Training for Rural Economic Empowerment (TREE)

This programme supports the transitions of men and women in rural areas into decent work using a community-based approach to skills development. By linking employment and income generating opportunities with the necessary training and post-training support, and by engaging the relevant institutional partners, TREE serves as a vehicle for the promotion of sustainable rural livelihoods.

As a means to address the challenges facing rural areas – in which three-quarters of the world’s poor reside – the ILO developed the Training for Rural Economic Empowerment Programme (TREE). This proven platform provides the necessary skills to access the labour market, and as a result, lifts workers out of poverty through employment and income generation. Furthermore, its focus on disadvantaged groups, such as women, young people and persons with disabilities, ensures that growth is inclusive.

TREE has been implemented in more than 20 countries, applying its principles of needs analysis, local community participation and engagement with institutional partners to different economic and social settings. Starting with institutional arrangements and planning among partner organizations at the national and local levels, a TREE project aims to systematically identify employment and income generating opportunities at the community level, design and deliver appropriate training programmes with local public and private training providers; and provide the necessary post-training support, for example, facilitating access to markets and credit. By linking training directly to community-determined economic opportunities, TREE projects ensure that the skills delivered are relevant.