Strengthen technical and vocational education and training in Bolivia

In early 2016 the Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia approved the National Economic and Social Development Plan (or “National Development Plan”) 2016-2020, which aims to address structural challenges and to build an economic fabric and sustainable production. It also approved the National Strategy to Enhance Productive Development and Social Welfare, including the goal of improving Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to increase productivity in a series of predefined economic sectors and reduce the decent work deficit in Bolivia. In addition, the Avelino Siñani - Elizardo Pérez Education Act (2006), places a special emphasis on TVET, reaffirming the need for training to respond to the productive socio-economic potential of the regions and is aligned with the current and future needs of the national productive sector. The above notwithstanding, the TVET policy still faces two major challenges which this project aims to address: access to practical training with up-to-date content that favors labour insertion in Bolivian companies, and the articulation between training offered, local/regional vocations and employability. The project promotes three broad lines of action. The first one aims to consolidate and establish a Bolivian TVET strategy with three main pillars (production, education and labour) and three cross-cutting axes (gender equality and non-discrimination, fundamental rights at work, and environmental sustainability). This line of action will benefit from the support of ILO, UNESCO and UNIDO. The second line of action is to implement a pilot programme on technical vocational training for the key economic sectors defined in the "National Development Plan", led by the Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo y Economía Plural. This pilot will provide inputs for the elaboration of the national strategy and will serve as an experience of inter-ministerial collaboration. The main objectives of the pilot programme are to increase the employment of men and women and to improve the productive capacity of the different actors in the prioritized productive complexes, though better plans, programmes, curricula and educational contents. In other words, the implementing organization of this Ministry, PROBOLIVIA, will be strengthened on technical vocational training; the skills of micro and small enterprises of three priority production processes will be strengthened, and these competences will be certified; and finally, technological training will be tailored to respond to the productive needs (public and private), leading to the increased employment of which at least 50% should be for women. The third line of action focuses on the institutional strengthening of employers 'and workers' organizations in TVET and is intended to complement the other two lines of action. The Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), the Confederación de Empresarios Privados de Bolivia (CEPB), and their affiliates are the key players of the regional production processes in the country. They will therefore play a key role in supporting the establishment of the national strategy (first line of action) and the achievement of the pilot objective in the key economic sectors defined by the "National Development Plan" (second line of action).

Project symbol

BOL/16/03/RBS

Admin unit

DWT/CO-Lima

Start date

01/10/2017

End date

31/05/2020

Total allocation

932839

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

932839

Development Partners

Core voluntary funds (RBSA)

Country/Countries

Bolivia

Outcomes

Outcome 5: Skills and lifelong learning to facilitate access to and transitions in the labour market