We provide a range of capacity-building and learning activities on the design, implementation and evaluation of polices and programmes concerning employment and the labour market, especially in developing countries and transition economies.

Our core training subjects are labour market institutions and policies, labour market information, youth employment, youth investment programmes, skills development, the analysis of survey data, and impact evaluation.

We also run courses on cross-cutting issues such as labour migration, gender disparities in labour markets, the inclusion of people with disabilities and bringing decent work into the mainstream of national decision-making processes. 

Labour market institutions and policies

Creating more and better jobs is a major challenge for most governments. In OECD countries, about one in three people of working age is unemployed, looking for a job or not attempting to enter the labour market, and precarious employment is on the rise. In developing and emerging countries, informal labour, underemployment and the number of working poor are tremendous problems.

Our courses on labour market institutions and policies aim to contribute to more effective labour market and employment policies through a careful consideration of how these may apply or be adjusted to rapidly changing labour market conditions in both developed and developing countries.

Labour market information systems

Designing and implementing effective employment and training policies requires a good understanding of labour market conditions and changes. In many countries, however, the necessary labour market information is unavailable, unreliable, outdated or misunderstood. The reasons often include a limited mastery of concepts and methods, a lack of analytical skills and inadequate institutional arrangements for the collection, analysis and dissemination of labour market information.

Our courses on labour market information systems provide an opportunity to learn about pertinent information systems, discuss data collection and interpretation, observe ways and means of disseminating labour market information, including the Internet, and review institutional arrangements, including employment and training observatories.

Youth employment

Young people aged 10 to 24 account for more than a quarter of the world's population, and the number is growing. The vast majority of these young people live in developing countries. The problems many of them face, including unemployment, lack of decent work, inadequate schooling and skills, HIV/AIDS, risky behaviour, violence and crime, have tremendous social and economic costs for society. They also denote important failures to protect the rights of young people.

We offer courses on youth employment and investment in young people. They propose placing youth employment issues at the centre of development policies and using the Decent Work Agenda as a paradigm for action. The courses on youth investment discuss the challenge, in resource-constrained environments, of designing effective measures on non-formal education, youth employment and adolescent health, with good plans for monitoring and evaluation, and special attention to gender issues and the needs of the most vulnerable young people.

Skills development

Skills development is an increasingly important factor in adapting societies to changing economic and environmental conditions. It can bring innovation, enhance productivity, stimulate economic competitiveness and underpin inclusive approaches to development. Despite significant progress, too many developing countries still lack effective vocational education and training (VET) strategies, are struggling with costly and outdated training systems, and have no culture of evaluation and knowledge-based policymaking and programme administration.
 
We offer a series of courses and learning activities on skills development. They are designed to meet the needs of a wide range of people working in vocational education and training. Subjects include VET strategy and policy development and the management of VET systems. Special attention is given to inclusive approaches to skills development.

Statistical tools for the analysis of labour market survey data

Building national capacity to analyse survey data and design policies in areas such as labour markets, employment conditions, child labour, youth employment and gender equality is critical to accelerating progress towards the elimination of child labour and towards full decent employment. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the collection and dissemination of such data, but their analysis remains a problem in many countries.

We therefore offer courses on the analysis of data on the labour market, working conditions, child labour, youth employment and gender disparities in labour markets.

Impact evaluation
 
Impact evaluation can tell you whether an employment policy or programme is effective. It assesses the change in one or more measurable dimensions of well-being that can be attributed to a particular programme or policy. It can be used to inform policymakers, social partners and development partners about which measures have been effective and which have not worked.

Our courses on impact evaluation provide specific guidance on how to evaluate the impact of employment policies and programmes. They include: (i) discussion of policy and programme evaluation, why it is important, when and how to do it; (ii) a description of different designs and methods for evaluating the impact of an employment programme; (iv) a presentation of data needs; and (v) a review of impact evaluations of selected labour market policies and programmes.
 

For further information, please contact:
Employment and Skills Development
E-mail: emp@itcilo.org
Phone: +39 011 693 6757
Fax: +39 011 693 6451