1. Sectoral Approach to Skills Development
ILO/Japan Regional Workshop
Sectoral Approach to Skills for Green Jobs
24-25 January 2017, Bangkok, Thailand
Sectoral Approach to Skills Development
Akiko Sakamoto
ILO -Bangkok

2. Why now sectoral approach?
A relatively new approach to many developing countries in Asia, why?
Skills and training have traditionally been seen as the work of government and has been centrally planned
Business and competitive strategy based on low price, labour-intensive approach required fewer high skills –skills were not part of competitive strategy
Sectoral approach is highlighted as one of 10 key building blocks of the G20 Training Strategy (2011)

3. What is a sectoral approach to skills development?
Promotes skills development from the point of view of a specific industrial and occupational sector
Articulating skills and training needs
Providing inputs to relevant competency standards, or training curriculum
Organizing, delivering and participating in training programs, according to their priorities; assessing training outcomes
Responds to sector specific challenges with sector specific skills solutions; drawing on sector knowledge and resources
Positions skills as a key strategy for moving up and taking the sector to a next level

4. Why is a sectoral approach to skills development being promoted?
Limitation of centralized approaches to skills development
Increase in skills mismatch – unable to fill vacancies while workers struggle to find jobs
Practical means for linking training and work –increasing impact of skills on employment and productivity
A means of greater industry engagement in skills development
Relevant approach as the sector attempts to move up the value chain and compete on quality market

5. Skills as a key strategy for sector development
Public Policy
Regulations
Employers
Business Strategy
Skills Supply
Skills Supply Bodies
Skills Acquisition
Professional Bodies
Institutional Support
Worker Reps/Unions
Skills Utilization
Policy Makers
Incentives
The productive System
The Sectoral Stakeholder Platform
Source: Sung and Ashton, 2014, p173

6. What does a sectoral approach deliver?
International experience shows that sectoral approaches can provide:
Analysis of business environment affecting quantitative or qualitative skills needs
Forecasting skills needs
Matching training provision to meet specific skills needs
Facilitating skills utilization and enabling productive transformation (i.e. moving up value-chains);
Preparation of occupational or qualification standards
Policy advice on lifelong learning or VET
Fostering cooperation between educational providers and employers
Provision of training for the work force
Funding of training.

7. Variations in sectoral approaches
Sectoral approaches to skills development can take different forms and the roles and structures vary considerably
Roles and functions
Broad or narrow coverage
Ranging from advisory, skills needs assessment, standards development and training delivery to certification, job placement, and coordination
Proactive bodies promoting strategic sector development plans
Institutional arrangements
Many countries opt to establish a formal structure such as sector skill councils (industry skills councils), although there are only a few in the region
Members
Funding

8. How are sectoral approaches evolving?
Increase in formalized, independent, sector-specific bodies (e.g. industry skills councils, sector skills councils, industry training bodies)
Permanent and independent bodies have a well-established role in some countries (UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Netherlands, Brazil and South Africa)
22 of 28 EU countries have adopted a sectoral approach
Similar arrangements in Bangladesh, Malaysia, India and Singapore

9. Challenges and Enabling factors
Establishing formal structures is not a goal in itself
The experience in Bangladesh and India suggests considerable success in increasing industry engagement in skills, but face a number of challenge including sustainability
Formalized approach seems to work when there is:
Immediate skills needs that require the sector’s collective response
Policy level support for sector-based skills actions
Adequate funding (but with a future financial plan)
Technical support (especially for the start-up phase)
Leadership and strong sustained commitment
Time

10. Implications for skills and green jobs
Sector skills approach responds to:
How a sector sees the challenges, priorities and solutions of promoting environmental sustainability
Likely impact on jobs (quantitative and qualitative)
And collectively acting in identifying, articulating and responding to new and different skills requirements:
Skills needs assessment
Development of competency standards and training
Training of trainers
Training delivery and assessment
Coordination with training agency and institutions
Negotiation and promotion of sector green strategy

11. Thank you For further information please contact: Akiko Sakamoto
Senior Specialist on Skills & Employability
ILO Decent Work Team Bangkok
Tel No
E mail address: