Technical/Vocational

This note provides a diagnostic of issues faced by the pre-tertiary education sector in the areas of schooling, learning, education and labor market earnings, and education spending.Acknowledging the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MOETE) strategy for the sector and the Vision 2030, the note also discusses challenges in six areas: (1) Early childhood education; (2) Teacher policies; (3) Student assessment; (4) TVET/skills development; (5) School autonomy/accountability; and (6) curriculum, ICT, and materials.

This report seeks to highlight the economic importance of unregistered Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India and ascertain their role in the job market. It attempts to summarize the sector’s demand for skilled labor and entrepreneurial skills training.The report opens with an executive summary of key findings and a background explaining the context in which it has been prepared and the research objectives it seeks to fulfil.

The World Bank’s Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Guinea in FY 2014-17 confirmed the Government’s priority to build 21st century skills for improved employability and to implement systemic reforms. Guinea is emerging from years of political and economic isolation and instability. The democratic election of President Alpha Condé has opened the door for the international donor community, including the World Bank, to come forward and support the new government. Its important reform agenda, PREMA, has helped restore the confidence of the international community.

The World Bank’s Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Guinea in FY 2014-17 confirmed the Government’s priority to build 21st century skills for improved employability and to implement systemic reforms. Guinea is emerging from years of political and economic isolation and instability. The democratic election of President Alpha Condé has opened the door for the international donor community, including the World Bank, to come forward and support the new government. Its important reform agenda, PREMA, has helped restore the confidence of the international community.

In Guinea, the quality of human capital is as crucial for economic success as its vast mineral resources. Improving the quality of education, ensuring the creation of a productive labor with high returns, and, above all, encouraging the creation of private enterprises through a favorable business climate are all essential to boosting productivity and skills. Today, traditional civil service opportunities available are insufficient to absorb ever-growing numbers of Guinean graduates.

Occupational gender segregation is a worldwide phenomenon that is frequently cited as one of the contributing factors to the gender gap in earnings. Research by the World Bank’s Africa gender innovation lab (GIL) in Uganda and Ethiopia, studied the factors associated with women entrepreneurs’ decision to start a business in a male-dominated trade. One of the main findings of these studies was that women who choose to operate in a male-dominated trade - or crossover - typically do so with the help of husbands or other male family members who have existing connections in these trades.

This report presents new insights on the availability and demand for skills, drawing on two innovative surveys: a household level survey to measure the supply of skills in the adult population, and an employer survey to measure demand for skills. The key message coming from these two surveys is that there is indeed a significant skills gap in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and that closing this gap will be beneficial to workers, firms, and the economy.

In this note, a relatively small investment in research and evidence can yield lasting impacts onyoung women’s employment and can inform large-scale policies and programs to improve the lives of girls and their communities.We often hear about a looming youth employment crisis in low-income countries. Although governments are spending more than ever before on youth employment programs, these programs rarely target young women explicitly, even though they have lower employment ratesthan young men and face additional socio-cultural barriers.

Firms that provide on-the-job training do so when it is critical to their productivity -- and when productivity is critical to their survival. This paper begins by confirming a significant and positive return from on-the-job training on wages and productivity, as well as the presence of positive externalities from on-the-job training, while discussing the methodological considerations at play.