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6 Human Resources Development Initiatives
Human resources development (HRD) refers to the set of systematic and planned activities (projects, programs) designed to increase the knowledge, skills and capacities of the labour force in order to meet current and future job demands. HRD is an essential part of organizational and national development. It is concerned with the steady enhancement of human capabilities, the generation of knowledge, the ability to assimilate technology, the adequate provision and access to social services - education, health and nutrition, the establishment and/or strengthening of mechanisms for people to participate fully in the development process, the provision of productive and adequately remunerated employment and the elimination/eradication of poverty. In this paper, a narrow perspective of HRD is taken, namely, a focus on education and training and the provision of productive and adequately remunerative jobs. While enhancing the quality of the labour force via education and training, policies must also be put in place to employ such persons. Unemployment must be tackled from both the supply and demand sides. Recent surveys of establishments in selected Caribbean countries point to the shortage of skilled persons in the technical areas [Abt Associates, 1998; Downes, 1999]. In effect, skill shortages and the unemployment of unskilled/semi-skilled persons co-exist in the region.
Several HRD initiatives in the areas of education and training have been introduced by governments and the private sector in the region. These range from curriculum reform, the vocationalization of the secondary school system, skills training programs, incentives for private sector training, special technical and vocational training programs, apprenticeship, entrepreneurial development programs and job placement programs. Many of these programs have been targeted at the youth who have been most severely affected by unemployment.
Early attempts at overcoming the unemployment problem through HRD measures focused
on the incorporation of technical and vocational subjects in the secondary school curriculum. It was argued that the traditional curriculum did not prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed for a technologically dynamic economy. Furthermore, several students were leaving the secondary (and primary) school system with little certification that could signal their productive abilities to employers. The inability of the secondary schools to accommodate all the students graduating from the primary level meant that students left the school system at an early age with little meaningful skills. While primary level education was ‘universal’, secondary level was not. Governments sought to address this problem by expanding the secondary school system and diversifying the primary and secondary school curricula. Comprehensive schools were introduced in the 1950s and 1960s to provide a broader educational base for students who were unable to gain access to the traditional secondary grammar schools. In the Barbados 1960-65 Development Plan, one of the main objectives of the educational program was the development of technical education to contribute to the industrial needs of the country. The secondary school curriculum was expanded to incorporate industrial arts (metal and wood work), home economics and agricultural science. The curriculum of these comprehensive schools was designed to reflect the requirements of an expanding economy, especially in the areas of agricultural and industrial development. The early 1960s saw economic development policy in Barbados focusing on manufacturing development propelled by fiscal incentives, the building of industrial parks and the training of persons in industrial techniques of production.
In Jamaica, technical high schools were established in the 1960s in order to respond to the commercial and industrial sectors’ calls for more trained personnel in the technical and vocational areas. In several traditional and new secondary schools vocational and technical teaching departments were established [see Morris, 1996]. In Trinidad and Tobago, the 1968-1982 Educational Plan provided the major thrust for the development of technical and vocational education. Pre-vocational and even specialized training were offered at the Senior Comprehensive secondary level. These schools were expected to provide students with options from four basic fields of technical education: agriculture, technology, home economics and commercial education.
needed for TVET, and (2) the gradual phasing out of TVET specialization in the secondary schools in tandem with the introduction and implementation of a new general curriculum.
Greater effort will therefore be placed at strengthening the post-secondary provision of TVET services. The secondary school system is expected to provide the basic educational background which is vital to the development of technical and vocational training. In Jamaica, the Government has introduced a Reform of Secondary Education (ROSE) project in which technical and vocational subjects will be taught in a thematic form [see Morris, 1996].
While Governments in the region have sought to increase the labour marketability of school leavers by introducing TVET in the secondary school system, the most significant HRD initiatives have been at the post-secondary level. The Governments have established formal technical and vocational training institutions and a number of specialized skills training programs. The graduates of these institutions meet labour market needs at different levels of the production process: engineer, technologist, master craftsman/technician, multi-skilled craftsman, skilled craftsman, craftsman and apprentice.
Well-established technical and vocational institutes exist in the more developed countries of the Caribbean - Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. In Trinidad and Tobago, the main institutions offering a range of technical and vocational programs have been the San Fernando and John Donaldson Technical Institutes and the Hotel School. These institutions offer a range of craft, technician and service skills and students are certified through national and foreign examinations. In Barbados, the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic and the Community College are the primary institutions providing technical and vocational training. The Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP) offers a range of short managerial and supervisory courses targeted at mid-level managers. In recent years, emphasis has been placed on the training of persons in computing and related areas. These programs for employed persons complement the Government of Barbados’ recent thrust to
infuse information technology into the school system in order to enhance student learning and provide children with the tools and skills to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century [see Cobbe et al, 1998 for a full economic assessment]. A TVET Council has recently been established by the Government to oversee that development of TVET in collaboration with the Barbados Vocational Training Board.
In Jamaica, the College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST) was upgraded to the University of Technology (UTECH) and provides the higher level training in the science and technology areas needed by the Jamaican economy. The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Guyana (UG) also provide degree-level education and training for persons entering higher levels of the occupational ladder. The State Colleges in the Organization of East Caribbean States (OECS) - Antigua, St Lucia - also provide post- secondary level education and training.
Given the shortage of skilled and well-trained personnel in the region, graduates from these special technical and vocational institutes are readily employed in the labour market. Indeed, unemployment rates among skilled technicians and associated professionals tend to be relatively low in the region (for example, under 5 percent in Trinidad and Tobago).
The greatest effort at HRD in the region has been in the area of specialized skills training programs targeted primarily at the youth. All the countries of the regions have some form of skills training program. These initiatives were largely started in the 1980s to deal with the chronic youth employment problem in the region. In Jamaica, the best known program in this area is the Human Employment and Resources Training (HEART) - National Training Agency (NTA) which was established by the Government in 1982 and 1991 respectively [see Knight, 1992]. Prior to 1982 when the HEART agency was formed, several initiatives were taken to provide unemployed youth with skills (National Youth Service, Industrial Training Centres, Youth and Community Training Centres, Youth Camps, Agricultural Skill Training Centres). HEART was established to finance, develop and monitor employment training schemes especially for young people and to assist in the placement of those seeking
orientation. It links training with commercial activities in such areas as painting, woodwork and furniture making, shoemaking and leathercraft, welding and electronics.
Other countries of the region have various forms of skills training programs which seek to provide the young employed with the necessary marketable skills. In recent years, with greater attention being paid to poverty alleviation, the development of human capital - skills training and remedial education - has been viewed as a primary way to help with the problem of poverty and unemployment. In Guyana and Barbados, poverty alleviation programs have important skills training components which help to develop the human capital base of the poor (for example, the Social Impact Amelioration Programme (SIAP) in Guyana and the Pineland Creative Workshop in Barbados). Jamaica has also sought to learn from the experience of other countries with similar skills training programs. For example, in 1996, the HEART/NTA and the National Industrial Training Centre of Brazil (SENAI) joined forces to provide training beyond entry level competence. Programs have been designed to increase the efficiency and productivity of the Jamaican workforce through skills upgrading and other technical assistance interventions.
In order to assist with the entrepreneurial aspects of HRD, some Governments have introduced special funding schemes. For example, in Barbados, a Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES) has been established to assist young persons who are interested in setting up a business. YES assists with the provision of financial and technical assistance and training. The Government of Barbados has also established agencies to provide funds to persons desirous of setting up small businesses.
The final HRD initiative has been in the area of on-the-job training (OJT) Surveys of companies in the region indicate that this is the main form of training taking place within companies in the region. Apprenticeship programs by various skills training agencies also constitute a form of OJT. The HEART/NTA’s School leaving program in Jamaica provides on-the-job training for its participants. The program was in existence for the whole life of
the HEART/NTA.
The national initiatives at HRD put in place to overcome the unemployment problem can be set in a regional context. In 1990, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ministers of Education adopted a regional strategy for TVET as a means of providing the critical skills for economic development in the region. At a Heads of Government conference in 1996, the Prime Ministers discussed the issue of HRD and education in the region. As a result of this discussion a Working Group was established to activate the process of HRD in the region. One important recommendation emanating from the discussions in the Working Group is that occupational preparation should be one of the main elements in the provision of education and training in the Caribbean, starting at the primary level. Emphasis should not only be placed on the numeracy and literacy skills through the school system but also in proper work ethic, career choice, entrepreneurial skills and information about the changing needs of the workplace. With the increasing globalization of markets, the formation of trade blocs, trade liberalization and rapid changes in technology, the competitive advantage of the Caribbean lies in the development of its human resources.
The overview of HRD initiatives in the Caribbean point to a range of programs which have been attempted to meet the needs of the labour market. Emphasis has been placed on the introduction of technical and vocational subjects in the secondary school system and especially on non-formal skills training programs. The key issue therefore is how effective have been these HRD initiatives in overcoming the unemployment problem in the region.
7 An Assessment of HRD Initiatives
The education and training system serves three basic functions: first, the development of the potential of each person in line with his/her aptitude and capability; second, the preparation of persons for the world of work (i.e., new labour market entrants), a nd third, meeting the labour market needs of the economy. Unfortunately, little evaluation of the education and
ó with regards to the vocationalization of the secondary school system several difficulties have emerged - insufficient supply of tools and equipment, scarcity of trained teachers, negative attitude to practical/manual work, low numeracy/literacy skills of students, high failure rate in national and regional exams. ó lack of institutional coordination between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour which is responsible for most of the TVET. This is reflected in problems associated with certification and accreditation.
Although there are other problems associated with the provision of TVET in the region, some programs have met some of the needs of employers; for example, HEART/NTA in Jamaica, YTEPP and SERVOL in Trinidad and Tobago and the Skills Training Program in Barbados. It can be argued that while HRD initiatives have enhanced the quality of the labour force in the region, they have not had a significant impact on the level of unemployment among the youth population. The ‘youth unemployment problem’ still remains in spite of the range of training programs. Knight (1992) has correctly argued that training alone will not resolve the unemployment problem and greater attention needs to be paid to the demand side of the labour market. She notes that “a prerequisite for combating youth unemployment is the existence of macroeconomic policies and programs which have a positive impact on the economy” (p. 43). Given the high level of youth unemployment, HRD initiatives provide the necessary but not sufficient conditions for resolving the problem. Both supply and demand-side policies must be instituted. Persons must be trained with a job in mind, if not the training process is frustrated as young persons are discouraged from entering a training program if they see previous trainees unemployed after some long period.
