7.3.4 Labour market reform: Mainstreaming skills development for the poor

Training for the poor must also be part of a coherent set of active labour market policies. Without concerted government interventions to eliminate key impediments that prevent women, disabled persons and other discriminated groups from gaining equitable access to formal sector jobs, efforts to equalise training entitlements will ultimately fail.

Where massive excess demand exists for post-secondary education, there is a strong primae facia case to de-link training for the poor from formal training institutions and/or provide training in such a way that it does not become subverted by overwhelming credentialist pressures.

Where formal sector employment opportunities are contracting (either in relative or absolute terms), the role of conventional labour market reforms in poverty reduction programmes will be considerably reduced. In particular, even if public education and training provision is made more equitable, the better-off (and particularly males) are likely to increase the level of their human resource investments in order to acquire additional qualifications, mainly at private sector training institutions. In this way, they will manage to keep their positions at or near the front of lengthening job queues. There is little that can be done to stop private employers from escalating entry level recruitment qualifications. But within the public sector itself, it is possible to establish other selection criteria that give preference to under-represented groups, in particular women, minority groups, and the disabled.

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PAPERS 43 Learning to change: Skills development among the economically vulnerable and socially excluded in developing countries Paul Bennell Employment and Training Department International Labour Office Geneva First published 1999 To learn more about this author, visit International Labour Organization's Website.

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