Capacity Building

The Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA) is an initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Union Development Agency (AUDANEPAD) supported by the German Government and the European Union. SIFA promotes the occupational prospects of young Africans through the support of innovative skills development programmes and close cooperation with the private sector as an integral key stakeholder in the creation of jobs. The initiative consists of two components, a Finance Facility and a Technical Component.

The project works with private-sector partners in the garment industry, logistics, ICT, optometry tourism and construction to make training better oriented to employment, to align on-the-job training experience with industry demands and to further increase private sector participation in technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

Swedish Association on Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) - Launched in February 2015, this fasttrack initiative by the Swedish government is targeted at the quick labour market inclusion of newly arrived immigrants with residency permits and a prior work experience or education connected to a sector in the country facing a labour shortage. The targeted immigrants are offered an initial Swedish language training followed by a profession specific-Swedish language training and eventually an internship in the particular professions or as guidance counsellors and language tutors.

Since 2010, the municipality of Milan has run an innovative employment service, the Centre for Job Orientation and Placement (CELAV), which focuses on empowering residents, including migrants and asylum seekers, to be autonomous and overcome obstacles to labour market participation. Services include increasing beneficiaries’ employability through workshops, CV writing, job placement, facilitation, traineeships for skills development with supporting municipal grants to beneficiaries.

‘Partnerships for development oriented labour migration’ (PAM) aims to implement developmentoriented migration models for training and employment. Strong partnerships between state, private sector, and civil society actors are intended to create added value for the countries of origin of trainees and skilled workers. The structures in the vocational training sector in the partner countries are to be strengthened and the recognition of migrants' qualifications and skills promoted.

Overseas Assessment Program, or the TESDA Onsite Assessment Program: The Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) brings its services to the country where the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are located. Competency assessment and certification services are provided for the confirmation of possession of competencies required in the preferred workplace. Skills trainings are also provided to meet the standards of industries and companies where OFWs can find better opportunities.

The governments of Switzerland and Sweden, in partnership with UNCDF, are supporting the ‘Building Inclusive Digital Economies for Migrants’ programme to bring digital financial services to un- or underserved migrants, to establish digital wage payment solutions, to innovate the remittances market by driving the development of digital transfer solutions and to develop remittance-linked finance products, such as .health insurance, school and education payment plans, savings, investments and loans; pension funds and social security schemes.

MeNTOR (Mediterranean Network for Training Orientation to Regular Migration) is a project that promotes legal migration paths through co-development cooperation projects. In its first phase (2017-2018), MenTOR aimed to improve temporary and circular migration schemes for young people between Italy, Morocco and Tunisia.

Germany – ‘Kosovo Skills Partnership for Mobility’ a BMZ-funded Migration & Diaspora Programme (PMD) strengthens international cooperation and the standards of selected vocations in Kosovo. Through vocational training based on German standards carried out in Kosovo and Germany, young professionals have better employment possibilities in both countries and on return can support the “brain-gain” of Kosovo, making an enhanced use of migration pathways.

Belgium and Tunisia have implemented a skills mobility partnership: Paving the way for future labour migration. This initiative is a multidimensional cooperation framework between different stakeholders from both countries (e.g., immigration office, public employment services, employers’ associations) aimed at assessing labour market needs, streamlining procedures, selecting candidates.