Capacity building workshop on the Skills for Trade and Economic Diversification (STED) for five SIFA countries

The STED capacity building workshop was held in Zanzibar, Tanzania on April 4 - 8, 2022 within the framework of the SIFA-Skills Anticipation Project.

News | 20 April 2022

Background

The Skills for Trade and Economic Diversification (STED) capacity building workshop was organized for key labour market actors from 5 countries (Eswatini, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar) within the framework of the SIFA-Skills Anticipation Project. The Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA), a Programme of the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Union Development Agency (AUDANEPAD) supported by the German Government and European Union seeks to contribute toward the AU’s agenda for a more prosperous Africa whose development is “people-driven, relying on the potential of African people”. Under the EU funded SIFA component on Skills for Youth Employability (SYEP), the AU and AUDA-NEPAD is collaborating with the ILO to implement skills anticipation capacity development interventions for selected AU Member States.

The face-to-face training which involved 35 participants (members of recently established National Task Teams on Skills Anticipation in respective countries) is a crucial part of the implementation of the STED methodology in the countries supported by the SIFA-Skills Anticipation project component. It aimed to support the key labour market actors from respective countries to acquire in depth understanding of how to apply the STED methodology to better anticipate skills needs in priority sectors that have the potential to increase decent employment opportunities and trade which can contribute to economic growth and diversification. The ILO introduced the STED process to contribute to aligning skills development with policies on trade, economic diversification and industrial development, and to support systems change and capacity building in skills development systems.

Workshop structure

The first two days focused on learning theoretical contents about STED rationale, different STED processes, practical issues, structures and governance as well as six stages of the STED diagnostic framework through the presentations by the training facilitators with small group exercises. Once the participants acquired a good knowledge of the STED approach, the second two days were dedicated to run the mock session of the STED Technical & Policy Foresight Workshop which is the centrepiece of the Rapid STED diagnostic phase. This simulation provided the participants an opportunity to have learning-by-doing experience on STED approach which will be crucial for applying the method in each country. The last day programme started with the presentation of the STED RBM and M&E framework and followed by discussions on how to implement the STED approach in their respective countries in the context of SIFA project and on how to institutionalize skills anticipation and STED beyond the project. The sessions of the capacity building workshop were organized as following:
  • Session 1: Rationale for STED
  • Session 2: STED Process and practical issues
  • Session 3: STED Structures and governance
  • Session 4: STED Diagnostic framework (in three parts)
  • Session 5: STED Technical & Policy Workshop (simulation of 2 days)
  • Session 6: STED RBM and ME framework

Workshop achievement

The capacity building workshop succeeded to enhance participants’ knowledge and application of the instruments for identifying current and future skill needs, particularly regarding the application of the STED approach in their respective countries. The workshop was based on various group works, and 2-day of mock session of the STED technical and policy foresight workshop to build participant’s expertise, technical capacity, and better understanding of practical implementation of the STED approach. Highly interactive and engaging delivery methods facilitated knowledge and experience sharing among the participants.

Next Steps

STED capacity building workshop participants will carry out further stakeholder consultations, particularly with other members of the skills anticipation national task teams with a view to apply and implement the STED approach in their respective countries with the technical support from the ILO.