When and why should a government finance or provide skills training for its work force?
Improving job skills has been a cornerstone of economic development theory and practice and has received more international assistance than any other form or level of education. Returns on many investments in skills training during the past four decades have been disappointing, however, and governments and donors are uncertain about how to develop national training capacities. To mobilize the private training capacity of employers and to improve the effectiveness of public training, governments must take a fresh look at their strategies.
The first comprehensive review of vocational education and training in developing countries, Skills for Productivity identifies the elements of the new strategy. It draws on a comprehensive review of the literature and the experience of the World Bank, on specially commissioned studies, and on original research conducted by the Bank. It has also benefited from consultations with policymakers from more that fifty developing countries, donor agency representatives, and experts in the field, and is the basis for the World Bank Policy Paper Vocational and Technical Education and Training.
The authors advocate modifying the design of public training policies so that policymakers can create strategies that are economically sound and practically feasible in a given national context and that can be adapted as economies evolve. The findings also have implications for international support of government policies and programs.
This book will be welcomed by the policymakers and practitioners of vocational education and training, who must deal with changing economic circumstances in the developing world, as well as by academics and students of education and training systems worldwide.
This is the first comprehensive review of vocational and technical education and training in developing countries. The authors analyze the economic factors that shape a country's need for skilled workers and technicians. They discuss the challenges of implementing manpower plans that are market oriented and effective training programs that are efficient and equally as responsive. Clearly written, this work will interest scholars of development economics and professionals and policymakers of training programs and international aid programs.
