HRD IN BRICK COUNTRIES

Chinas approach to skills development projects and programmes China is intensely bilateral in what it seeks to deliver in many countries where it offers aid. China offers a new approach to development with what it calls development-oriented poverty reduction (LGOP, 2003) which is different from other agency thinking with regard to India and sub-Saharan Africa. Chinas analysis of what needs to be done in their poorer provinces involves really massive integrated investments (similar to what the Commission for Africa and the UNs Millennium Project advocate). For China, it is very clear that skills training or education alone is not sufficient; other things need to be done like attracting industries, implementing land reform etc. In other words, the Chinese attitude to poverty reduction is much broader based compared to most development agencies. Cooperation in skills development is, for China, only part of a much broader approach to development assistance. King (this report) provides an illustration of how developing countries are benefiting from Chinese cooperation, and how China is passing some of its experience to other parts of the world. Juwei (this report) reminds agencies and researchers of the necessity for taking an interdisciplinary approach to skills development issues (e.g. demography, economics, history, employment studies, urbanisation studies). A complex analysis of the context of skills development is required in order for agencies and partner countries to design effective skills development policies. Los analysis of the Hong Kong Vocational Training Council (VTC) (this report) illustrates the challenge of what every VTC faces in the world; how to pass from a more solid skill based approach to a more diversified, flexible and open-ended solution to their problems to keep in step with major shifts in industrial and service sector demand. Programs for Skills Development at KOICA Understanding the importance of skills development in Koreas experience, KOICA is implementing a number of programs that share and transfer know-how and knowledge, including: constructing/restoring vocational training centers; training personnel from partner countries; dispatching experts and volunteers to provide and share skills development; and drawing up development studies to identify skill availability and needs in partner countries. KOICA also assists with the construction of IT centers, thus helping to: increase the number of skilledtechnicians; produce IT experts required in IT driven societies; and narrow the digital divide between developed and developing countries. Establish Vocational Training Centers

Koreas performance is partly based on the important role vocational training centers had during Koreas economic development. In this regard, KOICA has assisted with the construction/restoration of vocational training centers in many partner countries. Between 1991- 2005, 40 training centers have been constructed/restored at a cost of c.US$60 million. Assistance strategies include: enhancing the management ability and capacity of an institute by helping with regulatory arrangements as well as establishing legal and operating systems; assistance in hardware components such as the construction of vocational training centers and the provision of equipment are considered follow-up measures. If operating budgets of a center are insufficient, KOICA provides space and equipment to help manage profit incurring businesses. To prevent inefficiency due to the lack of textbooks, KOICA invites instructors for training programs that are designed to enhance the ability of instructors to develop teaching material themselves. KOICA can also dispatch experts to help develop course materials as well to assist and help develop specialized curriculum to help adjust to the rapidly changing industrial environment. To help prevent an excellent instructor from resigning due to low income, KOICA is providing advice that helps manage profit incurring businesses. In addition, KOICA provides training for high-level government officials to deal with this kind of situation. KOICA is introducing Koreas administrative system for vocational centers, especially with regard to the roles and responsibilities of instructors as well as efforts to help students find employment once they have graduated. KOICA also provides instruction on employment and entrepreneurship to assist with efforts by students to be independent. International Training Programme KOICA invites technicians, researchers, and policymakers to Korea for training programs designed to share with them the developmental experience and knowledge necessary for their human resources development and capacity building. Since 1991, KOICA has invited 21,900 personnel from 163 countries for training in Korea. The strategies used in designing these training programmes include: Developing mid- and long-term (35 years) country specific courses which are based on the specific needs of a partner country; Implementing technical assistance courses such as TVET and IT as incountry training programs; Designing courses that consider the skills development needs of a partner country; Designing courses for personnel and instructors engaged in vocational training centers constructed/restored by KOICA as follow-up measures to maintain quality and cooperation networks; Introducing E-learning systems to provide distance learning; Extending the duration of courses that focus on skills development from the current three weeks to one- and two-months.