SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AS AN INTEGRAL
PART OF LIFELONG LEARNING
Lifelong learning takes on a broader approach than
education. It is the organising principle putting adequate
integrated and systematic policy and practice into place
for social transformation within a framework of sustainable development. In an education system that provides
opportunities for lifelong learning, policy and practice
provide every individual and community with a flexible
and diversified range of useful learning and training
options throughout his or her lifetime (context specific).
A skills-development strategy, as an integral component
of a national education system for lifelong learning,
successfully links skills to productivity and employment
creation while at the same time coping with all life situations
(e.g. work, active citizenship, and family life).
To ensure leaving no one behind, lifelong learning also
requires that the poor and most vulnerable groups in
society fully participate in and contribute to the development process. The adoption of a human rights-based
approach to skills development requires training contents
and methods as well as a learning environment adapted to
varied groups of people.
FACTORS FOR SUCCESS, PRINCIPLES AND
APPROACHES TO SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Adopting demand-led models: An active involvement of
local communities, employers, unions, and other social
partners is crucial for planning, carrying out and following up of responsive skills development programmes.
It helps the training providers to better understand the
variety of needs in the workplaces and respond appropriately. Such interaction will create win-win relationships
between the world of learning and training and the world
of work.
Ensuring quality training: Well qualified teachers are key
to improving quality of training. Thus, investing in training
of teachers, trainers and managers is decisive for quality.
Interaction with the world of work is also crucial for
improving the quality of learning and training activities.
Improved quality in turn increases the attractiveness of
skills training programmes. Apprenticeship training is one
way to make employers more actively involved in skills
development and contributing to the improvement of
quality.
Enhancing the capacity of delivery: In many low-income
countries skill training providers, both public and private,
are often small and poorly equipped to meet the required
needs for adequate and quality training. Investment in
infrastructure, facilities, equipment and materials to meet
the ever growing and changing demands of the world of
work requires incentives and support mechanisms to
stimulate and improve training capacity.
Art. no.: sida62134en, urn:nbn:se:Sida-62134en Print:
Edita 2018
Ensuring broad and continued access to quality training
and skills development, including quality counselling:
It is essential to foster opportunities and benefits of initial
and lifelong learning for all, including disadvantaged
young people who have dropped out of school or are
working in the informal sector under precarious conditions. The participation of women in skills training should
be ensured and gender stereotyping in occupational
choice should be actively discouraged.
Establishing a system for labour market forecasting
and information: Up-to-date labour market information
and forecasting is key to match current and future labour
market needs for skills with the supply of skills. Such a
system will provide necessary information for short-term
and long-term planning as well as provide disaggregated
data to track changes in labour market outcomes for
different population groups (women, youth, the disabled
and minority groups).
Mechanisms for efficient recognition, validation and
accreditation of skills:
Such a system is necessary to
allow for multiple paths for further learning and training
(formal, non-formal and/or informal) and for the mobility
of the workforce. Furthermore, such mechanisms for
efficient recognition, validation and accreditation need to
be developed with active participation of labour market
actors.
FURTHER READING
Brewer, L. (2013) Enhancing youth employability:
What? Why? And How? Guide to core work skills.
Skills employability Department, ILO.
ILO (2011) Increasing the employability of disadvantaged
youth. Skills for employment Policy Brief.
UNESCO (2012) Youth and skills. Putting education to work.
EFA Global monitoring report.
World Economic Forum (2017). Accelerating Workforce
Reskilling for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. An Agenda for
Leaders to Shape the Future of Education, Gender and Work.
