Workforce Development

Djibouti Workforce Development
USAID

JAA conducted a competitiveness assessment of the Djibouti economy and private sector, and identified four key micro-economic decisions, which if made well and taken on a timely basis, could assist in boosting economic growth for the country.  These decisions included repositioning Djibouti as the major export hub for the horn of Africa, which would have an impact on Djibouti, but also would have implications for East Africa as well.  Djibouti was found to have major opportunities for expansion as a multi-modal transport hub and export processing zone.  It also has significant geothermal energy potential.  Providing maintenance for the critical SeWeMe3 cable, it has the potential to retail bandwidth and provide abundant telecom and Internet service for the region.  However, even if this potential were realized, the country does not have appropriate supply of trained workers. The country would have to deal with the workforce education and training capacity as well as worker discipline issues related to Qat, a mild narcotic that is endemic in the country and affects productivity.

Workforce Development for ENE/ Global Workforce in Transition Project
USAID

JAA participated in a five-country effort to develop USAID's approach to workforce competitiveness.  The Workforce Competitiveness team under the USAID Global Workforce in Transition IQC (GWIT), presented strategic options for improving workforce competitiveness competitiveness in the area and to test the applicability and receptiveness of local leaders to a variety of initiatives that have been successfully implemented in other countries. The diagnostic assessment provided recommendations to USAID on how to address workforce competitiveness challenges within each countries’ strategies. The project resulted in the elaboration of methodologies for conducting workforce assessments and recommendations for USAID workforce competitiveness initiatives. Specific country results included a university-industry partnership in Bulgaria to build IT workforce competitiveness, inclusion of workforce elements in a project design for USAID/Kosovo, and a request by USAID/Serbia that an existing contractor incorporate the team findings into their competitiveness project.  Two other missions, Tajikistan and Macedonia are reviewing their approach to workforce development as a result of the team effort. 

Uganda: Skills Enhancement for Enterprise Productivity and Export Competitiveness.
World Bank

The Private Sector Export Competitiveness II Project includes an important component to expand access of enterprises, especially MSMEs to skills training, technology and business development services. This The Skills Enhancement study provides program recommendations and design to improve MSME linkage to formal BTVET, and to enhance micro enterprise skills development by upgrading the nation’s capacity to provide competency-based training to school leavers, informal apprentices, and other low-skilled job seekers.

The skills enhancement project team addressed the following issues:

• Developed recommendations on further interventions necessary for the development of skills development
• Defined verifiable indicators for monitoring the implementation and impact of this programme
• Defined possible linkages with existing programs and possible areas of intervention
• Identified criteria that could be used for selecting MSMEs and trainees for this programme
• Developed an assessment of the extent to which workers in MSMEs have formal vocational/technical training
• Developed an over view on where workers presently get their skills
• Assessed needs of different categories of MSMEs for upgrading in both technical and management skills
• Indicated the program types, delivery mechanisms and program duration of courses
• Identified willingness to costs share
• Identified formal vocational/technical training institutions that would be interested in participating in this program
• Assessed the willingness of skilled craft workers to provide short, focused skills training and the fees
• Identified business associations that would be suitable to facilitate such a program

Non-Fiscal Incentives to Investment within the East Africa Community (EAC)
World Bank—Foreign Investment Advisory Service (FIAS)

The EAC has, as part of its current five-year work program, three programs for "harmonizing" trade, tax and investment.  FIAS/WB is working with the IMF on the investment "harmonization" issues, with the IMF looking at fiscal incentives (chiefly corporate tax breaks and holidays, and tax/customs administration systems) while FIAS/WB will look at non-fiscal incentives to capital and labor.

JAA supported this initiative by providing the services of a specialist in workforce and labor issues. JAA looked at the incentives (and disincentives) given by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to labor.  JAA provided a comparative analysis of the incentives and disincentives available to investors, including a comparison with international best practices, identification of areas where "harmonization" is necessary or desirable between the three countries, and providing recommendations for a “harmonization” program with a roadmap for converting specific recommendations into practical steps that can be pursued at a regional and/or national level.

Sri Lanka Competitiveness Initiative—Workforce Development: Design and Development of an Internship Program
USAID

Many clusters working with the Sri Lanka Competitiveness Initiative identified workforce development as a crucial issue that needs attention. As the first step towards a concerted approach to developing the workforce, it is proposed that a private sector led Competitiveness Internship Program be developed for selected industries, in partnership with the public sector.

Under the Sri Lanka Competitiveness Initiative project, JAA assisted in design and development of an internship program. In this assignment, JAA reviewed previous workforce development and skills development reports/studies done in Sri Lanka thus far; conducted discussion sessions with public and private sector leaders to obtain a better understanding of workforce development issues with emphasis on on-ongoing internship programs; identified barriers and recommend ways to overcome them; identified mechanisms to increase employability through structured and well-managed internship programs both from employers and individuals through the development of a market-based, demand-led system; and designed an internship program that better meets the needs of industry and skills of the workforce.

JAA is also helping to address IT skills needs. According to the findings of the recently concluded National IT Workforce Survey that was implemented by the Sri Lanka ICT Association (SLICTA), the demand for IT workers this year (2005) is 5,724, and in 2006 another 5,034 IT workers will be required. Around 4,300 graduates will be required in 2005, but only 3,636 will be supplied. In order to improve vocational education in Sri Lanka, JAA is assisting in the design and development of an IT Conversion Program for graduates, including the introduction of improved delivery mechanisms and active teaching methods. The training program will be for a period of four months (full time), with trainees receiving a minimum of 600 study hours of intensive training in both theory and practice. The selection of trainees will be based on an aptitude test and an interview with the participation of industry representatives. The program will also develop communication, leadership and English language skills to enhance the employability of the graduates.

Egypt: Workforce Development Strategy
USAID

In partnership with PriceWaterhouse Coopers and the Stanford Research Institute, JAA conducted a workforce development exercise in Egypt focusing on agribusiness, tourism, and information technology (IT). Based on the results of a workshop carried out in December 2002 and on USAID’s identification of IT as cluster for focus, JAA facilitated a dialogue between private sector tourism executives and education and training providers to forge better links between the private sector and the training providers; and also provided assistance to the strengthening of IT and IT-related services workforce development programs.

Republic of South Africa: Development of Workforce Competitiveness
USAID

JAA, as the technical lead in collaboration with Nathan Associates, Inc., developed strategic objectives related to workforce development, private sector development, and democracy and governance in the Republic of South Africa. Building on prior projects in South Africa on education and workforce development, the purpose of this study was two-fold. First, it reviewed international approaches to monitoring and evaluating training systems in a range of industrialized and developing countries with a view to deriving lessons for South Africa. Second, the study provided the South African Department of Labor (DoL) with recommendations about how to conduct impact studies of the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) in the medium and long terms. In particular, this aspect of the study focused on the implications of the DoL undertaking social cost-benefit analyses of the NSDS.

Cambodia: Assisting the Faculty of Business of the University of Phnom Penh
USAID

To strengthen the Faculty of Business of the University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, JAA helped organize a private and public sector board of advisers, reviewed curriculum, developed a strategic plan, and worked with the faculty and dean on issues such as financial self-sufficiency, strategic vision, and curriculum. JAA analyzed the economic structure of Cambodia, the recent and projected trends for foreign investment, and labor force projections, and assessed the implications of these for the business training programs and demand for graduates of the Faculty of Business. A key element of the planning was involvement of the private sector and use of a market-driven approach, based on the needs of private business.

For information on more projects related to Workforce Development, please view our JAA Corporate Capabilities and Qualifications Document