Strong Skills Development systems, policies and strategies help countries to improve the employability of both women and men, promote equal access to employment opportunities, increase incomes and lead to more inclusive and sustainable growth. Aware of this, the ILO under the umbrella of the Russian Federation funded project ‘Applying the G20 Training Strategy: A partnership of the ILO and the Russian Federation’ (G20TS project), aims to strengthen national and sectoral Skills Development systems in Armenia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Viet Nam and 5 regions of the Russian Federation for the benefit of all women and men.

To achieve its objectives, the G20TS project team is actively working with representatives of its constituents, government institutions and other stakeholders, including concerned social partners, to train relevant national staff to critically analyse and improve Skills Development systems and align them with countries’ national economic and development policies and strategies. After one year of Project implementation, constituents are already recognizing the benefits of learning from and aligning their work to international practices, and have identified opportunities to engage with the Project’s proposed activities.

“The recently approved Jordan Economic Growth Plan 2025 is based on the reform of several aspects in the field of Vocational and Technical Education and Training (TVET), to which the G20TS project implemented by the ILO will contribute.” (Mrs Seham Al Adawn- Policies and International Relations Cooperation, Ministry of Labour, Jordan)

Social Partners in beneficiary countries also agree that skills are a fundamental element of decent work and that their own national prosperity is highly reliant on the skills of their people, which also defines workers’ productivity and employability.

“The G20TS project is making strong contributions to the social, cultural and economic development of Kyrgyzstan, strengthening the capacity of workers, promoting equal opportunities for each person to access general and vocational education, regardless of his/her qualification level. Successful implementation of the Project will allow all – male, female, youth and people with disabilities – to engage in continuous education." (Babaeva Rysgul, Deputy Chair of the Federation of trade unions of Kyrgyzstan)

The G20TS project, guided by the ‘G20 Training Strategy: A skilled workforce for strong, sustainable and balance growth’, recognizes that the quality and quantity of national goods and services, as well as countries’ competitiveness in exporting markets has a lot to do with the available opportunities to acquire, maintain, improve and certify the skills of the labour force.

In order to overcome current challenges in beneficiary countries and to allow these countries to take full advantage of their young population, the ILO is leading the Project’s operations, placing primary emphasis on addressing the concerns at national level in Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan; at sectoral level in Jordan, (sectors covered: Pharmaceuticals, Food and Beverages, Chemicals, Printing and Packaging, Wood and Furniture, and Garments ); and in Viet Nam (sectors covered: Agriculture, and Tourism and Hospitality). The work of the G20TS project in the Russian Federation is being undertaken by the Moscow School of Management, SKOLKOVO, under an Implementation Agreement with the ILO.

“We appreciate the efforts that the ILO is making under the G20TS project, especially in the Agriculture, and Tourism and Hospitality sectors. These two sectors are developing at high speed in Viet Nam and employ a large number of workers who require their skills to be updated and aligned to the needs of our international customers”. (Mr Nguyen Hong Minh, General Director of Directorate of Vocational Education and Training (DVET), Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).)

Among other aspects, the G20TS project is working on the capacity development of government officials, workers’ and employers’ representatives, TVET institution managers and other stakeholders to:

• align countries’ Skills Development strategies with international Human Resources Development (HRD) policy instruments;
• understand and apply effective TVET governance systems at national and sectoral levels;
• apply effective methodologies and techniques for an analysis of the demand for skilled workforces and for the planning of TVET enrolments;
• develop occupational standards, qualifications, competency-based training programs and skills’ assessment instruments;
• design and operate gender-sensitive vocational guidance systems;
• establish public-private partnerships (PPPs) for collaboration in the development of training programs.

Successful interventions are being undertaken in all Project Countries. In Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the Project has organized a series of national technical consultations and round-table meetings to increase stakeholders’ capacity to review, reform and implement national Skills Development strategies in line with identified national priorities and apply international HRD policy instruments and related indicators to TVET strategic planning. A sub-regional workshop, bringing together concerned policy makers and experts from Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and the Russian Federation to discuss the alignment of strategic objectives and performance indicators for Skills Development with the international HRD policy instruments, is taking place on 27-28 March in Moscow, Russian Federation.

In Jordan, the Project is collaborating with national partners to strengthen skills’ training systems in industrial sectors with the potential to also generate a greater positive economic impact of the EU-Jordan Trade Agreement. In Viet Nam, the Project has focused its interventions on two main sectors of the economy, with the objective of improving exports and attracting international customers.

For more information on our work, please visit the Project webpage: www.ilo.org/g20ts or contact us at: g20tsproject@ilo.org