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Evidence-based policy making is widely discussed in many countries as a way of ensuring more transparent and robust policies, and making policy-makers more accountable for meeting the needs and expectations of the constituencies they serve. In 2010, the [European Training Foundation] ETF launched the Torino Process with a view to offering interested partner countries a framework and technical support aimed at supporting progress in the [vocational education and training] VET area. The exercise, which will be repeated every two years, is ultimately intended to respond to the interest in robust assessment and in resources for VET policy making. This report presents the main findings of the Torino Process 2010, consolidating the findings of the individual country reports along the different dimensions deemed relevant to assessing VET systems and measuring VET policy progress.

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This report describes a study designed to identify opportunities within Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, for improving the support available for management and entrepreneurial development in order to stimulate the growth of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The focus of the study is on the supply or provider side of management development support but also considers the demand for such support from SMEs and the role of intermediaries in assisting enterprises to access this support. The study includes individual entrepreneurs, micro enterprises (those with up to four employees) and SMEs (those employing between five and 49 people). Management development support is defined as any type of intervention used to help SMEs survive and grow, including all forms of management and entrepreneurial training and other types of support such as information, advice and guidance. The report is divided into two sections. The first provides a cross-country analysis of the current situation in Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt and attempts to identify some common trends in management development support for SMEs in these three countries. The second part provides an individual country analysis of the situation in each country. Each country analysis includes the following sections: (1) an overview of the socioeconomic context; (2) a summary of the situation in regard to SMEs, the environment within which they operate and their potential for growth; (3) a critical overview of the training and support currently available to managers and entrepreneurs in SMEs; (4) an overview of the support and the impact created by donors’ interventions; and (5) recommendations on how to improve this training and support. Where relevant, case studies in a box format provide illustrative examples of how concepts have been put into practice. Show less

In light of the growing negative impact of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] Covid-19 pandemic on national labour markets and people's lives and livelihoods, the role of career guidance has become ever more important to individuals, families, communities, the workforce, employers and society. This report is based on a flash joint international survey, designed to provide a snapshot of how career guidance policies, systems and services were adapting and coping, following the declaration of the world Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. The survey, launched on 8 June 2020 and closed on 3 August 2020, included an exploration of these policies, systems and practices (focusing on remote and ICT-based delivery) in the context of the early phase of government reactions to the pandemic, the extent to which the pandemic and its social consequences triggered a debate on career guidance reform, and the role for career guidance in pandemic recovery measures. It also considered the support role of international and donor bodies.

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This report presents the outcomes of two evaluation projects implemented in Russia and Morocco with a common aim: to assess public training policies. In the Russian case a qualitative, interpretative approach was applied to evaluate the impact of management training, whereas in the Moroccan case a quantitative approach was applied to evaluate the impact of in-service training. The difficulties encountered whilst carrying out these impact evaluations are described as well as the merits and limitations of the different evaluation models applied.

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This paper, jointly prepared by Cedefop and the ETF, aims to inform the next steps in vocational education and training (VET) policy-making at EU level, including the Osnabruck declaration expected to be discussed by ministers in the autumn of 2020. It puts forward key challenges and opportunities for VET which have emerged from the intelligence, research and evidence collected over the years by the two agencies, each within its own remit and geographic scope.

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The European Union (EU) European Training Foundation (ETF) Frame Skills for the Future initiative, implemented in 2013 and 2014, has supported the development of comprehensive long-term visions for skills development for 2020, and the planning of comprehensive human resource development (HRD) policies in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey (the [South East Europe and Turkey] SEET countries). This guide provides practical and detailed guidance and support for adapting and implementing foresight methodology to develop a mid-term vision for human resource development (HRD) with a focus on skills. It is envisaged that the results will contribute significantly to the development of the reform strategies of [European Union] EU enlargement countries, in particular for HRD and skills. Show less

This report targets [European Training Foundation] ETF operational and thematic units involved in the delivery of support to partner countries' human capital, as well as practitioners and experts operating in the field of [vocational education and training] VET capacity development. The toolkit also targets those partner country policymakers who are willing to engage in reflection, assessment and development of the tools and methods required to meet the capacity needs of the VET sector, and provides guidance on measuring the impact of capacity building actions. Chapter one examines the theoretical framework on which the ETF work is based and its aims in contributing to the development of human capital. It also describes the methodology of the ETF's work to support capacity in thematic areas within the domain of VET.

Chapter two focuses on the specific role of the ETF in supporting policy analysis and policy making, and within this context looks at assessing and measuring stakeholders' capabilities in relation to the specific context of human capital development and VET. Since ETF's specific method of work at stakeholder level is via networks, the chapter focuses especially on the role of networks in policy development in VET and on how capacity is built. Chapter three examines the identification of a quality assurance system in relation to capacity building activities, exploring the quality cycle in the framework of specific interventions, including proposing the means and tools to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the impact of capacity building activities at the wider stakeholders and system levels. Two short policy briefs complete the toolkit, focusing on: capacity building and knowledge management; and capacity building and regional development.

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While economic, social and environmental challenges are increasingly complex, national authorities are facing growing pressure to deliver more and better for less. Policy monitoring and evaluation has a critical role to play in effectively designing, implementing, and delivering public policies and services. This paper presents the collected intelligence from the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) member states that volunteered to provide an overview of the state of the art, trends and progress on the four priorities of the UfM Ministerial Declaration on Employment and Labour adopted in 2019: (1) more and better jobs: employment creation and entrepreneurship; (2) working together for better results: mobilising stakeholders, creating partnerships and synergies; (3) making labour markets more inclusive for workers and potentially vulnerable groups; and (4) preparing for work: skills and employability in a changing world of work.

The objective of this process is to foster a culture of monitoring and evidence-based policy making in view of improving efficiency of policy design and implementation. This process is based on a policy learning approach and accompanies and facilitates sharing and peer learning. This pilot UfM initiative to monitor some key areas of labour and employment shows that, despite the limited data availability, countries are able to monitor most of their policies and thus ensure that policy making is informed by sound evidence to achieve key long-term objectives. The report is structured around three main sections: the socio-economic context, the results of the monitor by priority (pillar) and concluding remarks.

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This regional briefing considers vocational education and training (VET) systems and policies in the countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and the Ukraine. It examines the general demographic, historic and economic context of these countries and then examines the key challenges and priorities facing VET policy makers in the region. Show less

In January 2002, the Kosovo Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare established a working group of key adult training providers and Ministry officials, to review existing practice and identify options for assessment and certification of training provided by the centres within the Ministry's vocational training services. The Group undertook three major activities: information collection about existing practices within the adult training network; the development of viable proposals; and the implementation of a pilot project to determine how certification could be established by way of interim certification institutions. This paper outlines the issues raised in the discussions which focused on the following key concerns: who should be assessed; why assessment should occur; who should undertake the assessments; what should be assessed; when should assessment be carried out; and how should it be undertaken. The main recommendations of the workshop were: (a) that a central policy framework for assessment and certification be established with interim supporting institutions which could eventually become permanent structures; (b) that policy and operational guidelines for assessment and certification of vocational training for trainees, instructors, vocational training courses, and training providers be elaborated; and (c) that a more global skills certification and qualifications structure be developed for Kosovo, possibly based on experiences of the pilot adult training services. Show less