The global challenges faced by countries, ranging from geopolitical instabilities and increasing inequalities to the reversal of gains in living standards due to the COVID-19 health pandemic and financial crises, have created an urgent need for evidence-based policymaking. The already dire situation is further exacerbated by the combination of debt, rising food and energy prices, coupled with extreme weather events, geopolitical tensions, and instability. Governments, trade unions, employers, and international organizations are under pressure to deliver real solutions to real problems. In this context, advancing social justice and promoting decent work remains the priority for the ILO.

The ILO Director-General, in the 111th International Labor Conference (ILC, 2023) Report[1], highlights the constraints on advancing social justice. The dire situation necessitates strengthening countries' ability to narrow social justice deficits and enhance social contracts through evidence-based policymaking. This will only happen if governments, workers, and employers have the capacity to fruitfully engage in evidence-based policymaking for advancing social justice and decent work.

To address these challenges, the ILO Research Department in collaboration with the ITCILO’s Employment Policy and Analysis Programme (EPAP) are offering this online Training Course on “From Research to Policy: Understanding the Policy-Evidence Nexus”. This course is designed to strengthen foundational understanding of how research and data can inform national policy processes, in alignment with the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. Throughout the learning path, participants will analyse the policy development process and evidence-based policymaking, explore cutting-edge research methodologies, statistical analysis techniques, and learn how to integrate empirical evidence into the dynamic landscape of the Labour Market. This course enhances participants’ capacity to critically engage with research and apply appropriate methodologies in policy-relevant analysis. It explores both qualitative and quantitative approaches, focusing on how to select and use the right tools to generate reliable evidence. Participants will learn to formulate research questions, design data collection strategies, and assess the relevance, rigour, and limitations of different research designs in the field of labour market and social policy. This course will enable the participants to understand the fundamentals of sound research in labour and social policy.

The aim of the course is to equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of research and data skills for evidence-based policymaking in the fields of social justice and the promotion of decent work. Participants will learn how to frame policy questions, identify sources of evidence, and design employment and labour market interventions.

• Policymakers, government officials, and representatives from ministries in the fields of labour, employment, and the broader world of work.
• ILO and UN staff and development practitioners and consultants
• Representatives of Trade Unions and employers’ organisations
• Public investment, employment and labour market policy advisers
• Policy analysts working for national and global think tanks, financial institutions, research departments and foundations
• Individuals interested in or actively contributing to the provision of information, analysis, and recommendations crucial for policymaking and advocacy.

This course will be delivered and divided into six content modules, each accompanied by follow-up activities and assignments. It requires an overall commitment of 60 hours of active study/participation.

During the training, each of the 6 learning modules of the course has a fixed structure and includes the following components:

1. Online webinars, with the group and ILO and ITCILO trainer and/or invited speakers (session of 120 min)
2. Individual self-learning, activities and assignments, as well as group activities.  
3. Forum discussions, self-facilitated or facilitated by the ILO and ITCILO trainers.

To foster a comprehensive understanding of research and data skills for evidence-based policymaking in the fields of social justice and the promotion of decent work, the training course will delve into several crucial topics:

1. Evidence-Based Policymaking: Analysing the policy development process, evidence-based policymaking, and policy drafting in the context of the decent work agenda
2. Searching for Evidence: Learning to develop a search strategy, dissect "Request for Evidence," and find suitable evidence
3. Appraising Evidence: Exploring different elements of research design and learning to judge evidence reliably and assess a wide range of evidence
4. Synthesising Evidence: Understanding the key parameters for evidence usability, the steps in evidence synthesis, and the main elements of a policy brief
5. Understanding Research: Learning different research techniques and methodologies to provide sound and rigorous evidence
6. Communicating Evidence: Effectively tailoring research to different audience groups and create an effective communicating strategy

The training course will equip participants with the skills and techniques necessary to actively contribute to promoting social justice and decent work through evidence-based policymaking.

Participants will learn to:

• Incorporate the fundamentals of evidence-based policymaking in the world of work
• Framing policy questions and identifying relevant data sources, aligning with ILO’s Decent Work Agenda.
• Enhance understanding of frontier issues impacting decent work
• Establish research and policy dialogues between social partners
• Develop research and policy communities of practice for evidence-based policies
• Promote research utilisation in policymaking to enhance the quality of policy dialogue
• Draft a policy brief

At the end of the course, in order to evaluate the knowledge and skills learnt, participants will be required to submit an individual policy brief for review by the ILO/ITCILO specialists and trainers. Upon successful completion of this assignment, participants will receive an ITCILO Certificate of Achievement.

This course is part of the Diploma in Evidence-Based Public Policy, launched jointly by the ILO Research Department and the ITCILO’s Employment Policy and Analysis Programme.