 Training Strategy - Knowledge-Sharing Workshop on Skills for Employment held on 4-6 May 2011 at the ILO’s International Training Centre in Turin, Italy, brought together policy makers, practitioners and workers’ and employers’ representatives from 14 G20 countries (1), 13 non-G20 countries (2), international organizations (3), and regional training institutions (4). They shared their policy experiences, learned about innovative approaches elsewhere and reflected on their possible adaptation to their own needs and circumstances.

The participants discussed the practical matters that affect the implementation and effectiveness of skills development policies and institutions. Organized around the building blocks of a robust training and skills development system identified in the G20 Training Strategy, the sessions included:

• National strategies and coordination mechanisms to link training to jobs;
• Sector-based strategies for skills development and utilization;
• Broadening access to good quality skills development, especially for disadvantaged youth, persons with disabilities, and rural communities;
• Knowledge-sharing networks and platforms;
• Skills indicators for employment and productivity; and
• Priorities for international cooperation.

Country examples highlighted good practices and lessons learned across a broad range of national circumstances and realities. Presenters were encouraged to focus on implementation challenges: What works under what circumstances, with what resources and partnerships to equip the workforce with the skills required for strong, sustainable and balanced growth? What kinds of institutional arrangements overcome financing constraints, sustain public-private partnerships and keep training relevant to labour market needs?

This report highlights the workshop presentations, discussions and conclusions in order to share these national and industry examples more widely and provides links to the individual presentations made available on the ILO’s website on Skills and Employability. While this succinct summary cannot do justice to all the presentations and discussion, it comes with the full thanks of the workshop organizers to each participant for the time they invested to contribute to the workshop and the openness with which they shared their experience, concerns and aspirations. Additional thanks go to the International Training Centre of the ILO for the coordination and hosting of the workshop. We would also like to thank the Government of Italy, particularly the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for their generous funding, which made it possible to bring such a varied group of participants from G20 and non-G20 countries together in this forum.

(1) Brazil, China, Germany, India, Italy, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Argentina and three EU countries: Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands; and representatives of the three G20 facilitators for the HRD Pillar: Argentina, Republic of Korea and Russia.

(2) Bangladesh, Benin, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Israel, Malawi, Mongolia, Singapore, Viet Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

(3) ILO, Inter-American Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, OECD, UNESCO, and the World Bank.

(4) The European Training Foundation (ETF), the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), and the ILO’s Inter-American Centre for Knowledge Development in Vocational Education (ILO/Cinterfor).