We seek to promote the ILO strategic objective of enhancing the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all through capacity-building. In addition to providing training courses and learning opportunities, both in Turin and in beneficiary countries, we advise ILO constituents and contribute to development cooperation activities.

The Programme has three main components:

• Formal social security schemes
  This includes workshops on pension schemes, social security financing and social health insurance. It offers advanced training in subjects such as social budgeting.
  
• The extension of social protection
  We have developed training courses for ILO constituents, community-based organizations and other NGOs on strategies for the extension of social protection and on specific schemes for people not covered by formal schemes.
  
• Workers' protection
  The focus is on occupational safety and health (OSH), including the comparative analysis of national systems, OSH management systems and inspection.

Our focus further extends to migrant workers and the impact of HIV/AIDS on the world of work.

We also run a distance learning course, a postgraduate program and training activities to meet particular requests, such as region-specific courses for developing or transition countries.
Finally, in conjunction with the ILO, we design and produce training materials that incorporate the most up-to-date information and experience of the ILO regarding social protection issues.

Social security

In recent years, the reform of statutory social security schemes has been an objective of social protection policy in most countries. Key issues are the relationship between public and private provision, the structure and financing of benefits, and the governance of schemes. The reforms aim to make schemes more effective, more efficient and financially sustainable.

The managers, supervisors and other staff of such schemes need further training. We seek to strengthen national capacity to design and administer social security schemes, with particular emphasis on improving management and on the role of tripartism.

The core curriculum covers pension schemes, social health insurance, social assistance and social security financing. Advanced courses focus on quantitative techniques such as social budgeting and the modelling of social security benefit schemes. Many courses include visits to study national social security schemes.

For further information, please visit the website of the workshops on pension schemes and social security financing.

Extension of social protection

Globally, it is estimated that only one in five people has adequate social security coverage, whereas half the world's population has no formal social protection. Extending social protection to excluded populations is one of the priorities of the ILO's strategy for decent work.

We run training activities that strengthen the capacity to extend social protection benefits to workers in the informal economy.

We offer training in the following key areas:

• strategies to extend social protection
• the setting up, management and monitoring of health micro-insurance schemes
• social inclusion and social economics
• gender and social protection.

For further information, please visit the website of the course on extension of social protection.

Occupational safety and health

The ILO estimates that over two million workers die each year from work-related accidents and diseases, a stark indicator of the need to give higher priority to occupational safety and health (OSH) at international, national and enterprise levels and to engage all social partners in setting up and sustaining mechanisms to improve national OSH systems.

We create learning opportunities for institutional representatives on:

• formulating national OSH policy and strategies, including the development and implementation of effective OSH strategies at the sectoral and enterprise levels
  
• strengthening national government departments (OSH inspection systems, OSH information centres and networks, cross-cutting education and training systems, research and analytic structures, occupational injury and disease compensation and rehabilitation systems)
  
• developing employer and worker organizations' capacity to raise their awareness and enhance their ability to play an active role regarding OSH.
  Tailor-made courses generally include the promotion of ILO principles, the sharing and analysis of experience and best practice, and visits to study high-performing systems.

Tailor-made courses generally include the promotion of ILO principles, the sharing and analysis of experience and best pratice, and visits to study high-performing systems.

Access to the Virtual Campus

For further information, please contact:
Social Protection
E-mail: socpro@itcilo.org
Phone: +39 011 693 6790
Fax: +39 011 693 6548