Webinar

South-South Cooperation Online Forum: Promoting decent work through the inclusion of vulnerable groups in vocational training

The EIIP participated in the South-South Cooperation Online Forum: Promoting decent work through the inclusion of vulnerable groups in vocational training. The virtual event, organized by OIT San Jose, OIT/PARDEV and ITC-ILO, promoted a virtual learning community among Central American Institutions as well as a series of knowledge-sharing events, which have allowed the institutes to learn from each other's experience to include vulnerable groups (youth, women and indigenous peoples) in vocational training.

The EIIP's presentation during the Online Forum on Promoting capacity building of indigenous populations through public policy development and job creation in water and sanitation projects addressed the importance of promoting capacity building of inclusive methodologies at policy and project levels.

During the past years, the EIIP transferred the Integrated Rural Accessibility planning (IRAP) tool to key institutions and actors at Regional level through the Latin American rural transports network (IFRTD), making it possible to influence policy makers and to train qualified consultants for project implementation, especially in indigenous dispersed rural communities.

At policy level, the Mexican Institute of Transports adapted the IRAP to identify accessibility needs to basic services of poor and indigenous communities in rural districts. This tool validated in a pilot project under a MOU with the ILO, is with the Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (SEDATU) to be considered as planning tool.

At project level, under the MDG-F window of Economic governance in Water and Sanitation, the EIIP implemented projects of water provision for indigenous communities in Paraguay (Guarani); Panama (Ngöbe bugle) and Nicaragua (Miskito and Afro Caribbean ethnic minorities). The Nicaraguan case of skills development illustrates the ”learning by doing” methodology on masonry and plumbing that combined theoretical lessons with on the site practices, that were implemented in the other two projects as well. The National vocational training institute of Nicaragua, INATEC supported the project elaborating appropriate technical materials and training that once validated, allowed the certification of 109 people (40% female) as technicians in construction and maintenance of water provision systems.

In 2019, the research 'Relevance of technical vocational training in Central America and the Dominican Republic', pointed out among its conclusions: "In general terms, the two most important challenges for TVET are to increase coverage (territories, especially vulnerable populations, women) and to align the supply with the needs of the labour market (current and future)".

Click here to see the presentation PowerPoint (in Spanish)