Enhancing Skills in the Eastern Caribbean

Cynthia Hobbs, Sr. Education Specialist World Bank, November 2007

Overview

• Why should we care about skills?

• School matters

• Preparing youth for the labour market

• Improving the link between school and

work

The OECS economy is changing

14 10 7

77

6

1214 17

53 61 64

19 16 15

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1980 1990 2000

Share

of G

DP

Govt. services

Private services

Other industry

Manufacturing

Agriculture

Source: World Bank (2005) based on ECCB data

New service jobs demand skilled workers

Workers by education level per economic sector (Caribbean)

0 20 40 60 80 100

Retail/wholesale Services

Energy

Construction

Transport

Professional Services

Medical services

ICT-enabled services

Financial services

Tourism

Other Manufacturing

Electric & electronics

Textile & garments

Food processing

Agriculture

Professionals

Skilled Workers

Unskilled Workers

Overview

• Why should we care about skills?

• School matters

• Preparing youth for the labour market

• Improving the link between school and

work

Education is the most important asset

and can be a way out of poverty

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

15 - 19 20 - 24 25 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 39 40 - 44 45 - 49 50 - 54 55 - 59

Age

Wa

ge

EC

$ p

er

yea

r

University (16-18)Post-secondary(13-15)Secondary (8-12)

Primary (4-7)

Primary (1-3)

Source: Population and Household Census 2001, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

OECS (St. Vincent & Grenadines): Salary by education level

Proficiency in literacy and numeracy skills is key

CXC Pass Rates, 2003

66% 62% 61% 58% 58% 57% 53% 53% 52%46%

41% 37%45%

56%

37% 34%39% 39% 39%

46% 45%

35%30%

24%

0%

10%20%

30%40%

50%60%

70%

Domin

ica

Belize

St. Vin

cent a

nd the

G.

Antigua

and B

arbuda

St. Luci

a

OECS Avg

.

Carib

bean A

vg.

St. Kitt

s an

d Nev

is

Trinid

ad a

nd T.

Grenad

a

Jam

aica

Guyana

Exa

min

atio

n p

ass

rate English A Math

80% end schooling with secondary

• Secondary education is still very focused on preparation for tertiary (academic) studies

• School leavers enter labour market without strong basic skills

• Few labor market-oriented courses, little career counseling, and little help in transitioning to the world of work

Overview

• Why should we care about skills?

• School matters

• Preparing youth for the labour

market

• Improving the link between school and

work

Youth unemployment is high

Youth unemployment leads to:

•Lost human capital

•Social inequality and deviant behaviour

•Carries economic costs Source: National Labor surveys and Population and Household

Censuses from different years, 1991-2004

13%

56%

24%

11%

39% 39%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Ant

igua

&B

arbu

da

Dom

inic

a

Gre

nada

St.

Kitt

s an

dN

evis

St.

Luci

a

St.

Vin

cent

& th

e G

.

% u

nem

plo

ymen

t

Adult

Youth

Life skills for jobs

Caribbean: Employers’ assessment of most desired skill set

Source: Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network: Labor Market Survey, 2006

45%

47%

68%

77%

79%

82%

86%

86%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Computer skills

Dependability

Taking individual responsibility

The ability to work well on teams

Communication skills

Problem solving / efficiency

Work ethic

Honesty/integrity

Knowledge economy skills• Growing focus on “life skills”

• Reliability, critical thinking, team work demanded by employers in the OECS

• Gradually being incorporated into curriculum, teaching, and examinations (CCSLC, CVQ)

• Quality and relevance of education (global assessment important)

Overview

• Why should we care about skills?

• School matters

• Preparing youth for the labour market

• Improving the link between school

and work

How to close the career gaps?

• Do needs assessment, adjust offerings and enrolment, expand trainee/internships

• Broaden representation on external boards

• Track demand and job performance of graduates

How to close the career gaps?

• Expand access to post-secondary programs

• Enhance collaboration among small countries and regional institutions: CKLN, UWI

• Shift institutional focus towards “drivers of the local economy”

On-the-job training

Low training of work force

Source: Caribbean Investment Climate Assessment, World Bank (2005)

% of firms training workers85%

75%65%

54% 50%41%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

DominicanRepublic

LatinAmerica

Belize Haiti Grenada T&T

Reasons for little training

• Lack of emphasis and systemic approach

• Poaching and small size of firms

• Low recognition and value of training

• Incipient market for private training

How to enhance skills in the labor force

Goal: Establish training programs with standards, financing and

evaluations

Standards: – Adopt regionally accepted standards (e.g. CVQ) – Inform workers and employers of standards (campaign) – Achieve regional recognition of education and training

within CSME to facilitate professional mobility

Finance: – Second chance education programs: 99% publicly

financed– Increase labor unions’ focus on training– Employees: training levy?

Monitoring and evaluation:– Expand successful programs

Conclusion: Analysis points to key challenges

Issue Need Key challenges

Wide spread poverty(still)

Higher access for the poor (quality education for all; second chance programs for youth)

More investment (public and private)

Learning and skills are critical(new knowledge economy)

(i) Improved learning, especially in basic skills

(ii) New “knowledge economy” skills

-Accountability and testing-Teacher training and focus on competencies

Increased specialization(new knowledge economy)

(i) Better linkages with firms

(ii) Lifelong learning

-More collaboration between education levels and within the Caribbean-More employer participation-Qualification frameworks

Suggestions for the way forward

• Improve equitable access to quality education

• Broaden representation on governing boards of education institutions

• Involve private sector more directly in curriculum/ program decisions and require monetary contributions

• Expand use of CVQ and CCSLC

• Increase access to post-secondary education

• Improve monitoring and evaluation of student performance/ participate in global assessment

• Establish programs that address skills issues.