Practitioners' guides on employment service centres: Training of trainers on operations, counselling, and employer services (Volume 1)

The Practitioners’ guides on employment service centres are a collection of resource manuals on public employment services delivery, focusing specifically on the practical operations of employment service centres and the delivery of employer and counselling services. Volume 1 consists of 21 modules covering many aspects important to employment service centres (ESCs). Each module is designed to be useful as either a stand-alone session or as part of a larger workshop or training course. Many of the modules include interactive group activities either as part of a technical presentation or to reinforce or enhance a presentation.

Public employment services (PES) have been recognized in the mandate of the ILO since its creation. The ILO Convention on Unemployment, 1919 (No. 2) recognized the role of employment services and promoted the establishment of national employment services in all member States. The role of public employment services was fully elaborated at the international level with the adoption of the ILO Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88). Both jobseekers and employers are customers of employment services, both public and private, and most national employment services are guided by an advisory body that reinforces the principles of social dialogue between government, employers, and workers.

The Guides are a collection of resource manuals on public employment services delivery. There are four volumes in this collection. Training of trainers on operations, counselling, and employer services (Volume 1) is a companion to the three other procedural manuals on employment services: Operating employment service centres (Volume 2); Providing effective counselling services (Volume 3); and Providing effective employer services (Volume 4).

While it is possible to use this guide as a self-instruction tool, it is recommended that all ESC staff have the opportunity to benefit from a formal training course, in order to learn not only from the content provided in the modules, but also from the knowledge-sharing activities and good practices of other participants. The modules can be utilized in a variety of ways. They can be used to deliver a five-day course using all three of the procedural manuals on employment services, at the district or regional level; to deliver a series of three shorter courses at the district or individual ESC level, focusing each short course on topics covered in one of the procedural manuals; or training can be delivered one module per week or bi-weekly, at the individual ESC level.