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Supporting the development of comprehensive HRD strategiC Vision in the Enlargement countries

FRAME

Frame skills for the future

Implementation Plan

Work Programme YeaRs

2012 – 2013 - 2014

Project Title

WTB FRAME WP13-10-36

0. Summary

Enlargement Countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo*[1], Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey) preparing for future membership adhere to the Europe 2020 internal policy goals and implementation methods. The countries will have to reinforce reform efforts underpinning a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth agenda and to align progressively with the Copenhagen criteria. Human resources development (HRD) is an important contribution to employment and inclusive, sustainable growth, addressing skills depletion due to high unemployment levels in the region (in particular among youth) and responding to emerging skill shortages or gaps in dynamic sectors, regions and enterprises.

Governments throughout the region have taken measures to adapt their socio-economic policies to address these challenges. In the field of human resource development this includes the review of their education and training systems, promoting links with the labour market and aiming for inclusiveness. It also includes the design and implementation of activation policies to combat unemployment. Finally it pays attention to job creation with a focus on private sector development and SMEs in particular. The countries have been supported in their reform efforts by the European Commission through the IPA Instrument (2007-2013), as well as through the international donor community. Progress has been achieved, however not yet with a large-scale impact.

To prepare for IPA II (2014-2020), the enlargement countries will have to provide inputs to the Commission services for the preparation of the Country Strategy Papers. In these documents, HRD will be a core element, covering the issues of employment, social policies and human resources development.

The ETF project “Supporting the development of comprehensive HRD strategic vision in the Enlargement countries” (FRAME project) will support enlargement countries’ efforts towards the strategic development of their human resources for promoting sustainable economic development and social cohesion in a medium to long term perspective and with particular reference to Europe 2020.

The project is in line with the main documents regulating the relationships between the beneficiary countries and the European Union, namely Accession Partnerships (AP), European Partnerships (EP) and Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAA).

Moreover, the project responds to a specific need underlined within the 2012-2013 Enlargement Strategy Paper, namely the necessity for the EU to continue assisting the countries in tackling the issues of employment and education. More specifically, the project aims at contributing to reduce skills mismatch through a better formulation of a vision for the skills needed in the 2020 perspective. It will encourage countries to consider national targets in the field of education in line with the Europe 2020 approach, and will facilitate the dialogue between the Commission and the enlargement countries on employment and social development. HRD will be considered as a robust pillar for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, based on a specific vision for skills.

The two-year project will aim at:

1. Developing a comprehensive package of methodological instruments (capitalising on existing

practices) that assist countries to (i) develop or review their HRD strategies and policies in

response to broader socio-economic objectives; (ii) assess the extent to which institutional and

functional set ups can sustain effective policy delivery; and (iii) monitor progress in the

effectiveness of these policies. This will include:

·  a foresight methodology for developing a medium to long term commonly shared vision among key stakeholders in relation to the skills that countries need to support (i) sustainable economic development and job creation overall and in strategic sectors; (ii) social and territorial cohesion

·  a methodology for assessing the present institutional arrangements of the countries to develop, implement and monitor policy in the field of human resources development

·  a set of indicators for monitoring policy effectiveness.

2. Building capacity of national actors to use and embed those instruments into their policy making

Practices

3. Contributing to enhance regional cooperation to fulfil the need for integration and joining up of policies at the regional scale.

1.  Background

Enlargement Countries have been supported in their reform efforts by the European Commission through the IPA Instrument (2007-2013), as well as through the international donor community. Progress has been achieved, however not yet with a large-scale impact.

Problems still faced in the area of HRD are the following:

·  The country authorities have recognised the need for policy coherence and have outlined strategic development goals in education, employment and social inclusion in National and Regional Development Plans, in sector policies and programmes and in related strategies. For a timely preparation of the Enlargement countries for 2020, IPA programming 2012 and 2013 is supporting countries’ efforts. This is for example the case in Turkey, Croatia or in Kosovo where the EU is supporting a sector wide approach for human resources. Also Albania is preparing for a sector approach for social development/employment/vocational education and training. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia design VET- and LLL strategies. There is experience in the countries, but not enough for a country/region wide out-reach and capacity set up. This concerns the professionalization of staff as well as financial resources. It applies to public and private institutions and NGOs in education and the world of work.

·  Inter-institutional co-operation for better coordination, monitoring and implementation of the many strategies under development or in place has increased but still needs substantial improvement. Strategic and coordinated approaches between central policy level and regional or local levels are being defined and tested. There are platforms and Councils existing in most of the countries to discuss issues related to education VET policies, job creation, unemployment, or social inclusion but their role and capacity are still limited. Social partners have been involved in developments, at system, regional, sectorial and school level, but not sufficiently. New governance models with clear rules about accountability are being discussed for viable policies at regional and local levels.

·  While capacities of individuals working in the institutions is well developed, the coordination and use of individual capacities for institutional gains is still weak, resulting in lack of trust, and low performance of implementation of strategies and end results. Furthermore the definition of institutional capacities to actively support a strategic development and implementation of policies in the HRD is still to be explored. The analysis of institutional capacities and the development of capacity plans is a mean to support the achievement of strategic objectives and the process to reach them.

·  Evidence base of HRD management and policies results remains weak in the countries in the region. While data and statistics are available in most countries there is still lack of coordination around the definition of agreed indicators and tools for assessment of HRD. The shared agreement around a set of indicators and processes to create, communicate and use evidence for strategic purposes is key to supporting an alignment to the EU and for the country owned development. The monitoring system allows for a support to the policy cycle and for improved transparency, accountability and sustainability of the system. In the region data are often produced under multiple stakeholders and institutions, often not coordinated and overlapping. The process of agreeing on a common and shared set of indicators and a robust monitoring system will impact on the overall sustainability of the system and result in better policy making.

·  Inter-regional dialogue represents an issue for further development considering that there are many structural similarities and shared challenges in the field of HRD among the Western Balkan countries and that their economies are closely interlinked. Cross-country exchanges and mutual learning take place regularly in dedicated forum and thanks to the coordination of regional organisations as the Regional Cooperation Council; however more structured involvement of key stakeholders leading to joint actions at regional level are needed to ensure a regional approach towards HRD.

Enlargement Countries need to ensure a more coherent and evidence-based policy approach concerning human resources development (HRD) and improved institutional and inter-institutional co-operation. Strengthening evidence and capacity for better institutional performance will lead to a better alignment of the education and training system with the needs of the economy and the labour market. All in all, a more strategic approach for developing a vision for HRD, with a specific focus on the skills needed in the period 2014-2020 needs to be adopted. Consequently, a more coherent and strategic approach to pre-accession assistance will also need to be adopted, with interventions tailored to the specific needs of the countries and with the adoption of more results-oriented programmes, linked to clear targets and indicators measuring achievements. Enlargement countries will have to make a greater effort towards the strategic development of their human resources for promoting sustainable economic development and social cohesion with particular reference to Europe 2020; taking also into account the developments regarding the South East Europe Strategy (SEE 2020) and the possible paths for its further evolution in the context of regional cooperation.

The implementation of the sector approach within IPA II will require a future-oriented strategy for HRD. It will also require the involvement of relevant institutions with sufficient capacities and monitoring systems. The ETF project will support the countries in optimising their approach to HRD policies (sector policy/strategy, institutional capacity, sector and donor coordination, sector budget and medium term perspective, performance monitoring system), to enhance the effectiveness of the countries’ own HRD strategies and to better align with the EU2020 strategy. The preliminary results of the project could also provide useful evidence to feed programmes for the period 2014-2020 and to foster policy dialogue between beneficiary countries and the Commission. The need to develop a regional response to the Europe 2020 Strategy will certainly also enhance the dialogue and cooperation among the countries.

The project corresponds to and complements the national policies and strategies in the Western Balkans and Turkey addressing HRD. Major efforts are being made in the region to align the needs of the labour market with the training and skills development. These efforts aim at reducing the mismatch of demand and supply of skills and supporting economic and social development of the countries. All countries have been working on national HRD strategies with more or less success in focusing on skills and in transforming strategies into concrete and forward-looking measures. A key aspect of the problems faced by the countries relates to the capacity of institutions for implementation and inter-institutional cooperation and coordination. While countries recognize the need to strengthen their policies to make HRD a cornerstone for their economic and social development, a shared vision among all stakeholders and institutions as well as the means to implement an effective policy cycle remain a high need.

Coordination with on-going activities at national and regional level will be ensured, so that the project can also benefit from running and existing experiences in the area. In particular, for all components the project team will liaise with bodies such as the World Bank, the OECD and the Regional Cooperation Council. Specific synergies will be sought while defining a monitoring system for HRD and when discussing issues and results at regional level benefitting for example from experiences of the World Bank projects (‘Update on World Bank support to Monitoring and Evaluation frameworks’ and ‘Forthcoming partnership on Inclusive Employment and Social Development’), the South East Europe Investment Committee (SEEIC) and other initiatives that are being consulted.

Cooperation with EU/Commission services: ETF will seek the support of DG ELARG and EU Delegations during the overall project cycle so as to ensure that countries are duly informed and recognise the importance of the exercise which is part of the process towards accession. ETF will also work in close coordination with line DGs (DG EAC and DG EMPL). Main EU documents and principles will be key factors for the development of methodologies that address key issues of the IPA assistance to the countries. Participation in DG ELARG (or others) regional meetings will be sought whenever possible to ensure economies of scale and project visibility.

2.  Overall Objective

Strategic development of enlargement countries’ human resources for promoting sustainable economic development and social cohesion in a medium to long term perspective and with particular reference to the Europe 2020 Strategy.

2.1.  Specific Objective

To strengthen the capacities of national actors in ELARG countries to further develop and embed evidence based policy making and policy implementation through the use of specific methodological instruments throughout the policy cycle, namely elaboration of skills foresight, institutional assessment and monitoring of HRD.

3.  Project Approach

3.1.  Target Countries

Enlargement Countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey)

3.2.  Target Beneficiaries

Please select one or more target countries and beneficiaries from the below lists:

X / European Commission
X / EU Delegation
X / Ministry of Education
X / Ministry of Labour/Employment/Social affairs
X / Ministry of Economy
X / Regional and local authorities
Schools and other training institutions
Teachers and Trainers
X / Social partners
X / Public Employment Services
Business
X / Donor
X / NGOs
X / Other
3.3.  Methodology

The project is composed of 4 components, which will be treated as a unique intervention, as they constitute the building blocks of the sector approach in HRD. The project aims at developing and implementing methodological tools (common for all the beneficiary countries to ensure economy of scale), which will support policy development in ELARG countries starting from the need for more comprehensive and integrated strategies. In particular, the project shall help the countries to define their vision for skills for the period 2014-2020, to delineate capacity development priorities to implement that vision and to create a monitoring system to assess progresses.