Formación y capacitación en el sector público

394. One of the major drivers of change, along with technology and trade, is climate change. Sustainable development and the integration of environmental protection into economic and social development objectives has long been an important issue on the national and international policy agenda. Environmental sustainability is an integral part of the ILO’s objective of sustainable enterprise.

395. Within the sustainable development agenda, climate change is now an urgent concern. The level and structure of employment and skill needs in many places worldwide will be affected both by the direct impact of global warming (particularly in agriculture, fishing, tourism and mining) and by the policies adopted at the community, national and international levels to address climate change and its effects (World Resources Institute et al., 2005).

396. Knowledge and awareness of the employment and skills implications of climate change and the related policies are still scarce (Kuhndt and Machiba, 2008). This explains in part why “decisions on climate policies are rarely assessed from the standpoint of employment” (ETUC, 2007, p. 182). The ILO Director-General, in his Report to the ILC in 2007 (ILO, 2007k), highlighted the need to undertake research to identify the scale and nature of the employment transformation that will accompany the shift to more sustainable patterns of production and consumption.

397. Lessons from previous experiences of transition suggest that the transition process needs to be managed in a proactive manner and that steps have to be taken to facilitate the adjustment of labour markets so as to maximize opportunities for new jobs and address potential job losses. Skills development will play a prominent role in this process (ILO, 2007k).

398. Skills development is relevant to both mitigation and adaptation policies:

‰ adaptation policies aim to reduce the negative impact of global warming;

‰ mitigation policies seek to reduce global warming itself by cutting greenhouse gas

emissions and developing a low-carbon economy.

6.3.1. Skills that enhance the capacity of the most vulnerable to adapt

399. Measures to improve the capacity to adapt to the impact of climate change need to be targeted at the most vulnerable social groups and geographical regions. Poor people in developing countries, who are often engaged in agriculture in tropical, semi-arid or arid regions, and people in low-lying areas, tend to be the most severely affected, as their economic activity and location are most climate sensitive (Abramovitz et al., 2002). 400. A fundamental need is for developing countries to be able to monitor climate trends and their impact on local productive activities. For example, the Commission on Agricultural Meteorology of the World Meteorological Organization is helping to strengthen the occupational profile and skills of agricultural meteorology in developing

countries by providing training and advisory services to the agricultural community. These skills are in high demand where changing weather conditions are giving rise to the need for adjustment measures in relation to crops, livestock and forests (Walker, 2005). 401. In agricultural communities, it is therefore necessary to improve knowledge of new technologies, crop selection and diversification, together with the skills to apply this knowledge (Stern, 2007; IPCC, 2007a). The diversification of crop varieties has been introduced in many countries in Africa and in Brazil to broaden farmers’ choices (IPCC, 2007b). Communicating this knowledge through rural communities and enabling farmers to use it to manage their future was discussed in Chapter 4. In agriculture and other negatively affected sectors, governments, the social partners and the TVET system need to develop, devise and implement proactive measures so that workers, enterprises and communities are able to adapt to these far-reaching environmental changes and to the public policies and international agreements formulated to protect the environment. The regional and community response to restrictions on fishing in an area that is dependent on the industry offers an example of the type of institutions that are needed to build the capacity for adaptation (box 6.6).

Box 6.6

Responding to environmental change: Diversification in Spanish fishing communities

According to the European Union, Spain has the 11 regions that are most dependent on the fisheries sector in the entire Community. The potential loss or downsizing of fishing (due to diminishing stocks and environmental protection policies) is driving urgent development and job-creation measures. Diversification includes aquaculture and new non-maritime activities. The target groups are middle-aged and older men who learned their trade through on-the-job experience and who have limited broader education or training, and women seeking to supplement family earnings. The response strategy draws on the commitment of all the stakeholders and institutional assets of the region, for example:

The General Union of Workers, in its response, identified promising employment alternatives to fisheries, depending on the geographical conditions and on the training and preferences of the workers affected, and included retraining among the investments required to develop these alternatives.

Universities and training centres contribute their capacities in the form of technological consultancy, management, awareness raising and specialized training to improve the adaptability of workers.

GUIMATUR is a Galician association composed exclusively of women shellfish gatherers, net makers and repairers, which was created in 2004 as a result of training courses subsidized from European funds. The association disseminates the traditional artisanal maritime culture of southern Galicia, through tourist routes and activities, enabling women to supplement their income during closed seasons or seasonal stoppages. The approach is appreciated for the income generated, as well as for the manner in which it values and protects the cultural heritage of the Galician maritime town involved (Cambados).

The consolidation and implementation of the ideas conceived by fishery workers themselves requires access to technical and financial support from outside the affected communities. The different forums, networks and spaces for the exchange of opinions play a fundamental role in publicizing initiatives and sharing learning about the experiments that are being carried out in other regions or countries, and in learning from the problems and strengths of other initiatives.

6.3.2. Mitigation: Skills and capabilities for “green” jobs

402. A broad range of new and different skills at the vocational, technical and managerial levels are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate the transition to low-carbon economies. Renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies, as well as policies and institutions advocating a shift from carbon-intensive to low- carbon activities are increasing the demand for new and different skills for “green jobs”, while the skills used in so-called “brown” jobs will be in decline (Jochem and Madlener, 2003).

403. Various studies, mainly in industrialized countries, have estimated the potential net employment effect of mitigation policies. 2 _{However, as in the case of technology and}

trade, which are discussed above, if the potential is to be realized, economies require new, diversified and greater skills (ILO, 2007k). These include high-level skills for research and development in new technologies, technical skills related to the installation, operation and maintenance of energy-efficient buildings, and the many core skills required to support the implementation of reforms and changes.

404. Many countries are developing training policies and programmes to meet the “green” skills profile of new or upgraded occupations. In the United States, the Green Jobs Act of 2007 authorizes up to US$120 million a year in funding for the training of workers for jobs in the clean energy sector to design, manufacture, install, operate and maintain a host of innovative renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies. 3

There is also increasing demand for new occupational skills from artisans, architects and construction engineers as a consequence of green or energy-efficient building and rehabilitation in Germany, stimulated by the German Alliance for Work and the Environment, a joint agreement between the Government, employers’ organizations, trade unions and environmental NGOs. Private training providers, universities, chambers of commerce and business organizations, such as regional crafts associations, have responded and developed continuous training programmes (UNEP, 2007).

405. In South Africa, technological catching up in the renewable energy sector has been coordinated with skills development programmes. The Government’s White Paper on Renewable Energy (2003) supports the establishment of renewable energy technologies (solar water heating and biofuels) with the potential to create 35,000 jobs. The Government is designing new occupational skills in agriculture, for example to grow oil- bearing crops for bio-diesel and for solar heating (Visagie and Prasad, 2006). In China, the Government adopted the 2003–10 National Rural Biogas Construction Plan, providing new employment opportunities for many unemployed farmers in rural areas. In order to meet the shortage of technical capacity for the operation and maintenance of the digesters in Shanxi Province, 40 training courses were held and by 2005 over 4,000 people had been awarded the National Biogas Professional Technician Certificate (Kuhndt and Machiba, 2007). Further research continues, not only on skills and markets for biofuels, but also on their long-term environmental costs and benefits.

406. In the waste and recycling sector, competences and social capabilities are needed for the technical mastery and management of the process, as well as to devise new technologies and facilitate the emergence of new generations of designers and product developers who take fully into account the composition of the materials used for the manufacture of products. Skills and competencies of this type are still largely missing in universities and TVET institutions, and in the business and public sectors. Japan has

2 _{See, for example, European Commission, 2005; Apollo Alliance, 2004; Kuhndt and Machiba, 2008.} 3 _{For details, see http://www.worldwatch.org (Oct. 2007).}

placed recycling and the material-cycle society high on the agenda and has developed a national plan which includes capacity building through technical cooperation and support, with a view to developing the relevant systems (Government of Japan, 2005). 407. Improved knowledge of the employment and skills impact of climate change is needed so that governments and the social partners can agree on joint solutions to face the challenges of climate change at the national, industry and company levels. The above examples emphasize that appropriate skills development (so-called green skills for green jobs) can offer proactive support for the creation of new jobs through mitigation and adaptation measures, thereby fostering sustainable development. However, there will also be a growing need to help reskill the workers who are affected and build the capacities of the most vulnerable workers in developing countries so that they can respond more effectively to the local consequences of climatic changes.

408. Supportive policies can at the same time promote sustainable enterprises and sustainable development, as pointed out by Juan Somavia, the Director-General of the ILO, in his foreword to the conclusions of the general discussion concerning the promotion of sustainable enterprises (ILO, 2007e):

Promoting sustainable enterprises is about strengthening the institutions and governance systems which nurture enterprises – strong and efficient markets need strong and effective institutions. It is also about ensuring that human, financial and natural resources are combined equitably and efficiently in order to achieve innovation and enhanced productivity. This calls for new forms of cooperation between government, business, labour and society at large to ensure that the quality of present and future life and employment is maximized whilst safeguarding the sustainability of the planet.

409. In conclusion, this brief overview underlines the value of the efforts made by labour ministries, trade unions and employers’ organizations to integrate skills development issues and strategies into the design of policies on trade, technology and the environment. Coordination with the ministries and agencies responsible for policy design and implementation in these areas is therefore required if national education and skills development systems are to be able to: (1) equip workers, employers and young women and men with the skills required by emerging industries and jobs; and (2) build national capabilities to manage the transition between declining and growing sectors and occupations. Without such measures, the result will be skill gaps, high individual and social adjustment costs, and missed opportunities to boost productivity, accelerate employment growth and expand development.

Main policy orientations arising out of the report

1.

Meet skills demand in terms of

relevance and quality

‰ Increase the capacity of schools, training institutes and enterprises to deliver

relevant and high-quality skills, and to respond to rapidly changing skills needs.

‰ Expand the availability of good quality basic education as an essential right and as

a foundation for vocational training, lifelong learning and employability.

‰ Upgrade informal apprenticeship systems to deliver skills and knowledge as a basis

for higher value added activities and more advanced technologies.

‰ Facilitate recognition of skills for the effective and efficient matching of workers’

skills with skills required in enterprises (irrespective of where the skills were gained).

‰ Promote equal opportunities for women and men in access to relevant and quality

education, vocational training and workplace learning, and to productive and decent work.

‰ Target training and employment services on women and men in disadvantaged

population groups to help them realize their potential for productive work and for contributing to economic and social development.

‰ Improve the capacity of labour market institutions to collect and communicate

reliable and up to date information on skills needs in current labour markets as a basis for better informed choices of stakeholders and career guidance.

‰ Promote social dialogue in training at the enterprise, sectoral and national levels to

improve the relevance of skills training to market needs.

2. Mitigate adjustment costs

‰ Promote the capacity of workers and enterprises adversely affected by technology,

market or climate changes to adapt to the new conditions.

‰ Reduce the risk for women and men of long-term unemployment or

underemployment by updating skills and reskilling workers in a proactive way, in particular by anticipating changes and their implications for skills development.

‰ Extend the availability of affordable training in new skills and occupations as part

of opportunities for lifelong learning with a view to maintaining the employability of workers and the sustainability of enterprises.

‰ Encourage the reintegration of unemployed workers into employment by

‰ Ease the transition between jobs by strengthening social protection measures in

coordination with active labour market policies.

‰ Enhance the capacity of governments and employers to effectively manage the shift

from declining sectors into more competitive activities and sectors.

‰ Promote social dialogue in training for effective adjustment processes.

3. Sustain a dynamic development process

‰ Promote skills development policies as a strategic component of national

development strategies and plans.

‰ Foster the coordination and alignment of basic education, vocational training and

employment services with R&D, industrial, trade, technology and macroeconomic policies.

‰ Build up social capabilities to prepare for new technologies and emerging

opportunities in domestic and global markets.

‰ Facilitate a continuous process of lifelong learning.

‰ Improve the capacity of labour market information systems to create, update and

disseminate information on future skills needs to inform forward-looking skills development policies.

‰ Extend access to good quality training in the informal economy and build systems

to recognize the skills acquired outside formal training in order to assist workers and employers to move into the formal economy.

‰ Develop and maintain institutional arrangements through which ministries,

employers’ and workers’ representatives and training institutions recognize and respond to changing skills needs, in particular due to changes in technologies, trade and climate.

‰ Foster the capacity of local enterprises to absorb new knowledge and skills. ‰ Encourage investment in skills training for new occupations and jobs.

‰ Promote social dialogue in training to build institutional trust, forge social

Suggested points for discussion

1. How can skills development contribute to decent work, productivity and employment growth and what are the key challenges for governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations in this respect?

2. What policies and measures can best support skills development for sustainable enterprise development and productivity at the workplace and along value chains? What is the role of governments and the social partners in promoting these policies and measures and how can the ILO support their efforts?

3. How can governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations ensure that skills development helps to manage global drivers of change, such as technology, trade and climate change?

4. What policies and institutions can best encourage the early identification of skills needs to feed into national and sector development strategies and to ensure workers’ employability? What is the role of governments and the social partners in promoting such policies and institutions and how can the ILO support their efforts? 5. What policies and inter-ministerial coordination measures can best strengthen

linkages between basic education, vocational training, labour market entry and lifelong learning for women and men? What is the role of governments and the social partners in this respect and how can the ILO support their efforts?

6. What are sustainable ways of expanding skills development for people in rural communities, for people in the informal economy as a means of effecting the transition to the formal economy and for other groups with special needs, with a view to helping them to achieve decent and productive work?

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