Wednesday, April 18, 2012

CfP: OECD ILO Workshop on Skills and Competitiveness, April 27, 2012, New Delhi

Workshop on "Skills Strategies for Inclusive Development & Competitiveness"

April 27, 2012, Hilton Hotel, Janakpuri, New Delhi, India

In association with the OECD LEED ESSA initiative, Institute for Competitiveness, India and CII ESSA - Employment and Skills Strategies in Asia

What
The Asia and Pacific region has been hailed as the quickest to emerge from the financial and economic crisis, with the recovery marking a clear V-shape while in other parts of the world the final shape still remains uncertain. This strong recovery is largely due to India and China rapid return to high growth rates. However, rapid growth does not equal social development for all and strategic development measures need to look at the invisible infrastructure that skills and training provide for the formal workforce and how to reach those in the less formal economy.
The Institute for Competitiveness India, the Confederation of Indian Industry, NSDC (National Skills Development Corporation) and the OECD ESSSA Initiative are joining forces to discuss skills strategies for job-rich and inclusive growth in India.
This workshop calls for coordinated responses of Ministries of Labour, Ministries of Education and Ministries of Economy to address skills strategies models, policies and programs. The workshop will be organized as part of the Institute for Competitiveness conference on Skills Strategies for Inclusive Development in India. Participants will be able to learn from best practice experiences in the design and implementation of integrated skills strategy and inclusive local development.

Themes to be discussed refer to
Theme 1: Fostering the Dynamics of Skills, Employment and Infrastructure Development
Trade and financial recovery from the crisis might be easier than employment recovery, particularly at the local level where some places might stagnate and decline for a long time. Job creation does not respond to the same strategies everywhere and while the focus on infrastructure development might have priority in many areas, building skills programs in parallel can be an effective pathway for sustained growth. The role of policy and policy coordination is therefore crucial to facilitate and accelerate sustainable pathways for local development. How can Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship be combined and fostered within infrastructure development plans? Is there enough autonomy and capacity in the education and training sector to adjust skills development programs to support infrastructure development? What examples of initiatives exist in India, Asian and OECD countries?

Theme 2: Innovation in Skills Development and Management that reach SMEs
India and the Asian region is rich in entrepreneurs and small firm formation. Innovative approaches to skills and talent development can foster a high-growth business environment with higher potential for job creation particularly in SMEs. What experiences exist for fostering skills in SMEs? What experiences for fostering entrepreneurship? How can skills policies best contribute to firm survival and sustainable employment creation? Determine the areas of business growth? What examples exist in India and other Asian countries to build skills in the less formal SMEs?

Theme 3: Strategies for Local Job Creation, Skills Development and Social Protection
There is an emerging consensus that shifting from export-led recovery and growth towards greater reliance on domestic and regional sources of demand will be critical to sustain economic prosperity in Asia as well as globally. A new pattern of economic growth is emerging in Asia, characterized by vigorous policies to support domestic consumption and investment, active employment and labour market policies to facilitate industrial and labour market adjustments, and stronger social protection measures to accelerate inclusive growth and poverty reduction. In this new paradigm the strategies and policies of local governments are more at the center stage. What are the elements to promote an inclusive, job-rich growth in Asia? What are the capacities that countries need to build to implement them with success? What examples are available in India?

Theme 4: Towards an Inclusive Model of Skills Development in Asia: the High-road for India
The design of skills and employment strategies and programmes should respond to local conditions and challenges, and should involve a wide range of stakeholders from both the public and private sectors to optimize the relevance and impact of such strategies. In the same way that industrial development is different in the North and the South, skills development models can differ. Is there an emerging model of skills de- velopment in Asia? What role for different stakeholders? How can we forge better partnerships for skills for employment and entrepreneurship with such stakeholders? What are the obstacles to a joined-up approach? What operational pathways can be proposed for India and other Asian countries?

Who
-Mid to Senior level government officials from education, employment and economy ministries, government employment agencies, and local government bodies, from India and neighboring countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, PR China, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
-Government officials from interested OECD countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
-Skills development experts from ILO, ADB, UN, EC, Confederation of Indian Industry and other organizations. -Academics and experts on local economic development, private sector development, governance, social inclusion.

Further details about the conference are available on the ESSSA interactive web space.

The last date for registration is April 23, 2012

No comments: