Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/References-Learning-to-change-Skills-development-among-the-economically-vulnerable-and-socially-excluded-in-developing-countries.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/References-Learning-to-change-Skills-development-among-the-economically-vulnerable-and-socially-excluded-in-developing-countries.html References http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/76-ILO-Convention-No-142-and-Recommendation-No-150.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/76-ILO-Convention-No-142-and-Recommendation-No-150.html The International Labour Convention No.142 and Recommendation No. 150 concerning Human Resources Development, which deal with vocational guidance and vocational training in the development of human resources, are the key ILO policy statements on VET. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/756-Women-and-disabled-persons-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/756-Women-and-disabled-persons-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html Increasing female enrolments in secondary and tertiary education is critically important, especially in subject areas that have been traditionally male dominated and where long-term occupational prospects are more promising. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/755-Vocationalising-the-school-curriculum-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/755-Vocationalising-the-school-curriculum-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html Vocationalisation of the school curriculum will continue to appeal to politicians and policymakers as an appropriate way of promoting productive self-employment and thereby reducing poverty, especially in rural areas. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/754-The-role-of-public-sector-training-institutions-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/754-The-role-of-public-sector-training-institutions-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html Many believe that public sector training institutions are intrinsically unable to support the training needs of the poor and disadvantaged and that, for this reason, primary reliance should be placed on NGOs and other private sector training institutions. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/753-Public-sector-services-for-the-poor-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/753-Public-sector-services-for-the-poor-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html Within the public sector as well, concerted efforts need to be made to improve the pre- and in-service training of all personnel who are directly involved in facilitating knowledge dissemination and skills development among the poor. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/752-Social-capital-community-organisations-and-NGOs-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/752-Social-capital-community-organisations-and-NGOs-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html Another key issue is that most of the poor do not have access to the wider social networks that are usually needed to sustain new enterprises. Since enterprise creation is fundamentally a social rather than a technical process, appropriate steps must be taken to create and nurture social networks. A closely related concern is the need to develop 'industrial clusters' within the informal sector (see Schmitz, 1997). http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/751-Institutional-specialisation-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/751-Institutional-specialisation-Institutional-design-and-capacity-building.html The debate about specialist training versus multi-purpose organisations offering a range of services to the poor is still unresolved. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/744-Donors.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/744-Donors.html In poor, aid-dependent countries, the likelihood of pro-poor training strategies being introduced will depend very heavily on the policies and practices of their main donor partners. Unless, therefore, donors are prepared to concentrate the bulk of their assistance on poverty reduction as well as change their policies on VET, the prospects for the implementation of pro-poor training strategies are seriously reduced in most of these countries. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/743-Funding.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1666/743-Funding.html The poor do not have the resources to pay for their own training. The experience of nearly twenty years of structural adjustment has conclusively demonstrated that merely 'getting prices' and creating the appropriate enabling environment' for farmers and microenterprises is not sufficient in order to ensure a strong 'supply response'.