ILO Policies and Programmes on Skills and VET teachers and trainers

1. Bill Ratteree ILO EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL EUROPEAN REGION Vocational Education and Training Round Table 21-22 October 2009, Budapest ILO Policies and Programmes on Skills and VET teachers and trainers

2. ILO Objective: Decent Work for All Productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity Four interlocking pillars • Rights at work • Productive employment • Social protection • Social Dialogue: Information sharing, consultation, negotiation

3. Global Employment Agenda Decent Work Country Programmes promote employment in several areas, including: • Skills, technology & employability • Labour market institutions & policies • Social protection

4. Skills component of Decent Work Key international standard: • Recommendation No. 195 on Human Resources Development: Education, training and lifelong learningAdopted by the International Labour Conference in June 2004 - provides guidance to constituents; basis for sharing good practices & promote cooperation

5. R-195: Key ILO policy objectives • Education, training and lifelong learning are fundamental... but insufficient to help individuals gain decent jobs. • Training and skills development must form an integral part of broad economic, social and labour market policies - sustain economic and job growth and social development. • Training and skills development policies should promote equal opportunities for women and men and help eradicate poverty.

6. R-195 - shared responsibilities Governments - primary responsibility for • education • pre-employment training, core skills • training unemployed & people w/ special needs Social partners - significant role in • further training • workplace learning and training Individuals - expected to make use of education, training & lifelong learning opportunities

7. Conclusions from International Labour Conference 2008 Skills development to help increase productivity and employment: • Innovate • Adopt new technologies • Attract investment • Compete in new markets • Diversify the economy Boost job growth at the same time improving productivity

8. Skills & development process: Prepare for future jobs • Integrate skills into national and sector development strategies • Include skills in responses to global drivers of change: • technology • trade • climate change • Develop more social inclusiveness: • Rural communities • Informal economies in poor countries – move to formal • Disadvantaged youth: education, apprenticeships • Persons with disabilities • Women in all groups

9. Skills and the current crisis– ILC 2009 GLOBAL JOBS PACT Investing in skills development now: • Prepare displaced workers for new jobs available in the recovery • “Build back better” - use downtime to invest in new skills or upgrade skill levels for enterprise productivity in the recovery • Avoid skills gaps in implementing public investments in infrastructure, green technologies and social services included in stimulus packages

10. Teachers & Trainers - Roles, Rights & Responsibilities • No specific ILO work on teachers and trainers – considered integrated in: • International standards - 1966 Recommendation for secondary & 1997 Recommendation for post-secondary • Monitoring & promotional work Joint ILO/UNESCO Committee of Experts (CEART) – 10th Session in Paris in early Oct.

11. The CEART’s 10th Session • Teaching status is not improving & shortages continue to challenge EFA goals • VET teachers face many of same problems & policy responses need to deal with: • Teacher shortages: Combination of employment conditions makes teaching less attractive = recruitment & retention problems • Continued, long-term decline teachers’ salaries compared to similar professions

12. The CEART’s 10th Session - 2 • More difficult teaching & learning environment – pupil indiscipline & violence undermines teacher morale & learning outcomes • Teachers’ voices in education decision-making – social dialogue - improved in some countries but remains weak in many countries and regions – need for more political acceptance of unions and institutional capacity to dialogue

13. Recommendations defend rights & promote responsibilities The 1966 Recommendation: • educational objectives & policies - consultation • teacher education - initial and further • employment and career • rights and responsibilities - negotiations • effective teaching and learning conditions • teachers’ salaries • social security Applies equally to VET teachers in schools & training sites

14. Recommendations defend rights & promote responsibilities The 1997 Recommendation focuses on: • institutional autonomy and responsibilities • academic freedom and professor’s obligations • security of employment and tenure • careers and conditions of work for teaching & research staff • conditions for part-time, female & other staff • collegial decision-making & collective negotiations Applies equally to all TAFE teachers at post-secondary level

15. Monitoring & promoting • Joint ILO/UNESCO Committee of Experts (CEART) meets every three years to review trends & recommend policy changes to Govts, other education authorities • EI direct input to CEART meetings – major report prepared for each session

16. Recommendations - Making effective use of “soft standards” • Allegations on non-application of Recommendations made by international & national teachers’ organizations – CEART findings & recommendations to Govts: • Japan – teachers’ assessment & merit pay – including TVET • Australia & Denmark – academic freedom, public service contracts, funding , governance & social dialogue • Recommendations could be used by teachers’ unions as checklist of good practices to measure national law & practice vs. international norms – need to beknown & used as advocacytool

17. ILO: 2009 Programme on VET teachers & trainers • Research & policy dialogue forum with Govts & private employers in ILO focusing on employment and the working environment + larger lifelong learning framework & VET • Advisory body mtg. for education & research to decide on terms of reference on 4 Nov. – EI member affiliates represent workers