Work-based learning, apprenticeships and recognition of prior learning

Quality apprenticeships based on robust social dialogue and public-private partnerships can improve employment prospects for young people while developing high-level skills identified by employers as necessary for growth and increased productivity. Both informal and regulated apprenticeship systems are important learning resources enabling young people to overcome the work-inexperience trap, gain new and enhanced skills and recognized qualifications. Upgrading informal apprenticeships and expanding regulated ones is a cost-effective way to invest in a country’s skills base, promote economic growth and enhance the employability of youth.

The ILO’s Skills and Employability Branch is working with constituents to upgrade existing informal apprenticeship systems. Apprenticeship systems in the informal economy are widespread and in some African countries account for 90 percent of the national skills provision.

Informal apprenticeship refers to the system by which a young apprentice acquires the skills for a trade or craft in a micro or small enterprise learning and working side by side with an experienced practitioner. Apprentice and master craftsperson conclude a training agreement that is embedded in local norms and traditions of a society. Apprentices learn technical skills and are inducted into a business culture and network which makes it easier for them to find jobs or start businesses when finishing their apprenticeship.

The ILO has conducted country level research to understand what motivates master craftspeople and apprentices to conclude apprenticeship agreements, and how to intervene to improve this training system in the informal economy. In order not to drive out existing good practices while addressing deficiencies, interventions need to build on current practices. A step-by-step approach combining different types of interventions may be required to improve the quality of training, working conditions, skills recognition beyond the local community, financial arrangements, and young women’s access to non-traditional occupations. This approach has been implemented with ILO support in Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Jordan, Niger, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
 

The ILO’s Skills and Employability Branch is working with constituents to upgrade existing informal apprenticeship systems. Apprenticeship systems in the informal economy are widespread and in some African countries account for 90 percent of the national skills provision.

Informal apprenticeship refers to the system by which a young apprentice acquires the skills for a trade or craft in a micro or small enterprise learning and working side by side with an experienced practitioner. Apprentice and master craftsperson conclude a training agreement that is embedded in local norms and traditions of a society. Apprentices learn technical skills and are inducted into a business culture and network which makes it easier for them to find jobs or start businesses when finishing their apprenticeship.

The ILO has conducted country level research to understand what motivates master craftspeople and apprentices to conclude apprenticeship agreements, and to identify ways to improve the system. In order not to drive out existing good practices while addressing deficiencies, interventions need to build on current practices. A step-by-step approach combining different types of interventions may be required to improve the quality of training and of skills acquired, working conditions, skills recognition beyond the local community, financial arrangements, and young women’s access to non-traditional occupations. This approach has been implemented in Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Jordan, Niger, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

In an increasingly globalized economy skills matter. Vocational and technical skills are essential, but employers are seeking applicants with more than these skills. Core employability skills build on and strengthen skills developed through basic and technical education. They enable individuals to constantly acquire and apply new knowledge and skills and are, therefore, critical to lifelong learning. Workers equipped with these skills adjust more quickly to technological change and organizational restructuring. This makes them more likely to find decent employment and more resilient to economic shocks (be it a financial crisis or another turbulence).

Core employability skills should be embedded in all education and training, and are best acquired through learning methodologies that encourage communication, team-work, problem-solving skills among others. Employment services have always provided job search skills. They now increasingly expand their offer to include other core employability skills, aiming to mitigate the lack of this particular skill set among job seekers and graduates.

In the absence of recognized qualifications, a large proportion of people face severe disadvantages in getting decent jobs, migrating to other regions and accessing further education, even though they might have the necessary knowledge and skills. The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process can help these individuals acquire a formal qualification that matches their knowledge and skills, and thereby contribute to improving their employability, mobility, lifelong learning, social inclusion and self-esteem.

This increased prospect for inclusion in the labour market is a win-win situation for all as employers are likewise able to access proof of skilled personnel and better match them with suitable jobs, while also increasing productivity. And governments are further able to have better assurances of increased competitiveness and economic growth, as well as social inclusion and equity.

With an increasing recognition of the learning acquired through formal, non-formal and informal means, many countries have, with the assistance of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other institutions, sought to implement established RPL systems.