At Mott MacDonald we are playing our part in initiatives such as the development of occupational standards and competence-based training programmes and, where appropriate, qualification frameworks which encourage people to progress through recognised training routes and which support lifelong learning.
Even in well-developed economies, and more so in emerging countries, a constant process of enhancing people's skills is crucial in the rapidly evolving global environment of the 21st century. This is particularly so in countries with a very high proportion of young people, many of whom leave school without skills, into a labour market that cannot absorb them all.
Technical and vocational education and training
We're working at national and regional level to improve the governance of technical and vocational education and training, whether through state-owned colleges or private centres, and to involve employers in its design and delivery. At a local level we aspire to link employers more closely with training providers so that the curriculum, teaching and assessment are of an appropriate standard for the workplace.
Labour markets
The labour market is increasingly global, but often the information about it is of very poor quality or non-existent. So we establish new or better labour market information systems, building their capacity to analyse data and making those data available to decision-makers so they influence strategy and implementation. This is likely to involve focusing on market sectors that show potential for long-term growth.
Quality assured qualifications frameworks
We work with government and industry bodies to develop qualifications frameworks that provide learners with qualifications that employers recognise and value. In most developing countries, this involves the contribution of a large, informal employment sector in which young people learn by experience or through traditional apprenticeships.
We work both at national and at local level to develop quality assurance procedures that will ensure that these qualifications are recognised and valued, which in turn means people can move between jobs.
Curriculum development
We help people develop curricula that reflect the competencies that industry needs its workers to have, and techniques for assessing those competencies. We also show the trainers themselves how best to deliver the new programmes and to design related teaching and learning materials.
How we add value
- 500 million employable in India: The Indian Government aims to make 500M people employable and productive by 2022. We're implementing the India-EU Skills Development Project to help the government reach this ambitious target.
- Increasing adult participation in learning: The Turkish Government aims to increase the adult learning participation rate from 2.95 to 8% by 2015. We are managing the Promotion of Lifelong Learning Project to support this objective by strengthening the structures for delivery of non-formal adult learning.
- 200 employers surveyed in Uganda: We surveyed 200 employers to assess skills needed for Uganda’s future workforce. This exercise was part of our support to the reform of Uganda’s lower secondary education curriculum through the CURASSE project.