UNDP Vocational Education AND training project

1. UNDP Vocational Education AND training project Dr. Nicole Vartanian November 2011

2. Social partnership: negotiation and communication skills in theory and practice

3. Overarching questions • How do we use communication skills to negotiate for the best interests of the VET institution and students? • What are the key elements to forging social partnerships that will optimize success for the VET institution and students?

4. Communication and negotiation • U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics calls interpersonal and communication skills “essential” to successful educational administration given how much of the job involves collaborating with others • Strong communication is the cornerstone of negotiation, a discussion designed to reach an agreement between parties with both common and opposing interests • During a negotiation, it would be wise not to take anything personally. If you leave personalities out of it, you will be able to see opportunities more objectively. • Brian Koslow, Founder and CEO of Breakthrough Coaching • Communication is the real work of leadership. • NitinNohria, Harvard Business School Dean

5. Utilizing communication techniques • Verbal communication • Encourage students, faculty, and staff with praise for achievements and hard work, tactfully address areas in need of improvement • Deliver clear messages AND listen carefully to responses so people feel respected and heard • Nonverbal communication • Communicate verbal messages consistently with similar nonverbal actions, policies and body language • Use technology like a website, email list, or social networking to underscore messages and stay in contact with constituents • Feedback • Provide opportunity for feedback from constituents rating the school performance and satisfaction • Develop consensus-building strategies to create buy-in

6. Mastering negotiation Negotiation is a process administrative leaders engage in routinely—from recruiting staff to engaging in partnerships • Be prepared • Do your homework in advance • Base your line of arguments on facts • Have a best alternative • Know what you are aiming for • Know what you are willing to concede • Understand key motivators • Tangible—gaining fiscal or organizational benefits, e.g. • Intangible—desiring respect or fearing change, e.g. • Communicate well • Be personal and personable • Build rapport and trust

7. Exploring Social Partnerships • Strategy based on the view that government, workforce and business sectors share a common interest in success of national economy • Process of engaging in social dialogue • Tripartite model with business sector, trade unions, government • Current push for establishment of social partnerships in VET sector to • Connect with labor market needs • Modernize educational programs • Adhere to accreditation standards • Develop new funding streams

8. Challenges and opportunities in ROA • System of education not clearly connected with economy, requiring: • Development of modern curricula and best practices • Preparation of students for in-demand professions, • Training of skilled and knowledgeable teachers • Framework of social partnership allows for educational policy to correspond with short-, medium-, and long-term needs of labor market • Structural links among government, business, and education can help to: • Achieve economic goals • Prepare well-trained workforce • Improve student skills and academic achievement

9. STRATEGY OF PRELIMINARY (CRAFTSMANSHIP) AND MIDDLE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAININGOF ROA (2004) • State is responsible for legislation and implementation of VET, butpolicy development not only within state control • Partnerships should be created based on bilateral and/or trilateral co-operationto assist social partners in labormarket in recognizing skills of trained specialists • “Bottom up” decision-making should be applicable, though involvement of social partners into VET should not be based solely on their initiative • The integration of social partners into the VET system is necessary for information sharing and job placement • Including social partners in decision-making guarantees conformity with labormarket requirements, provides growth of economy, and bolsters VET system and student employability [Page 30]

10. ROA Labor Code (2004) guidelines • Chapter 7 (Articles 39 to 44) devoted to social partnership regulation: • Defined as system of interrelations between workers (their representatives) and employers (their representatives), as well as the Government of the Republic of Armenia • Aimed at workers’ and employers’ interests • Realized through collective bargaining, exchange of information and reciprocal consultations

11. CONCEPT ON DEVELOPMENT OF PRELIMINARY PROFESSIONAL (CRAFTSMANSHIP) AND MIDDLE PROFESSIONAL (VOCATIONAL) EDUCATION IN ROA (2008) • Need for high quality vocational education targeted to meet the requirements of the labor market • Obsolete system creates outflow of qualified specialists • Lack of coordination in implementation of training for teaching staff and enhancement of their qualifications • Weak integration of labor market as social partnership • Inflexible system fails to respond to changing economic realities • No effective mechanisms for developing or implementing partnerships with similar institutions in other countries [Page 3]

12. Ongoing discussions aroundSocial Partnerships (SP) • Progress has been made by establishing • Peer Review on SP in VET • National working groups consisting of ministries’ officials, representatives of employers, and Trade Unions established and trained • Three national events on SP organized • Recommendations of working groups presented • Concept on SP in VET adopted by ROA • Workshop for National Council for VET Development organized • Local Trainers established and trained by International Experts • Two pilot College Governing Boards trained

13. How to attract and work with Social Partners • Partners want to create social enterprises and invest in sustainable projects • Do not think of partnership project in isolation • Consider how to integrate larger community in which it operates • Anticipate how to create a social output • Build a solid track record of collaborationto inspire confidence from partners • Develop strong reputation for collaborating on successful projects • Partner with similar organizations to increase your project’s reach, capability, and sustainability • Cultivate relationships and court good publicity • Maintain transparent records • Demonstrate credibility by managing finances well • Send partners regularly audited financial reports • Develop an efficient institutional culture that cautiously spends money