Linking Education Systems to Labour Markets

Presenter: Wayne Wesley, Ph.D. Executive Director, HEART Trust/NTA, Chairman, Caribbean Association of National Training Authorities July 26, 2016 Regional Consultation for the Development of CDB’s Education Training Policy & Strategy

Misalignment between Education and Training

Systems and Labour MarketsMismatch of competencies (knowledge, skills and attitude) demanded by

industry and those supplied by the education and training systems resulting in:

Low rate of employment

absorption among graduates

Increased underemployment

among workers

Untimely response to the labour demands of local and foreign

job-creating investments

Inability for employers to meet

the demands of their markets for products and services due to

difficulty in recruiting qualified staff

Low levels of productivity and competitiveness

02

What is needed

An integrated, flexible and responsive competency based education and training system, with clear articulation pathways, aligned with labour market demands, facilitating innovation and employment

creation.

Shift in Guiding Principles1. Funding aligned to Economic Development/Growth Agenda

2. Outcomes driven rather than input driven

3. Programme Delivery aligned to areas of greatest Job prospects/opportunity

4. Continuous Workforce development- Principle of Lifelong learning

Aligning Education & Training to Labour Market Intelligence

Engage employers in developing occupational standards and curricula

Increasing on-the-job training and certification opportunities (including apprenticeship)

Aligning Education & Training to Labour Market Intelligence

A national repository of labour market

information and intelligence

Mechanism to allow for the sharing of

education and training information

Financing (loans, incentives and grants) must support labour

market driven programmes

Campaign to promulgate the

utilization of labour market information

and intelligence

Competency (Outcomes) Based Education & Training

Knowledge

AttitudeSkills

Competence Development of Competency

Based Education and Training (CBET) Policy

Career Guidance

Aligned to LMI

Career and Lifelong Learning Focus

Upskill Career Counsellors

Questions?