Constraints and innovation in reforming national training systems - Cross-country comparisons

This article traces the experience of countries reforming their vocational education and training policies and summarizes the lessons learned. It is b ased on a recent joint World Bank-ILO study focussing on the obstacles to i mplementing change in vocational education and training systems in response to changing labor markets and innovative approaches to overcoming these co nstraints in 19 countries worldwide. It tracks the demand-side pressures an d supply-side responses and highlights some critical issues, constraints an d innovations ill the reform of these systems. The main messages from this study are: matching instrument to target group is as important as picking t he best delivery mode; the government's role in facilitating the provision of information (about vocational education and training has been relatively neglected; a vigorous private response has refuted claims of the reluctanc e of private providers to enter the field; and political will, not institut ional capacity, is the main obstacle to comprehensive reform.