Regional Skills Development Study
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Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is an important component of any country’s education strategy. Matching the demand for skills with the supply of those skills is vital to private sector development and economic growth. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (Forum Secretariat) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are collaborating to determine what skills are in demand across all 13 ADB Pacific Developing Member Countries that are also Forum members. These two organisations have entered a Technical Assistant (TA) Agreement to implement a Regional Skills Development Study. Funding is provided through the ADB on a grant basis by the Japan Special Fund. The Forum Secretariat is managing the Study and is guided by a Steering Committee consisting of regional education stakeholders. The Study’s objective is to establish an effective public and private investment in skills development by strengthening vocational and technical education linkages with the labour market. The Study will be consistent with the Forum Secretariat’s “Forum Basic Education Action Plan” and ADB’s “Pacific Education Strategy”. The Study outcomes will be a set of strategies for skills development that are responsive to emerging market demands of both the formal and informal sectors. The Outputs of the TA will be: 1. A literature review of existing written documentation on skills development relevant to the Pacific. The literature findings should emphasize achievements and progress; issues and challenges; and plans and opportunities. 2. Six in-depth country studies of the relationship between skills development and economic development, labour market demand and outward migration for: Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, The Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. These studies have been compiled by a team of international and domestic consultants following extensive research, consultations and country visits. 3. Seven country reports developed by domestic consultants with expertise in skills development and TVET. The country studies are for Cook Islands; Federated States of Micronesia; Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga. 4. A survey of employers identifying areas of skills shortage and employers’ view on the quality of TVET training in their respective country. There is also a survey of skilled employees identifying where they developed their skills and the level of ongoing training which they receive. 5. A synthesis report will be developed based around thematic issues across all 13 country studies. This report will propose policy options for skills development that Pacific Island governments may wish to consider based on an in-depth analysis of issues and alternatives. 6. An integrated, prioritized and costed design for regional skills development and National-level project proposals encompassing pre-employment training, skills upgrading and adult retraining. The Study’s literature review, country reports, survey results, synthesis report and project proposals will be available on this website as they become available. Completed Reports Link to the ADB website |
Regional Skills Development Study