Idionis Pérez

1. FIRST MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP CONFERENCE XVIINTER-AMERICAN MINISTERS OF WORK OF THE OAS Panel 2: Vocational Training, Technical and Technologic Education Idionis Pérez Santo Domingo, R.D. July, 2010

2. Technological and social advances Changes in the relations of production New forms of work organization Participatory approach for the implementation in national policies MEAN CHALLENGES Expanding the supply of Education/ Technical Training Comprehensive Reform of the Education Systems

3. In that order we believe in the following general considerations: • Education is the key for the human potencial development, resource that in turn is sine que non condition for the development of peoples. • Training is an excellent and indispensable instrument for the fight against the poverty. • Particularly, the technical education/ vocational training is an essential support for to improve the productivity-competitiveness. • No agent or settlementcurricular training can only by itself to assume the challenge (and to come out) represented by the training needs for the productive work that characterize the today world.

4. By this reason, the different education systems should evolve conceptual and operatively for created properly arrangements, adjusting and articulating the study plans, in order to contribute more effectively to an individual formation capable to response with success to the challenge of the actual and future times. These Systems should be structure in such way “that its study plans and its programs be oriented, to the development of basics flairs in the students, in the order that it allows to adapt more easily, with specific training, when they decide or see them compelled to change of work, by its own, or because the job functions was changed as result of technological advances”.

5. Latin America and The Caribbean, the countries have travelled in different stages by reforms of its education and vocational training system, in the order to achieve the ambitious goal and guarantee equitable opportunities of training in the lifelong for all and provide the necessary human capital for the social and economical growth. Since 80’s and very particularly in the 90’s, the outlook of professional formation and education, registered deep and important changes. From be a region where the professional formation supply was characterized by public institutions, was evolved gradually to become a region with such variety of offer and financing models.

6. One of the most innovative experiences in the regional level is related to the decentralization process undertaken by the traditional vocational training institutions, in order to better respond the demands of local training and / or sectorial and promote technological innovation and development.

7. Some successes in training strategies in the region • Tripartite management (participation of workers, employers and the state). • Alliances with the productive sectors for reducing the gap between offer and demand for training. • Training processes according to the populations characteristics by diversifying the offer according to them. • Prepare for change and transformation. In vocational training history, VTIs have made great efforts to adapting the demands of work world locally and globally. • Establishment Management Quality System for the training and the service of advisory and technical assistance to the companies.

8. Some opportunities of improvement of the training strategy in the region • Adapt the offer of training with the speed demanded by the production sectors • Achieving real coordination and linkages between sub education systems, allowing the recognition of skills, and graduates from one subsystem to another, so that they can achieve their mobility.

9. Anticipating needs of professional qualifications required for developing sectors • Market and technological research systematic and continuous way. • Identifying direct demands from the productive sectors /companies. Companies need employees with the following characteristics: ability to work in groups, ability to learn new things, planning and organizational skills, good oral and written communication, decision-making ability, management or administration, computer skills and knowledge languages. Besides the technical part of the technological level required1. 1. Research:”Development of Competitiveness and Labor Supply: Supply and Demand for Training in Dominican Republic”, INFOTEP 2008

10. Successful policies to integrate young people into the labor market • To train according to demands of the productive sector, in partnerships with them. There are more guarantees of placement when the training is carried out according to the availability of company employment. • Manage placement services. INFOTEP in agreement with the Labour Ministryadministers the Employment Regional Offices, these offices provide labor market information to trainees, as well as perform the intermediation between offer and demand. • Manage training through apprenticeships and internships. • Participation of employers and workers in training programs.

11. Different mechanisms by which they get involve in the various management scenarios, from corporate governance to the operation and technical management: Board of Directors, Control Committee, Advisory Committees, Technical Committees and Evaluation Commissions. Advisory Committees Made up with entrepreneurs, workers, technicians and business and union leaders, in order to help strengthen links between vocational training and the productive sectors, as well as propose and/or participate in the development of mechanisms ensure alignment between offer and demand for vocational training in the sector they represent.

12. Technical Committees Made up of specialists from one occupational area (employers, workers) in order to assist in the planning, organization and curriculum design. Support the institution in developing and updating training programs taught. Assessment Committees Formed by a group of specialists in a particular occupational area (representatives of employers and workers), which are intended to define and implement the participants, the final evaluation of the curriculum in accordance with established standards.

13. Recommendations of polity for strengthen Vocational Education and Training Services • Increased coverage of services. • Development programs and projects that facilitate the entry of EAP to the labor market. • Linked and coordinated training systems and review the curriculum content for appropriateness according to labor market needs • Development of the labor market information system. • Adjust the different approaches of job training. • Development training with relevance, equity and quality.

14. Development active policies of labor market. • Tax exemptions for companies that provide training for their workers. • Intensive use of ICTs, both in management and in training process. • Strengthen horizontal cooperation among VTIs in regional and subregional levels. • Strengthening principal role of the leading institutions of vocational training. • Put training in the center of state policy.

15. Encourage the expansion of sources of financing of VT, which ensures a greater quality and coverage. Sectoral Cooperation Tables. • Develop policies for establishment a quality management into the training systems. • Strengthen the management of vocational training based on the synergy of the main actors: companies - workers, training centers - community - civil society organizations and community and national and local government. • Stablish appropriate link between curricular coordination and articulation, that allow, among other improvements, validation and recognition of work skills as well as horizontal and vertical mobility of persons subject of training / education.

16. Thank you very much Idionis Pérez Dominican Republic