ILO lends technical assistance to Suriname in the review of its TVET Programmes covered by the Foundation for Labour Mobilization and Development (SAO)

The increased interest in Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) has led to a wave of reform and investment in both the developed and developing world. The potential of TVET to drive progress and transform societies, along with its special role in linking up education and employment, is widely acknowledged. The inclusion of vocational education and training as explicit outcomes in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gives TVET and skills development an unprecedented profile on the international stage.

Mr. Hassan Ndahi, ILO Senior Specialist, Skills and Employability, undertook a three-day visit (31 May 2022 – 02 June 2022) and met with officials of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Youth Affairs, Suriname, and the Management and staff of the Foundation for Labour Mobilization and Development (SAO), including instructors and the Curriculum Unit. The meetings and tour provided the opportunity to discuss issues pertinent to the review of the curricula and programmes, including: updating the curricula; demand driven programmes; the use of ICT for teaching; funding/instructional resources; programme articulation; entrepreneurship education; and quality delivery and management of TVET institution.

Aligning TVET with Suriname's Decent Work Country Programme Action Plan 2022, includes the review of the vocational training programmes to support active labour market policies, economic diversification, and entrepreneurship.

At the end of the review, recommendations were presented to the Minister Mac Andrew and the Management of the SAO for consideration and implementation.

Mr. Ndahi, during the presentation of the recommendations, underscored the need for a Training Fund and cited Jamaica and Barbados as examples, where all employees and employers contribute to a Training Fund. He stated that “A Training Fund can help to continue to guarantee these education programmes and to keep it affordable for the identified target groups”.

As a result of the visit, SAO will consider the introduction of the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) level 1. This will involve an adjustment of the curriculum of the various vocational training courses.

In 1963 the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour established the first technical training institute with the goal to providing access to vocational training to the unemployed. Further, in 1981, the International Labour Organization, in cooperation with the Netherlands and its development funds started the Foundation for Labour Mobilization and Development (SAO), a vocational training institute currently operating in three locations under the Ministry of Labor. The training programmes target youth aged 16 years and older, workers in companies/organizations, and students who dropped out of school.

The institution offers programmes in Electrical house installation; Basic refrigeration technology; Gas water and sanitary (GaWaSa); Machine woodworking; Welding levels 1 and 2; Computer courses; Assistant construction worker; Assistant car mechanic; Auto body repair; Building construction/painting; Machine bench worker; Excavator simulation; Textile; Excavator simulator; 2-stroke engines repair; Defensive driving; and Nursing assistant programme.