Aligning Education, Training and Certification to the Demands of Employment

1. Aligning Education, Training and Certification to the Demands of Employment Suriname International Education Congress Nov 1-2, 2013 Presenter: Robert Gregory

2. The Global Context • From the crucible of history was forged what is recognized today, as the distinctive multi-ethnic, multi-cultural synthesis called The Caribbean Community.

3. The Global Context: Wereldwijdecompetitie is cruciaal en een ‘must’ • The global context within which we live today is characterized in a number of different but important ways: • Competitive: • Being globally competitive is both a National and a personal imperative, best guided by the adage “you are either world-class or you are no-class”

4. The Global Context • The global context within which we live today is characterized in a number of different but important ways: • Standards and Rules: • Administered by a variety of global organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Standards Organization (ISO), World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO) etc

5. The Global Context: • Het efficient en effectiefverlenen van eenaanbod op de vraagnaargoederen en diensten • Market Driven: • Most economic activity is propelled by the profits to be earned by efficiently and effectively satisfying a demand in the market for goods or services

6. The Global Context • De drietraditionaleproductiefactoren– vervangen door de drie “waardenfuncties” : • Global Knowledge-Based Economy: • The global economy’s newest platform is Services. The traditional three “Factors of Production” have been replaced with the three “Value Functions” namely, Intellectual Property Creation, Fabrication (manufacturing), Marketing and Distribution.

7. The Global Context • The New Currency: • Educatieen trainings systemenafgestemd op de behoeften van de markt. • Sustainable economic prosperity through the creation of a globally competitive regional workforce, enabled by a market-responsive education and training system.

8. Aligning Education, Training and Certification to the Demands of Employment An imperative in a market economy.

9. Across the entire CARICOM there exists this huge mis-match between what our education and training systems produce in terms of the acquired knowledge, skills and attitude of their graduates compared with what employment opportunities in the economy demands. Kennis, vaardigheden en professionelehouding van huidigeafgestudeerden – geenaanslutingbijeisen van de markt.

10. CARICOM data revealed that between the years 2000 and 2010 all CARICOM states together issued over 87,000 work permits 75% of which were issued to extra-regional skilled persons. – 75% van de werkvergunningenverleendaanpersonenafkomstig van buiten de Caribbean Meanwhile the World Bank reports that the Region loses 80% of its secondary and tertiary graduates to migration. – 80% van afgestudeerdenverdwijntuit de region – emigreert

11. The 2013 CARICOM TVET Strategy recommends that National Training Agencies or National TVET Councils, assume the responsibility to institutionalize a function to collect, analyze and serve as a central repository of labour market information and intelligence, to inform the decisions of secondary and tertiary education and training institutions as to the relevance of their programmes and courses to the economy. (Relevantie van trainings en educatieaanbodtoetsenaanwathuidigeeconomienodigheeft)

12. The NTAs would also establish and maintain a relationship with each of the major employment sectors in the economy in order to broker appropriate responses to them from education and training institutions to address any educational or training, skills and internationally benchmarked certification needed to enhance competitiveness and productivity. (Regelmatigcontact met de belangrijkstearbeidssectoren)

13. Currently the overall profile shows a 103,000 strong Suriname Workforce, largely deployed as follows; 40% in Public Administration and Defense, 18% in Trade, Restaurants and Hotels, 11% in Agriculture, 10% in Construction, 6% in Manufacturing, 3% in Mining and Quarrying. Suriname’s reported unemployment rate is 9%. With this raw data the NTA along with the Educational and Training Institutions can deduce what types of occupation and skills are required in each sector.

14. Under the new Regional TVET Strategy, fundamental changes will be required of educational and training institutions in their teaching and learning methodology. The methodology they will be trained to use is called Competency Based Education and Training (CBET).

15. The certification scheme to be adopted is the CARICOM Vocational Qualification (CVQ) which will facilitate the freer movement of skilled certified persons within the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

16. The objective of aligning the programmes and courses of Suriname’s education and training system with the demands and needs of employment in the Suriname economy is achievable.

17. It only requires the informed support and cooperation of all the stakeholders in the system to fulfill this vision for Suriname of: “Sustainable economic prosperity through the creation of a globally competitive Suriname workforce enabled by a market-responsive Suriname education and training system” .

18. THANK YOU