SOLOMON Solomon Islands - World Bankwbgfiles.worldbank.org/documents/hdn/ed/saber/... · Solomon Islands. Next steps Solomon Islands is facing some key challenges in relation to workforce

SOLOMON ISLANDS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2014

SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 1

StatusStrategic FrameworkSolomon Islands is in the midst of developing a set of policies, strategic plans, and frameworks that will enable the education and training system to better respond to the country’s economic and social development goals. These have not yet been operationalized. The activities of Solomon Islands’ ministries and agencies are often fragmented. However, there are signs of increasing coherence and ad-hoc collaboration in the government’s approach to WfD, especially in the development of strategic plans. Other stakeholders are not consistently active in strategic WfD initiatives, some of which may potentially be curtailed by the lack of legal provisions for stakeholder involvement.

System OversightProcedures for allocating funds to education and training providers do not take into account performance or efficiency. The education and training system lacks a national qualifications framework and a process for approval of qualifications and of training providers. Such processes are currently being developed and build on intermittent success in setting standards and competency-based testing in a limited number of occupations. Pathways available for students to pursue vocational education and training are limited, and progression to further study is challenging. There have been no significant system-wide efforts to facilitate the recognition of prior learning or provide a broader set of services for adult education and occupational development.

Service DeliveryA range of non-state providers are active in the training market; however, the number and breadth of these providers is unknown, leaving the government with limited ability to manage the quality of education and training provision. The government does not require any providers (both public and private) to meet implicit or explicit quality standards or performance targets, nor does it provide financial or non-financial incentives for provider performance. Links with industry and opportunities for staff professional development vary across providers. The collection and use of data from providers for managing performance and informing policy development is limited.

Solomon IslandsWORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SABER Country Report

2014



Table of Contents

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................... .............. 2

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... ........... 4

The Findings............................................................................................................................... .................. 5

Next steps ............................................................................................................................... ..................... 5

1. Introduction............................................................................................................................... ................. 10

2. Country Context ............................................................................................................................... .......... 13

Overview............................................................................................................................... ..................... 13

Economic Trends ............................................................................................................................... ........ 13

Demography ............................................................................................................................... ............... 14

Employment ............................................................................................................................... ............... 14

Education and Training.............................................................................................................................. 17

3. Overview of Findings and Implications ...................................................................................................... 34

Overview of the SABER WfD Assessment Results..................................................................................... 34

Policy Implications of the Findings ............................................................................................................ 36

4. Aligning Workforce Development to Key Economic and Social Priorities ................................................. 42

Socioeconomic Aspirations, Priorities, and Reforms................................................................................. 42

SABER WfD Ratings on the Strategic Framework ..................................................................................... 44

5. Governing the System for Workforce Development.................................................................................. 48

Overall Institutional Landscape ................................................................................................................. 48

SABER WfD Ratings on System Oversight ................................................................................................. 51

6. Managing Service Delivery ......................................................................................................................... 55

Overview of the Delivery of Training Services........................................................................................... 55

SABER WfD Ratings on Service Delivery.................................................................................................... 55

Annex 1: Workforce Development Actions for Solomon Islands................................................................... 60

Annex 2: Summary of Key Providers .............................................................................................................. 63

Annex 3: Sustainable Labor Market Information System .............................................................................. 65

Annex 4: Acronyms ............................................................................................................................... ......... 66

Annex 5: The SABER WfD Analytical Framework........................................................................................... 68

Annex 6: Rubrics for Scoring the SABER WfD Data........................................................................................ 69

Annex 7: References and Informants............................................................................................................. 78

Annex 8: SABER WfD Scores .......................................................................................................................... 82

Annex 9: Authorship and Acknowledgements............................................................................................... 83



Executive Summary

Solomon Islands is a lower middle income countrythat has achieved considerable gains indevelopment and macroeconomic stability in recentyears. Since the end of the conflict in 2003, rapidgrowth recovery has been driven by an influx of aidand a logging boom.

However, economic growth has not kept up withthe high population growth rate of 2.1 percentannually,1 and revenues – including from naturalresources – have not been distributed evenlyamong Solomon Islanders. New challenges includeuncertainty in future aid and the expectedexhaustion of the logging stocks on which SolomonIslands has relied for government revenue, exports,and employment.

Formal public and private sector growth in SolomonIslands will not be sufficient to provideopportunities for the roughly 10,000 new entrantsto the labor force each year, making informal sectoropportunities and productivity vital.2 This presentsan important social problem, as low absorption ofschool leavers into formal employment was animportant factor in civil unrest in 1999 2003 and2006.

Solomon Islands’ youth bulge is a majorconsideration in employment policy andexpenditure. Given limited formal employment, andto an even greater extent than other Pacific Islandcountries, education and employment systems thatsupport opportunities in the transition fromsubsistence agriculture to livelihoods will beimportant for the majority of Solomon Islanders.Education and training systems need to prepareSolomon Islanders for the job opportunities whichare available in formal and informal business, and at

1 World Bank, 2012.2 World Bank, 2010.

home and overseas. Solomon Islands could benefitmuch more from employment opportunities inlabor mobility, as while Tonga and Samoa regularlygain over 30 percent of gross domestic product(GDP) from overseas remittances, Solomon Islandsgains only 0.3 percent.

Furthermore, while levels of education expenditure(at 20 to 25 percent of budget) is consistent withboth recognized international good practice oneducation expenditure and levels in other PacificIsland countries, budget allocations are significantlyskewed to a small minority of students in tertiaryeducation. Tertiary education spending also facesconsiderable efficiency problems and lack ofincentives for improved performance. Educationand training expenditure does not adequatelybenefit the majority of Solomon Islanders. Mostnotably, despite an estimated 80 percent of thepopulation being functionally illiterate, SolomonIslands is one of the eight lowest funders of adultliteracy in the world.

In response to these challenges, Solomon Islandshas embarked on a set of important strategicinitiatives to create a favorable environment foraddressing the importance of skills to economic andhuman development including (i) the developmentof a National Qualifications Framework (NQF), (ii)reform of tertiary education and training, and (iii)the creation of coordinating bodies to better linkeducation and training to the labor market.

Solomon Islands has undertaken a comprehensiveassessment of the strength of its workforcedevelopment (WfD) policies and institutions tosupport these initiatives and enhance evidencebased dialogue on their implementation. Thisassessment has been based on the World Bank’sSystems Approach for Better Education Results(SABER) systems benchmarking initiative, underwhich a suite of analytical tools have been



developed for important education subsectors,including WfD.

The Findings

Solomon Islands is rated at the Emerging level3 forthe Strategic Framework dimension, achieving itshighest score across the three dimensions. SolomonIslands has a number of recently developed policies,strategic plans, and frameworks. To date, practicalimplementation of these has been limited, andgovernment coordination to implement strategiesstill requires strengthening. Useful analysis isavailable on workforce development (WfD)constraints, and recent initiatives like the NationalHuman Resource Development and Training Plan(NHRDTP) have started to define formal roles andresponsibilities for government entities. Astrengthened WfD strategy and its effectiveimplementation require stronger politicalleadership, consistent engagement by policy makerson agreed coordination mechanisms, and increasedparticipation and advocacy by employers ontraining needs and standards.

The System Oversight dimension is rated as Latent.The rating is based on the fact that (i) no keyprocesses are currently in place for the qualityassurance of qualifications within the education andtraining system; and (ii) the several subsectors oftertiary education and training are disconnected,resulting in limited opportunities for those trying toprogress through the system. There is stronggovernment support for tertiary education andtraining, but relative to the size of the population,the number of places available at tertiaryinstitutions is limited. Scholarship processes are ofvarying credibility, but are the subject of policyreform during 2014. In the absence of consolidatedinformation from schools on administration and

3 Please refer to Figure 2 on page 12 for a summary of the levels in theSABER WfD scoring rubric, and Annex 6 for a full description of therating criteria for each policy goal assessed.

funding usage, the system is currently not able toeffectively manage resources to promote efficiencyin public expenditure on education and training.Development of a Solomon Islands QualificationsFramework (SIQF) will be important forstrengthening system oversight.

The Service Delivery dimension is rated asEmerging. There are a range of formal and nonformal non state providers active in the trainingmarket across Solomon Islands’ provinces,responding to strong demand for training from alarge youth population. The government does notrequire any providers, state or non state, to meetimplicit or explicit quality standards or performancetargets, nor does it provide financial or nonfinancial incentives for provider performance. Thereis no consolidated administrative data fromeducation and training providers for the analysis ofprovider performance and system trends or toinform policy. Sources of data on labor marketoutcomes are limited to a few ad hoc skills relatedsurveys or studies. Finally, there is no consolidatedinformation on the nature, extent, and quality ofprovision in the tertiary education sector in theSolomon Islands.

Next steps

Solomon Islands is facing some key challenges inrelation to workforce development. Based on theSABER WfD assessment, there are some areasrequiring priority attention, which Solomon Islandsgovernment agencies, employers, and trainingproviders can prioritize to implement programs forbetter employment outcomes:

1. Solomon Islands’ leaders need to define theskills required for participatory economicdevelopment

An emergent priority for realizing implementation isstrong leadership from political leaders to enableaction to be taken and coordinated. The SABER



analysis of Solomon Islands’ WfD system shows thatpublic servants and individuals from education,training providers, and industry are taking the leadin WfD, and not political leaders. SABER WfD resultsfrom advanced countries show that sustainedsystem improvement is almost impossible withoutclearly articulated strategic priorities from thecountry’s political leadership. Officers at thetechnical level can submit for Cabinet approvalbudgeted NHRDTP policy commitments andresource requirements for priority implementation.However, ownership and active support frompolitical leaders will be essential to sustain progressmade under employment initiatives andovercoming institutional barriers toimplementation. In the medium term, day to dayresponsibility for coordination in implementing WfDpolicy can be a shared priority of the newly formedNational Human Resource Development TrainingCouncil (NHRDTC) and the proposed SolomonIslands Tertiary Education Commission (SITEC).Advice and briefings from technical officers cansupport political leaders to drive employmentinitiatives and overcome institutional barriers.

2. Policy makers need to sustain coordinationand regularly participate in agreed meetings

Solomon Islands has multiple policies, plans, andstrategies in place that have not seen practicalimplementation. A key constraint has been theability to sustain coordinated participation inagreed meetings across policy makers in keyagencies. Regular and empowered participation inmeetings to define skills policies and programallocations is needed. This needs to be supported bytimelines and secretariat resources from centralcoordinating agencies such as the Ministry ofDevelopment Planning and Aid Coordination(MDPAC) and the NHRDTC. A consistent linkbetween coordinating functions such as theNHRDTC and budget allocations (includingDevelopment Budget, Tertiary Education funding,

and possibly Constituency Funds) will both helpmaintain participation and make full use of theimportant opportunity for coordination.

3. Employers need to participate at the strategyand governance levels of the WfD system toguide education and training policy andstandards

Strengthened coordination among the governmentagencies, employer groups, and training providersmaking up Solomon Islands’ WfD system is vital forestablishing pathways leading Solomon Islanders toemployment either domestically or internationally.Stronger engagement by industry, including throughemployer associations, is needed to drive WfDstrategy and a demand driven approach toeducation and training provision. Practically, thisrequires active participation and representation byemployer groups, such as the Chamber ofCommerce and Industry, in coordination structuressuch as the NHRDTC, and in the future the SITECand the Solomon Islands Qualifications Authority(SIQA). In addition, employers in specific industrysectors need to lead the development ofcompetency standards to form the basis ofqualifications under the SIQF.

4. Policy makers should develop a strategy tosupport the informal economy including skillsdevelopment for livelihoods

Given that many Solomon Islanders will make theirliving in the informal economy, it cannot be left outof a comprehensive WfD strategy. Evidence fromother countries shows that the informal economyhas proven effective in creating jobs, absorbing newlabor market entrants, and fostering entrepreneurs,and often offers a better standard of living thansubsistence farming and fishing.4 At present, there

4 World Bank, 2012. Improving Skills Development in the InformalSector: Strategies for Sub Saharan Africa.



is little information available on the activity ofinformal businesses, what types of people theyemploy, and the barriers they face in growing andtransitioning to formality. How these firms rely onthe formal education and training system is also notwell understood. A first step to improvingproductivity and incomes in the informal economyis to better understand the characteristics ofinformal businesses and the constraints that theyface, and identify key strategies and programs tosupport the informal economy, including skillsbuilding for livelihoods. The Ministry of Commerce,Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI) could takethe lead in developing this strategy and keyprograms within NHRDTC.

5. Build stronger pathways connecting the preemployment education and training system,including recognition of prior learning (RPL) asa key component in the SIQF

Within the tertiary education and training sector,there is considerable disconnect between the nonformal, TVET and higher education subsectors. Inaddition, pathways through informal or formalmeans are limited as there is little opportunity forRPL or second chance opportunities to gain skills.Increased coordination between relevant ministriesand agencies and training providers should helpalleviate these issues. Work has recently beenundertaken to develop an NQF and associatedquality assurance arrangements. Until it isestablished, pathways between institutions andprocedures for RPL will remain limited. Mechanismsfor RPL can be integrated into current work beingundertaken by the Ministry of Education andHuman Resource Development (MEHRD) withAustralian support to develop the SIQF andaccompanying legislation. The SIQF should defineand emphasize the key role of RPL.

Skills development for informal livelihoods needs tobe included in the WfD strategy and resourcing, due

to their relevance to the majority of SolomonIslanders. Recognition of prior or informal learning(adult literacy and livelihoods training), remedialeducation, and expanded support to communitybased training are priorities that can increase accessto employment and recognized education andtraining credentials for the majority of thepopulation. MEHRD, and in the medium term theproposed SITEC and SIQA, should be responsible for(i) working with training providers (formal andinformal) to identify and take action on priorities toimprove access to employment, such as certificaterecognition, information sharing betweeninstitutions, and development of joint programs;and (ii) providing multiple exit points withinqualifications (e.g., embed lower level qualificationsin higher level qualifications through modularcurriculum).

6. Include robust quality standards in the SIQF toensure Solomon Islands qualifications arevalued.

Quality matters if qualifications are to have anyvalue to trainees, or if employers are to investresources or time in the WfD system. A two stepprocess of registration of providers is suggested sothat all interested providers can be listed with theregulator and supported with resources fromgovernment, development partners, and employersto develop capacity to meet the full qualitystandards. Providers such as Vocational RuralTraining Centers (VRTCs) will require resources forcapacity development to meet quality standardsover time. Measures to support compliance withquality standards will be required, including throughincentive based allocation of funds (as perRecommendation 7). Integration of robust qualitystandards in the SIQF will require training providersto engage with employers to ensure that educationand training programs are current and appropriate.



7. Introduce basic incentive and efficiencymeasures for tertiary education and trainingfunding

Resources are a constraint to supplying an adequatelevel of education and training. It is essential thatsuch limited resources for tertiary education andtraining are used increasingly efficiently.Development of the SIQF alone will be insufficientto improve the quantity and quality of educationand training delivered.

Tertiary education and training providers needincentive based funding. MEHRD’s TertiaryEducation Division, and in the medium term SITECcould develop—or seek technical advice todevelop—proposals for new funding arrangementsbased on evidence of employment needs andstudent performance. This could include a baselevel of regular funding with the addition of grantsbased on performance against key criteria such asenrollment, completion, and employmentoutcomes. Given the current limited supply oftrainers, private training provision provides animportant opportunity to expand and broadentraining to meet the significant demand. However,private training provision needs to be regulated,recognized, and encouraged through similarincentive based programs.

More equitable funding will not be realized untilfiscal management of tertiary scholarships isimproved. At present, such scholarships (almost allof which are for higher education qualifications—i.e., degree level and above) take up a largeproportion of the budget envelope. The proposedEducation Act includes rationalization ofscholarships to realistic employment needs andmerit based selection, greater control measures onexpenditure, and an additional focus on TVETscholarships.

The government also needs to consider how toaddress identified funding gaps, particularly forcontinuing vocational education, employmentservices programs, and VRTCs, which currently haveto rely on other sources of income, such as studentfees and sale of products, to be self sustaining,despite being provided with some financial supportfrom the government. Drawing on existing analysisand recommendations and potentially additionaltechnical advice, responsibility for proposing newfunding arrangements for efficiency andincentivizing quality would sit with MEHRD and inthe medium term with the proposed SITEC.

8. Invest in the capacity to measure education andtraining performance and jobs demand

The current accountability systems are weak; thereis no consolidation of education and training data toanalyze provider performance and system trends orto inform policy. Better administrative data couldinclude enrollments, completion rates, studentsatisfaction, and employment outcome data. Withbetter quality education and training datacollection, relevant agencies would be able tostrengthen the management, oversight, and qualityof training delivery and have the ability to introduceperformance based funding mechanisms.

It is critical to address the general lack of labormarket data. A practical and sustainable labormarket information system needs to be establishedto regularly provide information on labor marketdemand to government, training providers, jobseekers, and employers. The MDPAC and MCILIhave prepared initial steps to allocate staff positionsor recruit national consultants, supported by theDevelopment Budget, to undertake this datacoordination role. Implementing procedures tomeasure the performance of tertiary education andtraining providers can be undertaken as part of thecurrent MEHRD and development partnerstrengthening of Solomon Islands’ Education



Management Information System (SIEMIS). In themedium to long term, the accountability measuresof education and training performance will rest withthe proposed future SITEC.

A summary of the WfD actions for Solomon Islandsis included in Annex 1.



1. Introduction

The Government of Solomon Islands and itsdevelopment partners place a high priority onpublic investment in skills formation. Almost aquarter of the annual government budget is spenton education and training, supplemented bysignificant donor and civil society investment. Yetthere is concern about the results of this importantinvestment. While primary school enrollment ishigh, estimated rates of functional literacy are low,even among those completing Grade 6. Moreover,while there is high youth unemployment andinactivity, employers report difficulties in recruitingsuitably skilled employees. This skills shortageconstrains employers from growing their businessesor employing more young Solomon Islanders.

In response to these challenges, Solomon Islandshas embarked on a set of important new initiatives,including (i) the development of a NationalQualifications Framework (NQF), (ii) reform oftertiary education and training, and (iii) the creationof coordinating bodies to better link education andtraining to the labor market.

To inform policy dialogue on these importantissues, this report presents a comprehensivediagnostic of the country’s WfD policies andinstitutions. The results are based on a new WorldBank tool designed for this purpose. Known asSABER WfD, the tool is part of the World Bank’sinitiative on Systems Approach for Better EducationResults (SABER),5 which aims to provide systematicdocumentation and assessment of the policy andinstitutional factors that influence the performanceof education and training systems. The SABER WfDtool encompasses initial, continuing, and targetedvocational education and training that are offeredthrough multiple channels, and focuses largely on

5 For details on SABER see http://www.worldbank.org/education/saber;for acronyms used in this report, see Annex 4.

programs at the secondary and post secondarylevels.

In Solomon Islands, the SABER WfD tool wasimplemented in close consultation with key WfDstakeholders, who provided and vetted theinformation used for the analysis. Previousassessments—several of which were donorcommissioned and/or not widely disseminated orconsulted on—laid a solid information base anddisplayed valuable analysis (see Table 4, page 47 fora list of these assessments). Building on theseassessments, SABER WfD data collection effortsprovided a forum for systematic and broad baseddiscussions about the state of WfD policies andinstitutions with Solomon Islanders active in thesector. Both the process of carrying out the SABERWfD assessment and this report are intended tostrengthen the existing deliberative processes onthe major system reforms.

The tool is based on an analytical framework6 thatidentifies three functional dimensions of WfDpolicies and institutions:

(1) Strategic framework, which refers to thepraxis of high level advocacy, partnership,and coordination, typically acrosstraditional sectoral boundaries, in relationto the objective of aligning WfD in criticalareas to priorities for nationaldevelopment;

(2) System Oversight, which refers to thearrangements governing funding, qualityassurance, and learning pathways thatshape the incentives and informationsignals affecting the choices of individuals,employers, training providers, and otherstakeholders; and

6 For an explanation of the SABER WfD framework see Tan et al 2013.



(3) Service Delivery, which refers to thediversity, organization, and management oftraining provision, both state and non state,that deliver results on the ground byenabling individuals to acquire market andjob relevant skills.

Taken together, these three dimensions allow forsystematic analysis of the functioning of a WfDsystem as a whole. The focus in the SABER WfDframework is on the institutional structures and

practices of public policymaking and what theyreveal about capacity in the system toconceptualize, design, coordinate, and implementpolicies in order to achieve results on the ground.

Each dimension is composed of three Policy Goalsthat correspond to important functional aspects ofWfD systems (see Figure 1). Policy Goals are furtherbroken down into discrete Policy Actions and Topicsthat reveal more detail about the system.7

7 See Annex 5 for an overview of the structure of the framework.

Figure 1: Functional Dimensions and Policy Goals in the SABER WfD Framework

Source: Tan et al 2013



Implementing the Analysis

Information for the analysis is gathered using astructured SABER WfD Data Collection Instrument(DCI). The instrument is designed to collect, to theextent possible, facts rather than opinions aboutWfD policies and institutions. For each Topic, theDCI poses a set of multiple choice questions whichare answered based on documentary evidence andinterviews with knowledgeable informants. Theanswers allow each Topic to be scored on a fourpoint scale against standardized rubrics based onavailable knowledge on global good practice (See

Figure 2).8 Topic scores are averaged to producePolicy Goal scores, which are then aggregated intodimension scores.9 The results are finalizedfollowing validation by the relevant nationalcounterparts, including the informants themselves.

The rest of this report summarizes the key findingsof the SABER WfD assessment and also presents thedetailed results for each of the three functionaldimensions. To put the results into context, thereport begins below with a brief profile of thecountry’s socioeconomic makeup.

8 See Annex 6 for the rubrics used to score the data. As in othercountries, the data are gathered by a national principal investigator andhis or her team, based on the sources indicated in Annex 7, and theyare scored by the World Bank’s SABER WfD team. See Annex 8 for thedetailed scores and Annex 9 for a list of those involved in datagathering, scoring and validation, and report writing.9 Since the composite scores are averages of the underlying scores, theyare rarely whole numbers. For a given composite score, X, theconversion to the categorical rating shown on the cover is based on thefollowing rule: 1.00 X 1.75 converts to “Latent”; 1.75 < X 2.50,to “Emerging”; 2.50 < X 3.25, to “Established”; and 3.25 < X 4.00,to “Advanced.”

Figure 2: SABER WfD Scoring Rubrics

Source: Tan et al 2013.



2. Country Context

Overview

Solomon Islands, situated in the south west PacificOcean, is a lower middle income country that hasbeen an independent parliamentary democracysince 1978. In the late 1990s, Solomon Islandssuffered significant civil unrest, marked by ethnictension, which erupted into open confrontations in1998 between two militant forces. Stabilizationstrategies included the government signing theTownsville Peace Agreement with the two militiagroups in October 2000 and the establishment of aRegional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islandsin 2003 to help restore peace and order. Additionalperiods of unrest have occurred in 2006 and 2010.

The conflicts have had significant economic andhuman costs. A 2004 survey of Honiara marketplaces found that around 73 percent of respondentshad experienced direct personal trauma from theimpacts of the tensions. Unknown numbers ofpeople died during the conflict, at least 35,000people were displaced, and the disruption toeducation and health services resulted in a range ofadverse human development outcomes (including a20 percent increase in malaria cases in 2000–2002,in contrast to an 80 percent reduction over 1995–1999).10

Beyond the human and social costs of theseconflicts, the periods of unrest have had significanteconomic consequences. From 1998 through 2002,GDP decreased by an estimated 24 percent, whilemerchandise exports fell by an average of 19percent per year between 1999 and 2002. Morethan 8,000 jobs were lost due to the closure ofbusinesses, which had been a significant source ofemployment opportunities in the formal sector.11

10 UNICEF, 2005.11 Department of Foreign Affairs East Asia Analytic Unit, 2004.

While new businesses are now entering SolomonIslands, they have not done so in the numberspresent before the conflict. Institutions that hadtraditionally channeled employer input to policymakers and had provided training opportunities toSolomon Islanders have also yet to re emerge.

Economic Trends

Solomon Islands has achieved considerable gains indevelopment and macroeconomic stability in recentyears. Since the end of conflict in 2003, rapidgrowth recovery has been driven by an influx of aidand a logging boom. Living standards today aremuch better than a decade ago, although still lowerand more unequal than prior to the tensions.

Despite strong growth in certain areas in recentyears, Solomon Islands currently faces some seriouseconomic challenges. Growth driven by extractiveindustries in the last decade has been narrowlybased, boosting GDP, exports, and tax payments,but offering economic opportunities to only a smallproportion of the population. Reliance on naturalresources and smallholder agriculture leaves theeconomy dependent on ongoing resourceavailability and vulnerable to volatility in globalprices and external and internal shocks. Sustainedexternal financing over the long term will remainimportant.

New economic challenges include the impendingexhaustion of the logging stocks on which SolomonIslands has relied for government revenue, exports,and employment. Growth has slowed in recentyears, with the recent Honiara floods expected tohave a significant negative impact on output,reducing growth to 0.1 percent in 2014.12 Lendingto the private sector has stagnated, foreigninvestment is expected to decline, and revenuegrowth has also slowed. International aid, a key

12 IMF, 2014.



feature of growth following the tensions, is likely toflat line at current levels. As a result, fiscalexpansion of the last decade is likely to come to ahalt, with new spending programs being limited.Figure 4 outlines expected real growth for 2013 and2014.

Figure 4: Real growth expected in 2013 and 2014

Demography

Solomon Islands’ population in the 2009 Census was515,870, of which 102,030 were urban and 413,840rural. The share of people aged 15 29 years oldnationally is 45 percent, and in Honiara it is 52percent. The population in the youngest age group(0 4) is almost double that of the 25 29 age group.Accordingly, by 2020, Solomon Islands faces anincrease of over 100 percent in the population aged15 25 years old. This is the largest youth bulge ofany Pacific Island country.

Solomon Islands’ youth bulge is a majorconsideration in education and employmentpolicies and in expenditure decisions. It also placesdemands on service delivery and on employmentgeneration. Figure 5 outlines the projecteddemographic projections for 18 to 30 year olds inthe Solomon Islands, and also makes a comparisonwith other Pacific Island countries for the projectedpopulation increase for 15 to 25 year olds by 2020.

Figure 5: Demography projections and Pacific comparison

Source: Solomon Islands 2009 Population and Housing Census, 2013



Figure 6: Employment by Wealth Quintile

Source: World Bank, 2013

Employment

Pacific Island countries face overlappingemployment challenges. Space and distance arebarriers to larger scale development of services andmanufacturing industries. Natural resourcerevenues are uneven and unsustainable, benefitingenclaves of Pacific economies but not yieldingbroad based employment. Rapid populationgrowth, rapid urbanization, exhaustion oftraditional subsistence resources, climate change,and—in the case of Solomon Islands—post conflictbarriers and barriers to labor mobility (see Box 1),make employment generation both challenging andpressing in the development choices of PacificIsland countries.13

To an even greater extent than other Pacific Islandcountries, subsistence agriculture is the mostcommon economic activity in Solomon Islands,followed by informal employment, and then by

employment in the small formal sector. From ananalysis of 2009 census results, of a total workforceof 208,118 people, 43,505 (20.9 percent) were inthe formal workforce; 77,763 (37.4 percent) were inthe informal economy; and 86,850 (41.7 percent)were in the subsistence economy. Within the formalsector, 15,126 positions (34.8 percent) were in

13 World Bank, 2014.

government, and 28,379 (65.2 percent) were in theprivate sector (such as employment in small tomedium sized firms and self employment inregistered businesses). Figure 6 provides anoverview of employment by wealth quintile,illustrating the predominance of agriculture sectorengagement. Figure 7 provides an outline of formalemployment levels since 2007.

The most important source of household incomerecorded in the 2009 census was the sale of fish,crops, and/or handicrafts, with 45 percent of allhouseholds stating this as their main source ofincome. Nationally, only 14 percent of householdsdo not produce any crops for sale, and 93 percentof rural households have some cash income fromthe sale of crops.14 The transition from subsistenceagriculture to selling goods for profit is thereforethe most important skill and employment transitionfor the majority of Solomon Islanders.

Wages and salaried jobs were only the second mostimportant source of household income nationally,and are predominantly located in urban areas. Theformal sector will likely not be able to absorb thelarge number of youths leaving school in the comingyears. There are roughly 10,000 new entrants to the

14 Solomon Islands 2009 Population and Housing Census: Report onEconomic Activity and Labour Force, Solomon Islands Government,Honiara, 2013, p. 14.

Figure 7: Formal employment

Source: Central Bank of Solomon Islands, Ministry of Finance & Treasury, 2013



labor force each year. Simply maintaining thecurrent employment to population ratio willrequire the creation of over 2,000 formal jobs everyyear, an increase of 5 percent per year of thecurrent formally employed workforce. While publicsector growth (a large portion of which was due toan increase in the teacher corps) was an importantcontributor to formal jobs growth in the decadeleading up to 2009, the lack of any furthersignificant increase in government revenues willlimit the extent to which the government canfurther contribute to increased employment. Thispresents an important social problem, as lowabsorption of school leavers into formalemployment was an important factor in the civilunrest in 1999 2003 and 2006, and makes thecreation of productive informal sector opportunitiesvital.15

Box 1: Looking Ahead: Where Will Future Jobs ComeFrom?

Predicting areas of job growth to satisfy the rapidlygrowing Solomon Islands population is not easy. Growthin the last decade has come from expanded publicservices supported by recovering public revenues andincreased aid resources, with the largest growth being inthe number of teachers. But these sources of jobs arenot expected to grow in the coming years. Informallivelihoods participation has expanded in the pastdecade during post conflict recovery and urbanization,and the transition from subsistence income to sellinggoods for profit is likely to form the main economicopportunity for the majority of Solomon Islanders.Natural resource sectors such as mining and logginghave contributed to grow, but will not be significantemployers without initiatives to expand theemployment and economic participation of suchventures. Catching up with other Pacific Island states totake better advantage of labor mobility will be animportant opportunity for Solomon Islands (see Box 2:‘Looking Overseas’).

15 World Bank, Solomon Islands Growth Prospects, 2010.

Twenty two percent of households receive someincome from remittances, but with wide provincialvariation. The majority of these remittances arefrom internal migration rather than internationallabor migration. Labor migration abroad is anunder exploited opportunity in Solomon Islands,which lags behind other Pacific Island countriessuch as Tonga and Samoa in accessing benefits suchas international remittance income (see Box 2).16

16 Solomon Islands 2009 Population and Housing Census: Census Reporton Economic Activity and Labour Force, Solomon Islands Government,Honiara, 2013, p. 27.

Box 2: Looking Overseas: Workforce Development forOpportunities Abroad

Solomon Islands could gain substantial benefits fromlabor mobility. While countries like Tonga or Samoaregularly gain 30 percent of GDP from overseasremittances, Solomon Islands only gains 0.3 percent.There are 10 times more Samoans working in Australiathan Solomon Islanders, despite a smaller globalpopulation. Several Pacific Island countries such asTonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu have benefitedsignificantly from the Regional Seasonal EmploymentScheme in New Zealand and the more recent SeasonalWorkers Program in Australia. Solomon Islands is a latestarter to these schemes, and while numbers accessingwork on New Zealand farms have increased, SolomonIslanders currently form only 2.9 percent of Australianscheme participants. Solomon Islands’ private sectormodel for labor sending struggles to compete withother Pacific Island countries, which benefit fromcoordinated government labor sending functions.Solomon Islands needs a coordinated strategy,networks in labor receiving countries such as Australia,and stronger sending capacity so as to enhanceSolomon Islanders’ access to these opportunities.Market sectors including hospitality, health, and agedcare, as well as farm work, are promising industriesthat may offer new opportunities for Solomon Islands’workforce to access remittance incomes, networks,and skills that they can bring home.



Education and TrainingSolomon Islands has significantly improved accessto education in recent years (see Table 1), albeitfrom a low base. The net primary enrollment rate in2013 was 65 percent, with 47 percent of studentsbeing female.17 Net enrollment rates in 2013 forearly childhood education (ECE) and secondaryschool sectors were much lower, with the net ECEenrollment rate at 30.7 percent, and the netsecondary enrollment rate at 47 percent.18

The Ministry of Education and Human ResourceDevelopment (MEHRD) data from its SolomonIslands Student Testing and Assessment survey in2010 reveal a slight improvement in the literacy andnumeracy achievement levels at year 4 comparedto 2005/2006, but the critical level for both literacyand numeracy remains under 50 percent, which

17 Revised data, White Paper 2014. MEHRD Performance AssessmentReport for 2006 2013 (2013) put primary net enrollment at 89 percent.18 MEHRD Performance Assessment Report 2013.

means that too many primary students cannotread, write, and calculate very well (see Figure 8).19

Tertiary sector enrollment data from theuniversities, the Institute for Public Administrationand Management (IPAM), and from VocationalRural Training Centers (VRTCs) are notsystematically reported. Statistics on the number ofstudents attending private providers are notcollected. Based on available information fromrecent research, Table 2 gives details of totalstudent tertiary sector enrollments for the period2009 2011.

As a group, VRTCs train the most students in TVET.Research in 2013 undertaken by Bateman et al(draft 2014) indicated that, for the sampled VRTCs,supply did not meet the demand for places.20

19 MEHRD Annual Report 2012.20 Bateman et al., draft 2014.

Table 1: School enrollments by subsector, 2007 2012

School subsectors 2007 2012 Increase % increase

ECE 18,818 21,045 2,227 11.8Primary Education(1 6) 105,049 120,718 15,669 14.9Basic Education (1 9) 124,140 148,858 24,718 19.9Secondary Education (7 13) 29,420 42,209 12,789 43.5Senior Secondary (10 13) 10,329 13,889 3,560 34.5Source: MEHRD Annual Report 2012.Note that there is overlap between these subsectors as the categories are linked to MEHRD performance indicators.



Education outcomes are modest and are noted byemployers as not leading strongly to employment.The Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce andIndustry (SICCI) Skills in Demand Report 2011 2012,based on a survey of its members, indicated that 85percent of respondents believed students did notpossess the necessary skills to ensure employability.

Solomon Islands’ education and trainingexpenditure was an average of 27.6 percent of thenational budget between 2009 and 2012.21 22 Table3 summarizes subsector expenditures from 2009 to2012.

Solomon Islands’ significant financial commitmentto education, around 20–25 percent of the budgetannually, is consistent with both recognizedinternational good practice on educationexpenditure and levels of expenditure in otherPacific Island countries. As in neighboring countries,concerns rest with the allocation, execution, andefficiency of expenditures.

21 Gannicott (2012), based on SIG Recurrent and Development Budgets,2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.22 This can be compared to an average of 16 percent for educationalexpenditure as a percentage of public spending in developing countries.UNESCO Table 9, as cited in Gannicott (2012).

Solomon Islands faces similar challenges asneighbors Vanuatu and Tuvalu: high and over spentallocations to higher education (mostly tertiaryscholarships) and teacher salaries, which haveproven difficult to control as they involve multipleauthorities and databases. In 2012, allocations tothe higher education subsector comprised 24.5percent of the education budget, benefiting 1percent of students (see Table 3). This limits thenational budget available for developmentexpenditures, such as infrastructure maintenance,professional development, and learning materials. Italso stands to divert funds from lower levels ofeducation–including TVET–something which raisesconcerns with respect to access and equity. Withone of the highest rates of population growth in thePacific, declining unit cost allocations are beingmade to lower levels of education. The TVET andearly childhood education subsectors have thelowest percentage of funding. Moreover, SolomonIslands is one of the eight lowest funders of adultliteracy programs in the world, despite thewidespread lack of functional literacy amongSolomon Islanders over the age of 15.

Figure 8: The national overall literacy and numeracy achievement levels at year 4 in 2010 compared to the baseline year 2005/2006

Note: The levels used are as follows: L5: Full mastery of the learning outcome; L4: Substantial mastery of the learning outcome; L3: Moderate mastery of the learningoutcome; L2: Minor mastery of the learning outcome; Lc: Critical underachievement levels reflecting minimal or no mastery of the learning outcome. Source: MEHRDPerformance Assessment Report for 2006 2013 (2013)

L5 L4 L3 L2 LC L3+baseline 5 6 11 18 58 242010 7 9 16 22 47 32

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

percentage

National literacy achievement levels

L5 L4 L3 L2 LC L3+baseline 14 13 17 14 42 44

2010 16 11 19 20 33 46

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

percentage

National overall numeracy achievemnet levelsLiteracy Numeracy



Table 3: Expenditure by subsector, constant 2009 prices, Solomon IslandsSubsector 2009 2010 2011 2012

ECE 8,512,459 (1.7) 8,213,825 (1.5) 7,253,088 (1.3) 11,947,256 (2.1)

Primary 253,141,932 (50.0) 250,704,446 (46.2) 219,238,434 (41.0) 239,083,725 (42.6)

Lower Secondary 72,706,589 (14.3) 81,229,674 (15.0) 74,090,410 (13.9) 93,614,749 (16.7)

Upper Secondary 42,965,450 (8.5) 52,167,893 (9.6) 50,063,691 (9.4) 65,850,625 (11.8)

TVET 18,681,352 (3.7) 13,822,992 (2.5) 18,434,080 (3.4) 13,035,167 (2.3)

Higher education 110,530,446 (21.8) 136,780,704 (25.2) 165,830,449 (31.0) 137,369,172 (24.5)

Totals 506,538,228 (100) 543,184,345 (100) 534,910,152 (100) 560,900,694 (100)Note: Bracketed figures are sub sector percentage sharesSource: Gannicott 2012

Table 2: Enrollments, Solomon Islands 2009 2011

Provider* 2009 2010 2011

SINU 1146 862 866

USP Solomon Islands campus 793 875 1,044

VRTCs n.a. 1,874 2,398

IPAM** 724 1424 1,953

NTTTU certificate assessments+ n.a. n.a. 850

NTTTU apprenticeship assessments# n.a. 34 26*Data for UPNG were not provided. **IPAM participation is not full time equivalent student. + For the year 2012, participation is notfull time equivalent student. #Participation is not full time equivalent studentsSource: Bateman et al draft 2014.



Dimension Policy Goal

1 2 3 4

1. Direction

2. Demand led

3. Coordination

4. Funding

5. Standards

6. Pathways

7. Excellence

8. Relevance

9. Accountability

Strategic

Fram

ework

System

Oversight

Service

Delivery

1.9

1.6

1.8

3. Overview of Findings andImplications

This chapter highlights findings from theassessment of Solomon Islands’ WfD system basedon the SABER WfD analytical framework and tool.The focus is on policies, institutions, and practices inthree important functional dimensions ofpolicymaking and implementation—strategicframework, system oversight, and service delivery.Because these aspects collectively create theoperational environment in which individuals, firms,and training providers, both state and non state,make decisions with regard to training, they exertan important influence on observed outcomes inskills development. Strong systems of WfD haveinstitutionalized processes and practices forreaching agreement on priorities, for collaborationand coordination, and for generating routinefeedback that sustain continuous innovation and

improvement. By contrast, weak systems arecharacterized by fragmentation, duplication ofeffort, and limited learning from experience.

The SABER WfD assessment results summarizedbelow provide a baseline for understanding thecurrent status of the WfD system in the country, aswell as a basis for discussing ideas on how best tostrengthen it in the coming years.

Overview of the SABER WfDAssessment Results

Figure 10 shows the overall results for the threeFunctional Dimensions in the SABER WfDframework.23 Solomon Islands is rated at theEmerging level of development for the twoDimensions of Strategic Framework and ServiceDelivery and at the Latent level for SystemOversight.

23 Refer to Annex 8 for the detailed scoring results.

Figure 10: Dimension Level Scores

Note: See Figure 2 for an explanation of the scale on the horizontal axis.Source: Based on analysis of the data collected using the SABER WfD questionnaire.



Solomon Islands scores highest on the StrategicFramework for WfD (1.9). This rating reflects thefact that a number of initiatives to reform systemdesign are underway but also that practicalimplementation of these initiatives has beenlimited. The SABER analysis shows that publicservants and individuals from training providers andindustry are currently taking the lead in settingstrategic WfD priorities, and not political leaders.The findings suggest that, apart from thefragmented, ad hoc efforts of this limited numberof champions, the important connection betweenWfD and economic development is tenuous. Thelack of a shared vision as to how WfD affectseconomic development can make coordinationdifficult.

Strengthened coordination among the governmentagencies, employer groups, and training providers isvital for improved employment opportunities athome and overseas through labor mobility.Although recent initiatives, like the development ofthe National Human Resource Development andTraining Plan (NHRDTP), have started to defineformal roles and responsibilities for governmententities, these have not yet resulted in coordinatedaction to harmonize various ministries’ efforts toadvance strategic WfD initiatives. Otherstakeholders are not consistently active in strategicWfD initiatives, some of which may potentially becurtailed by the lack of legal provisions forstakeholder involvement. At present, theparticipation of non government stakeholders islargely driven by the government suggesting thatformalizing the roles of non governmentstakeholders may also require effort to incentivizethem to assume such roles.

Solomon Islands scores lowest (1.6, Latent level) onSystem Oversight. The rating reflects the fact thatthe procedures for allocating funds to SolomonIslands National University (SINU) and Vocational

Rural Training Centers (VRTCs) do not take intoaccount outcomes achieved or allow for assessmentof the efficiency of resource deployment. It alsoreflects the lack of a system wide process forquality assurance of qualifications and of trainingproviders, including approval and monitoring. Bothquality assurance and funding procedures arehampered by a paucity of timely and reliableadministrative data. Putting in place effectivemeasures for funding and quality assurance suffersfrom limited engagement of industry, somethingstakeholders are working to overcome.

In addition, the institutions that comprise thetertiary education and training system aredisconnected. Formal pathways that allow studentsto progress from lower levels of training at VRTCs tomore advanced training at SINU or other postsecondary institutions do not exist. Privateproviders make their own decisions about theadmission of students, and their qualifications donot necessarily have value for further study. Therehave been no significant system wide efforts tofacilitate the recognition of prior learning (RPL),though provision for RPL as well as for competencybased testing does exist through the National TradeTraining and Testing (NTTT) Unit. Governmentsupport services for disadvantaged groups arelimited.

Solomon Islands scores 1.8 for Service Delivery.Within the Solomon Islands there are a range offormal and non formal non state providers active inthe training market. Except for financial support andsome training for staff at the VRTCs, thegovernment provides no incentives to encouragenon state provision. With regard to public trainingprovision, the three universities are considered selfgoverning and therefore have considerableautonomy. However, this is not the case for theInstitute for Public Administration and Management(IPAM), which provides continuing training togovernment employees and, through contractual



arrangements, to businesses, as it resides within theMinistry of Public Service and follows governmenthuman resources and budget policies. Thegovernment does not require any providers to meetimplicit or explicit quality standards or performancetargets, nor does it offer financial or non financialincentives for provider performance. In terms oflinks with industry and opportunities forenhancement of staff professional development,the results across providers have varied.

The overall score for the Dimension was affected bythe very low score on Policy Goal 9 (1.5), whichreflects how the Solomon Islands government doesnot consolidate administrative data from trainingproviders in a system wide database for analysis ofprovider performance and system trends or toinform policy. There is no consolidation ofeducation and training data to analyze providerperformance, system trends, or to inform policy.There is a general lack of labor market data toinform WfD, with sources of data on labor marketoutcomes being limited to a few ad hoc skillsrelated surveys or studies.

Policy Implications of the Findings

Solomon Islands is currently in the midst ofambitious system reform. The SABER WfD study ismeant to inform and reinforce these existingefforts. The following recommendations thushighlight key entry points where initial success canlay the foundation for sustained systemimprovement over the coming years.

A rating of Established or Advanced is not aprerequisite for success in WfD. Rather, advancedsystems are the product of a series of successes inpolicy design and implementation over a period ofyears, and sometimes decades. Sustained,incremental improvement in key areas is thus thehallmark of successful WfD system development.

1. Solomon Islands’ leaders need to definethe skills required for participatory economicdevelopment. An emerging priority for realizingimplementation of WfD outcomes is strongleadership from political leaders to set strategicpriorities and enable coordinated action. SABERWfD results from advanced countries show thatsustained system improvement is almost impossiblewithout clearly articulated strategic priorities fromthe country’s political leadership. The SABERanalysis of Solomon Islands’ WfD system shows thatpublic servants and individuals from education,training providers, and industry are currently takingthe lead in WfD, and not political leaders.

In Solomon Islands, the Budget Outlook andStrategy, which accompanies the annual nationalbudget, provides guidance on the country’spriorities for public expenditure. However, it doesnot set the type of clearly articulated longer termgoals that can serve as waypoints for WfDstakeholders. The large number of studies andstrategic documents already produced serve as agood foundation for articulating a strategicdirection for WfD, and existing processes forsetting budgetary priorities could be amended tomore clearly articulate medium term economicdevelopment goals. What is now needed is a clearcommitment to a limited number of initial strategicsteps from the highest levels of leadership. Thework of the National Human Resource DevelopmentTraining Council (NHRDTC) and the Tertiary Councilcan inform leaders’ decisions, but the definition ofthe economic development priorities that guideWfD policy is beyond the remit of these bodies, andtherefore collaboration to identify priorities willinvolve leaders in economic policy not directlyassociated with these two groups.

Clear and constant communication of the strategicpriorities by leaders is essential if WfD stakeholdersare to develop and implement policies effectively.Leaders must also insist on the accountability of the



Ministry of Development Planning and AidCoordination (MDPAC), the Ministry of Commerce,Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI), theMinistry of Education and Human ResourceDevelopment (MEHRD), and others for theimplementation of WfD policy. Advice and briefingsfrom technical officers can support the leadershipof political leaders to drive employment initiativesand overcome institutional barriers. Officers at thetechnical level can submit for Cabinet approvalbudgeted NHRDTP policy commitments andresource requirements for priority implementation.In the medium term, this can be a shared priority ofthe proposed Solomon Islands Tertiary EducationCommission (SITEC).

2. Policy makers need to sustain coordinationand regularly participate in agreed meetings.Critical to any strategy is its implementation.Solomon Islands has multiple policies, plans, andstrategies in place that have not seen practicalimplementation. Strengthened coordination amongthe government agencies, employer groups, andeducation and training providers making upSolomon Islands’ WfD system is vital for establishingpathways that will lead Solomon Islanders toemployment either domestically or internationally.A key constraint has been the inability to sustaincoordinated participation in agreed meetings acrosspolicy makers in key agencies. Regular andempowered participation in meetings to defineskills policies and program allocations is needed,supported by timelines and secretariat resourcesfrom central coordinating agencies such as MDPACand the newly formed NHRDTC. Requiredparticipants of the NHRDTC include technical levelofficers with line responsibility for budgets andprograms in the TVET Division of MEHRD; theUnder Secretary for Tertiary Education; MCILI’sLabour Division, Business Division, IndustrialDevelopment Division, and National Trade TestingUnit; the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerceand Industry (SICCI); the Ministry of Public Service;

the Ministry of Provincial Government andInstitutional Strengthening; the Ministry of Financeand Treasury’s Economic Reform Unit; the Ministryof Rural Development; and the Ministry of ForeignAffairs and External Trade’s Labour Mobility Unit; aswell as development partners and relevant civilsociety agencies such as the Solomon Islands SmallBusiness and Enterprise Centre. A consistent linkbetween coordinating functions, such as theNHRDTC, and budget allocations (includingDevelopment Budget, Tertiary Education funding,and possibly Constituency Funds) will both helpmaintain participation and make full use of theimportant opportunity for coordination.

3. Employers need to participate at thestrategy and governance levels of the WfD systemto guide education and training policy andstandards. There needs to be stronger engagementby industry to drive WfD strategy, with animportant role for employer associations, and ademand driven approach to education and trainingprovision. Employers need to participate in policymaking at the strategic level, in the development ofcompetency standards and in the review ofspecifically funded training to ensure that WfDtraining meets the identified needs. Practically, thisrequires active participation and representation byemployer groups, such as SICCI, in coordinationstructures such as the NHRDTC, and in the futureSITEC and Solomon Islands Qualifications Authority(SIQA). Employers in specific industry sectors needto lead and develop competency standards to formthe basis of the qualifications under the SolomonIslands Qualifications Framework (SIQF).

4. Policy makers should develop a strategy tosupport the informal economy including skillsdevelopment for livelihoods. Given that manySolomon Islanders will make their living in theinformal economy (including by selling fruit andvegetables and other consumption items, andproviding services such as transport, repairs, and



labor), it cannot be left out of a comprehensive WfDstrategy. Evidence from other countries shows thatthe informal economy has proven effective increating jobs, absorbing new labor market entrants,and fostering entrepreneurs, and that it often offersa better standard of living than subsistence farmingand fishing.24 At present, there is little informationavailable on the activity of informal businesses,what types of people they employ and the barriersthey face in growing and transitioning to formality.The extent to which these firms rely on the formaleducation and training system is also not wellunderstood. Thus, a first step to improvingproductivity and incomes in the informal economyis to better understand the characteristics ofinformal businesses and the constraints that theyface, and identify key programs to support theinformal economy, including skills building forlivelihoods. As a member of the NHRDTC, the MCILIcould take the lead in developing a strategy and keyprograms.

5. Build stronger pathways connecting thepre employment education and training systemincluding RPL as a key component in the SIQF.There is considerable disconnect between the TVETand higher education subsectors. Currently, VRTCsand private training providers do not issuerecognized qualifications that provide a clearpathway to further study at the universities.Although some vocationally trained studentsprogress to more advanced programs, progressionis through ad hoc processes. In addition, there isvirtually no link between current trade testing(through RPL assessment processes) conducted bythe NTTT Unit and broader formal provision toallow for graduates of such programs, as well asindividuals with informally acquired skills, to gainrecognition of this learning as a means to gain

24 World Bank, 2012. Improving Skills Development in the InformalSector: Strategies for Sub Saharan Africa.

employment and continue their education. Therethus needs to be a way to account for the learningof those who have gone through the VRTC systemor other training provision retrospectively to enablemore transparent and reliable mechanisms foreducational progression. Moving forward,progression could also be facilitated by jointprogram development among vocational and highereducation institutions and by creating a system thatprovides multiple exit points within qualifications(i.e., embed lower level qualifications in higherlevel qualifications).

In the face of high levels of informality in bothtraining and work, many skills will not be developedby the formal system. Procedures for RPL,therefore, also need to provide for certification ofinformally acquired skills, as this stands to be a pathto greater earnings and improved job prospects forthe majority of Solomon Islanders. The Governmentof Grenada, for instance, has invested significantefforts to facilitate RPL under its vocationalqualifications framework. Individuals may earn fullor partial qualifications through competency basedassessment of prior learning and receive feedbackon where further training is necessary. Mechanismsfor RPL in Solomon Islands can be integrated intothe current work being undertaken by the MEHRDwith Australian support to develop the SIQF andaccompanying legislation.

Many students exit the education and trainingsystem without adequate literacy skills. Remedialeducation for adults with a focus on basic literacyshould be central to government efforts to promoteskills for employment and livelihoods, andcompletion of such education should be certified soas to serve as a gateway for future training. TheMauritian Qualifications Authority, for instance,administers a large literacy program. Those whocomplete the program obtain a recognized NationalCertificate in Adult Literacy, which is considered inthe National Qualifications Framework (NQF) as



being at the same level as the Certificate of PrimaryEducation. Mauritius has recently expanded RPLprograms to assess literacy as well.

Solomon Islands, like many other countries, has notdeveloped CVET (workplace training) or short cycletraining to the same extent as tertiary education orInitial Vocational Education and Training (IVET). Yetbetter development of these types of trainingwould enable the provision of accessible, simple,short programs aimed at providing basic skill setsfor employability, including literacy. Theseprograms also stand to increase access to trainingof disadvantaged populations who face barriers toaccessing longer and more costly programs. Privatetraining provision provides an importantopportunity to expand and broaden access to meetthe significant demand for training. Private trainingprovision needs to be encouraged under the SIQFand incorporated into the recognition and regulatedfunctions. Provision of short programs foremployment is also a fertile area for partnering withdevelopment partners. Short programs often fitwell within partners’ funding time frames, and theyprovide easier opportunities to evaluate programsuccessfulness. The basis for such partnerships inSolomon Islands has been laid with theimplementation of the Rapid Employment Programin Honiara, among others. Consideration needs tobe given to (i) making these short programs subcomponents of a formal qualification that leads torecognition by a tertiary provider; and (ii)developing programs to be delivered at VRTCs thatwill constitute the early stages (or skill sets) of ahigher qualification at either the proposedprovincial colleges or university.

One issue with such interventions is sustainability,as the resources necessary to deliver and maintainsuch programs are often not available outside ofdonor support. In Fiji, the government collects acompany levy of 1 percent of total wages fromthose companies that do not spend at least as much

on providing accredited training for workers. Suchmeasures can provide more stable funding forshort term and continuing training whilesimultaneously incentivizing employers to train.

6. Include robust quality standards in theSIQF to ensure that Solomon Islands’ qualificationsare valued. Quality matters if qualifications are tohave any value to trainees and if employers are toinvest substantial resources or time in the WfDsystem. One consideration in the short term is toincrease the presence of providers, such as theAustralia Pacific Technical College (APTC), thatdeliver training that are quality assured by a reliableinternational body. In the medium term, much hopeis riding on the development of SIQF to solve arange of WfD system governance issues related toquality assurance of providers and of qualifications.However, the development of the SIQF alone will beinsufficient to improve the quantity and quality ofeducation and training delivered. An NQF should beconsidered more as a driver for change rather thanas a panacea for existing problems.

The SIQF may allow for a broader scope ofrecognized providers and hence a broader range ofqualifications to address WfD. But this outcome willonly be achieved if training providers have thecapacity to meet the quality assurancerequirements Development of quality standardscould be supported by a two step process for theregistration of providers. The first step wouldenable interested providers to be listed with theregulator as meeting the established minimumstandards. These providers could then be supportedto develop their capacity so that they meet the fullquality standards, which would enable them todeliver accredited programs. Integration of robustquality standards in the SIQF will require trainingproviders to engage with employers to ensure thateducation and training programs are current andappropriate.



VRTCs face considerable constraints with respect tohuman and physical resources and technologicalcapacity to comply with any MEHRD requirementsrelated to quality assurance. Increasing the amountof information available on VRTCs will be a crucialstep toward improving quality provision andintegration with the rest of the tertiary educationand training system. But measures to improve thequality of data reporting and management need toreckon with the fact that VRTCs currently facemultiple constraints on their ability to reportinformation. Thus, measures to support VRTCcompliance, including through the allocation offunds, need to be part of any attempt to improveMEHRD’s ability to collect, manage, and analyzeWfD system data.

7. Introduce basic incentive and efficiencymeasures for tertiary education and trainingfunding. Current funding levels create constrain thesupply of an adequate level of tertiary educationand training. In the face of these considerableconstraints, it is imperative that existing resourcesbe used increasingly efficiently.

Training providers will need sufficient funding andsupport to strengthen their capacity to meet theemerging SIQF quality standards. Increased fundingshould be accompanied by procedures for itsallocation that incentivize and reward providers foreffective management and achievement ofoutcome targets. One example of a basic indicatorthat could be used more systematically is thegraduation rate of students on governmentscholarships.

Tertiary education and training providers needincentive based funding. MEHRD’s TertiaryEducation Division and, in the medium term, theproposed SITEC could develop—or seek technicaladvice to develop—proposals for new fundingarrangements based on evidence of employment

needs and student performance. This could includea base level of regular funding with the addition ofgrants based on performance against key criteriasuch as enrollment, completion, and employmentoutcomes. Private training provision is important toexpanding provision, and needs to be regulated,recognized, and encouraged through similarincentive based programs. It is important to notethat putting in place such incentives based fundingmechanisms requires timely and reliableadministrative, expenditure, and outcomes data,something that currently does not exist.

More equitable and targeted funding will not berealized until there is improvement in the fiscalmanagement of scholarships, which currently take alarge proportion of the budget envelope.Rationalization of scholarships to realisticemployment needs and merit based selection,greater control measures on expenditure, and anadditional focus on TVET scholarships are includedin the proposed Education Act. The funding gaps arewidespread, particularly for continuing vocationaleducation and employment services programs. Thecurrent scholarship policies also have negativeimplications for equity, as current disbursementcriteria take little account of household wealth orsources of disadvantage. Funding a relatively smallnumber of students at very high levels inevitablylimits access to tertiary education and training formany students who cannot afford to study.Providing equitable support would also include theupgrade of facilities and program qualitynationwide.25

8. Invest in capacity to measure educationand training performance and jobs demand.Current accountability systems are weak; there isno consolidation of education and training data toanalyze provider performance and system trends orto inform policy. Better administrative data could

25 Bateman et al draft 2014.



include enrollments, completion rates, studentsatisfaction, and employment outcome data. Withbetter quality education and training datacollection, relevant agencies would be able tostrengthen the management, oversight, and qualityof training delivery. This will be required for thesuccessful scaling up (though not for immediateaction on) of many of the items above.

An education and training management informationsystem that is capable of providing timelyadministrative data from at least public providers isnecessary over the medium term. The reportingrequirements for VRTCs need to be streamlined andsimplified. Investment in basic informationtechnology capabilities for VRTCs should allowreports to be submitted in an electronic format,perhaps through portable USB drives, that will makeprocessing, storage, and analysis easier. SolomonIslands makes funding for VRTCs contingent uponadequate reporting. However, such rules are notconsistently enforced. Improvement of measures toenable and enforce compliance must go hand inhand with improvement in the education andtraining management information system itself.

It is critical to address the general lack of labormarket data. A practical and sustainable labormarket information system needs to be established(in the short term) to regularly provide informationon labor market demand to government, trainingproviders, job seekers, and employers. MDPAC andMCILI have prepared initial steps to allocate staffpositions or recruit national consultants supportedby the Development Budget, to undertake this datacoordination role. Implementing measures tomeasure the performance of tertiary education andtraining providers can be undertaken as part of thecurrent MEHRD and development partnerstrengthening of Solomon Islands’ EducationManagement Information System (SIEMIS). In themedium to long term, the accountability measures

of education and training performance will rest withthe proposed future SITEC.

A summary of the WfD actions for Solomon Islandsis included in Annex 1.



4. Aligning Workforce Development toKey Economic and Social Priorities

WfD is not an end in itself but an input towardbroader objectives – of boosting employability andproductivity; of relieving skills constraints onbusiness growth and development; and ofadvancing overall economic growth and socialwellbeing. This chapter briefly introduces SolomonIslands’ socioeconomic aspirations, priorities, andreforms before presenting the detailed SABER WfDfindings on Strategic Framework and their policyimplications.

Socioeconomic Aspirations, Priorities,and Reforms

National aspirations and strategiesThe Solomon Islands Government is seeking toadvance economic growth and rural livelihoods andsupport better service delivery in rural areas.Recognizing that Solomon Islands’ economic wealthis rural based, and that the majority of SolomonIslands’ labor force will remain unable to accessformal employment in the short term, thegovernment plans to support the village economythrough self employment and wage employment,supporting new opportunities in small scaleagriculture, artisanal fisheries, tourism, andforestry. Community education has been recognizedas a priority by the current government, supportingeducation for all beyond basic education.

In meeting the human resource needs of economicand livelihood development, medium term priorityis given to TVET, supported through theestablishment of an National QualificationsFramework (NQF) to improve the usefulness oftraining to students and to establish demand drivensystems to make vocational training moreresponsive to employers’ needs. While addressingthe skills mismatch in formal employment will notprovide opportunities for the majority of labor force

entrants in the short term, it does promise torelease the skills constraint on economic growthand employment generation, and improve thequalifications and experience of Solomon Islandersrelevant to jobs currently left vacant or filled byforeign workers.

Strengthening locally provided higher education is asignificant emphasis in current initiatives, mostnotably through the transition of the SolomonIslands College of Higher Education to the SolomonIslands National University (SINU) and associatedchanges in that institution’s governance,organization, and program offerings. Thegovernment has recognized that tertiaryscholarships may not contribute to increased skillresources within Solomon Islands, and prioritizesthe greater effectiveness and efficiency of thismajor skills investment.

Key agenciesGovernment ministries with responsibility forsetting the government’s WfD agenda include theMinistry of Education and Human ResourceDevelopment (MEHRD), the Ministry of Commerce,Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI), and theMinistry of Development Planning and AidCoordination (MDPAC).

MEHRD is responsible for developing policies,procedures, and plans to improve access toeducation and training and for efficientmanagement of the tertiary sector as a whole. Itmonitors the implementation of the NationalEducation Action Plan (NEAP) and leads SolomonIslands’ Education Management Information System(SIEMIS) data collection and management efforts.The National Training Unit (NTU), which is taskedwith administering the country’s sizeablescholarship scheme (currently only offered forqualifications at the bachelor level and above), alsosits under MEHRD.



The Labour Act gives MCILI responsibility forrunning Solomon Islands’ apprenticeship schemeand convening the apprenticeship board thatmanages the system. The National Trade Trainingand Testing (NTTT) Unit under the ministryundertakes assessments of apprenticeships(currently in three trades only) as well as testing forcertificates of proficiency in five trades.

MDPAC has a core function of manpower planningfor both the public and private sectors. Itcoordinates and manages the Development Budget(budget that outlines donor funds and projects) byconsulting with various ministries on budgeting andshared initiatives between the government anddevelopment partners. This gives MDPAC a de factorole as coordinator for government initiatives thatinvolve multiple responsible ministries, includingWfD. MDPAC also takes responsibility for thedevelopment of the National Human ResourceDevelopment and Training Plan 2013 2015.

Strategic documentsThe strategic vision and direction of the educationand training system is captured by the MEHRD’slonger term Education Strategic Framework 20072015. The associated three year NEAP26 documentsmeasures to accomplish the goals laid out in theframework. The framework guides operations andunderpins donor support, which is mainlychanneled through the Education Sector WideProgram.

The NEAP 2013 2015 sets targets for the TVETsubsector including an expansion in the number ofprivate TVET places and subjects taught, thecreation of clear pathways for TVET studentsthrough the creation of an NQF, and improvementsin school based management practices. The NEAP2013 2015 also sets targets for medium term

26 MEHRD National Education Action Plan 2007 2009; MEHRD NationalEducation Action Plan 2010 2012; and MEHRD National EducationAction Plan 2013 2015.

development strategy goals in the higher educationsubsector, in particular for Solomon Islands basedhigher education enrollment to increase by 25percent, for total female enrollment to increase by40 percent, and that the external audit reports thatscholarship management is in accordance withequity and transparency requirements.

MEHRD and MDPAC collaborated on the NationalHuman Resource Development and Training Plan(NHRDTP). The NHRDTP seeks to address the skillsmismatch and improve the supply of skills sought byprivate and public sector employers. Within fivecomponents, the NHRTDP seeks to achieve theobjectives of (i) achieving sufficient National HumanResource Development Training Council (NHRDTC)planning, coordination, and management capacityto produce, implement, monitor, and regularlyupdate the NHRDTP; (ii) identifying human resourcedevelopment priorities through systematic, reliable,and timely data collection and analysis; (iii)orienting human resource development systems tomeet demand; (iv) building enterprise and skills inthe workforce to improve livelihoods; and (v)increasing market share in international labormarkets.

The tertiary education and training sector iscurrently undergoing reform. The Education Act andthe 2010 Policy Statement and Guidelines forTertiary Education in Solomon Islands are currentlybeing revised. A revised Education Act will:

recognize the higher education and thevocational education and trainingsubsectors; andestablish a Tertiary Education Commissionto coordinate and regulate a nationalsystem of the tertiary education sector.

Human resource planning and labor marketdemand are to be prioritized under the revisedEducation Act as a basis for determining tertiaryeducation and training forecasts, as well as for the



allocation of Solomon Islands’ sizable scholarshipscheme. Under the proposed revisions, bothvocational education and higher educationprograms will be included as scholarship options forthe first time. Importantly, recognizing thesignificant budget impact of tertiary sectorscholarship expenditure, the revised Education Actwill aim to maintain and control total expenditureon government funded scholarships to the levelallocated by the budget of the Ministry of Financeand Treasury.

The Solomon Islands Qualifications Framework(SIQF) is a key national instrument that aims tocontribute to improving the quality of education inthe country. The SIQF recognizes the four domainsof (i) accredited qualifications; (ii) professionallicensing and occupational standards, withparticular relevance to labor mobility; (iii)traditional knowledge and indigenous skills; and (iv)benchmarks for literacy and numeracy as basicfoundation skills. It seeks to enhance flexiblepathways for those in both the formal and nonformal sectors to educational, livelihood, andemployment opportunities. Effectiveimplementation of the SIQF is anticipated tofacilitate international recognition of SolomonIslands’ qualifications, because it will be alignedwith the Pacific Qualifications Framework and inturn with existing international qualificationsframeworks, which is important for labor receivingcountries.

SABER WfD Ratings on the StrategicFrameworkIn the SABER WfD framework, the role of WfD inrealizing Solomon Islands’ socioeconomicaspirations materializes through actions to advancethe following three Policy Goals: (i) setting astrategic direction for WfD; (ii) fostering a demandled approach in WfD; and (iii) ensuring coordinationamong key WfD leaders and stakeholders. The

ratings for these Policy Goals are presented andexplained below, followed by a reflection on theirimplications for policy dialogue.

Based on the data collected by the SABER WfDquestionnaire, Solomon Islands received an overallrating of 1.9 (Emerging) for the StrategicFramework Dimension (see Figure 11). This score isthe average of the ratings for the underlying PolicyGoals: setting a strategic direction (2.0); fostering ademand driven approach (2.0); and strengtheningcritical coordination (1.7). These ratings are roughlyon par for those low and lower middle incomecountries that have completed a SABER WfDassessment. Solomon Islands performs slightlybetter than the average with respect to engagingemployers and collecting labor market information,which is the focus of Policy Goal 2. However, it lagsslightly with respect to involving non governmentstakeholders and setting up effective mechanismsfor coordination, as indicated by a low score forPolicy Goal 3. The explanation for these ratings andtheir implications follow below.

Figure 11: SABER WfD Ratings of Dimension 1


1 2 3 4

1. Direction

2. Demand led

3. Coordination

Strategic

Fram

ework

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Leaders play an important role in crystalizing astrategic vision for WfD appropriate to the country’sunique circumstances and opportunities. Theiradvocacy and commitment attract partnership withstakeholders for the common good, build publicsupport for key priorities in WfD, and ensure thatcritical issues receive due attention in policydialogue. Taking these ideas into account, PolicyGoal 1 assesses the extent to which apex levelleaders in government and the private sectorprovide sustained advocacy for WfD prioritiesthrough institutionalized processes.

The score for Policy Goal 1 situates Solomon Islandsat the Emerging level (2.0). Strategic plans arebeing developed, but practical implementation ofpolicies and frameworks has been limited. There areadvocates both within and outside government forthe strategic importance of WfD for accomplishingbroader economic and social development goals,but advocacy has been ad hoc and consensus on aconsolidated WfD policy agenda has not yetemerged.

Government leadership on WfD comes primarilyfrom MEHRD and MDPAC. MEHRD’s recent NEAP,which runs through to 2015, sets medium termtargets for both the TVET and higher educationsubsectors. The NHRDTP and the Policy Statementand Guidelines for Tertiary Education in theSolomon Islands27 form the policy basis for WfD.These two policies both endeavor to createinstitutional mechanisms that will enable WfDstrategy making to be more collaborative andfacilitate clearer articulation of WfD’s inputs toeconomic development as well as createmanagement structures to help guide the roll out ofSolomon Islands’ planned NQF.

27 Know from here on as the Tertiary Education Policy.

The NHRDTP also seeks to foster greater attentionto entrepreneurship, the informal economy, andlabor mobility. The exact division of responsibilityfor implementation of these two documents is stillbeing worked out between the ministries.

Under ideal conditions, a WfD system will routinelyreview the adequacy of WfD strategy in light of ashifting economic context. In Solomon Islands,reviews of previous policies do occur, but inresponse to a desire to update strategy andlegislation—often driven by the expiration ofcurrent documents or engagement withdevelopment partner—not the other way around.Current reviews also do not focus explicitly on WfDstrategy, as the NHRDTP and Tertiary EducationPolicy, the key strategic documents for WfD, havenot been completed.

Several non government stakeholders occasionallyact as champions who highlight the importance ofskills to broader economic and social developmentgoals. These stakeholders include:

The Solomon Islands Association of RuralTraining Centres, which represents thecountry’s 41 Vocational Rural TrainingCenters (VRTCs). VRTCs are widely seen asbearing the role of training youth for rurallivelihoods, rather than for urban,international, or emerging employmentsectors. There are discussions about morecompletely integrating VRTCs into theformal education and training system, butthis is something that is far from settled.The Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerceand Industry (SICCI) is the mainrepresentative organization for the privatesector in Solomon Islands.Given the large proportion of governmentfinancing in Solomon Islands that originatesfrom development assistance, the role of



development partners as stakeholders inWfD is also important.

Effective advocacy for WfD requires credibleassessments of the demand for skills, engagementof employers in shaping the country’s WfD agenda,and incentives for employers to support skillsdevelopment. Policy Goal 2 incorporates theseideas and benchmarks the system according to theextent to which policies and institutionalarrangements are in place to: (i) establish clarity onthe demand for skills and areas of critical constraint;and (ii) engage employers in setting WfD prioritiesand enhancing skills upgrading for workers.

Solomon Islands is rated at the Emerging level (2.0),reflecting the fact that studies assessing skillsconstraints and their implications for economicdevelopment are occasional and uncoordinated.Employer engagement in influencing WfD strategyis largely limited to specific engagements aroundexisting government or development partnerinitiatives.

The government, SICCI, and development partnershave sponsored a range of assessments in the past10 years, but few have been done on a regularbasis. The limited number of studies and their lackof detail make identification of critical skillsconstraints in key economic areas difficult. Sincegaps in labor market information hamper the abilityto make strategic decisions about the allocation ofresources for WfD, development partners in recentyears have funded several studies with thecooperation and support of the government toexpand, consolidate, and organize information onlabor market conditions and system funding andregulatory practices.

The government Census and Household Income andExpenditure Survey contains information thatprovides very limited insights on current skillsdemand and supply such as educational attainment,employment status, and the primary sectors andoccupations in which individuals work. In addition,surveys conducted by SICCI among its members,most recently in 2012, have shed some light onskills constraints faced by businesses in SolomonIslands. This survey is not conducted annually dueto resource constraints and is limited to SICCI’smembers, which are mainly larger, formal sectorfirms. The private formal sector is estimated toaccount for only 13 percent of total employment inSolomon Islands, meaning that conditions in muchof the economy are not captured.

A more comprehensive picture of skills constraintscould be provided by broader employer surveys, butneither the government nor other stakeholdersconduct these. Some information, albeit limited, onlabor market conditions does flow to thegovernment through informal channels, such as themonitoring of job postings in newspapers and ofvisa applications for skilled workers by SolomonIslands based firms. Finally, data that are collectedare not always consolidated and managed in a waythat makes the information available to otherministries or decision makers. Table 4 lists labormarket assessment reports.

In advanced systems, employers take a major andproactive role in influencing WfD strategy. InSolomon Islands, employer input is sporadic andoften initiated by government during thedevelopment of specific initiatives such as theNHRDTP and Tertiary Education Policy. This reflectsa lack of initiative on both sides. The governmentdoes not consistently seek employer input to informstrategic WfD decisions, nor does it provideincentives or support to allow employers to play amore effective role at the strategy level.



Ensuring that the efforts of multiple stakeholdersinvolved in WfD are aligned with the country’s keysocioeconomic priorities is an important goal ofstrategic coordination. Such coordination typicallyrequires leadership at a sufficiently high level toovercome barriers to cross sector or crossministerial cooperation. Policy Goal 3 examines theextent to which policies and institutionalarrangements are in place to formalize roles andresponsibilities for coordinated action on strategicpriorities.

Solomon Islands is rated at the Latent level (1.7).Formal, legally defined roles and responsibilities forWfD for government entities have not resulted incoordinated action to implement strategic WfDinitiatives. The activities of government ministriesand agencies are often fragmented, though thereare encouraging signs of increasing coherence andcollaboration in the government’s approach to WfD.Other stakeholders are not consistently active instrategic WfD initiatives.

MDPAC has played a leading role in thedevelopment of the NHRDTP in cooperation withMEHRD. While both the NHRDTP and MEHRD’sTertiary Education Policy assert the need for amulti stakeholder body to lead the collection andanalysis of information on labor market demand,recommend priorities for human resourcedevelopment, and formalize coordination onstrategic WfD issues, at present such a dedicatedbody does not exist.

Coordination among ministries on shared prioritiesis often weak, with the mandates of ministrieshaving been described as 'disjointed' and with gapsin responsibility emerging in certain key areas. Forexample, both MDPAC and MCILI collect labormarket information, but this is not often sharedbetween the two or disseminated more widely.

Non government stakeholders such as SICCI, SINU,and Solomon Islands Association of Vocational andRural Training Centers (SIAVRTC) are not givenformal roles and responsibilities for WfD strategyand implementation by law. This may change asthere is consensus among government officials thatnon government stakeholder input is essential forstrengthening the WfD systems.

Table 4: List of assessments of the labor market

Title Year“Tracing Their Steps”: Training Outcomes ofRTC Graduates in Solomon Islands 2006Study to support the development of aNational Skills Training Plan 2007Implementation Plan for National SkillsTraining Plan Recommendations 2007Peoples Survey 2008 2008Report on 2009 Housing Census 2009“Stayin’ Alive” Social Research onLivelihoods in Honiara 2009Sources of Growth Analysis 2010Skills in Demand: Survey of Employers 2011Literacy and Educational Experience Survey:Renbel and Isabel Survey Report 2011Pacific Labor Market Note 2011The Draft National Human ResourceDevelopment and Training Plan 2012Skills for Solomon Islands: Opening NewOpportunities 2012Labor Market and Community Skills NeedsAnalysis 2012Solomon Islands 2009 Population andHousing Census: Report on EconomicActivity and Labour Force 2013Review and Analysis of the Demand for Skillsin the Solomon Islands Labour Market 2013Research into the Financing of TVET in thePacific: Solomon Islands Country Report 2014



5. Governing the System for WorkforceDevelopment

An important function of WfD authorities is tofoster efficient and equitable funding ofinvestments in workforce development, facilitateeffective skills acquisition by individuals, and enableemployers to meet their demand for skilled workersin a timely manner. The objective is to minimizesystemic impediments to skills acquisition andmismatches in skills supply and demand. Thischapter begins with a brief description of how theWfD system is organized and governed beforepresenting the detailed SABER WfD findings onSystem Oversight and their policy implications.

Overall Institutional Landscape

The Education Act 1978 is the foundationallegislation that establishes the structure, mandate,and responsibilities of the education sector. Itestablishes the three levels of governance: Ministryof Education and Human Resources Development(MEHRD), which is the central authority; EducationAuthorities,28 which are the sub nationalauthorities; and schools. The Education Authoritiesare responsible for managing their respectiveschools (namely private, public, and mission

28 All schools including vocational and rural training centers must bealigned to an Education Authority.

schools). There are 10 Education Authoritiesresponsible for vocational and rural trainingcenters.

The education and training system consists of fourlevels: early childhood; primary; secondary; andtertiary education (see Table 5). Tertiary educationis provided through the Solomon Islands NationalUniversity (SINU), as well as local branches ofUniversity of the South Pacific (USP) and Universityof Papua New Guinea (UPNG), one regional TVETprovider and 41 Vocational Rural Training Centers(VRTCs) (the characteristics of these types ofproviders are described in more detail in Annex 2).Facilitated by government scholarships, severalhundred students pursue higher education abroad,most commonly in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, NewZealand, and Australia. While there are few formalbarriers to progression through these institutions, inpractice, finance and the low number of availablespaces both in VRTCs and universities poseconstraints to progression to tertiary education andtraining. Pathways are also not particularlyformalized, creating problems especially for thosewho do not come through the formal education andtraining system. Qualifications issued at VRTCs or atmany private training centers are not always

Table 5: Solomon Islands Education and Training SystemSolomon Islands School System Structure

Level of Education Age Grade/YearEarly Childhood Education 3 – 5 Pre schoolPrimary School 6 – 13 Grade 1 to Grade 6Secondary School 14+ Form 1 to Form 6Post Secondary School Education andTraining (known as tertiary sector)

19+ Form 7, TVET, college and university

Source: MEHRD Performance Assessment Framework 2009 2011



recognized as a basis for progression to furthereducation.

The structure of Solomon Islands’ education andtraining supply system is outlined in Figure 12.

WfD in Solomon Islands is funded through threeseparate budgets: the Recurrent Budget, theEstablishment Budget prepared by the Ministry ofFinance and Treasury, and the DevelopmentBudget. The Ministry of Development Planning andAid Coordination (MDPAC) is responsible for thepreparation of the Development Budget, which isfocused on donor and government contributions todevelopment initiatives. The Development Budget ismade up of projects and programs that arespecifically targeted at achieving the developmentgoals outlined in the national development plan.Some donor funding supports both the RecurrentBudget and the Development Budget. Thegovernment budget relies heavily on donor support,which is estimated at $924.6 million.29 Major donorsinclude New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Taiwan(China), Asian Development Bank, and the EU.

There is very little information on funding datadedicated to WfD, although more is known inrelation to the funding of formal education andtraining. Solomon Islands’ total public consolidatedexpenditure on education and training (across alleducation sectors) was an average of 27.6 percentof the national budget between 2009 and 2012.30 31

Over this period, the four year average of theMEHRD budget for the TVET subsector was 3percent (not including government support toSINU), while support to the higher educationsubsector over the same period averaged 25.6percent of the education budget. In addition, the

29 Solomon Islands Budget 2013: Budget Strategy and Outlook.30 Gannicott (2012), based on SIG Recurrent and Development Budgets,2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.31 This can be compared to an average of 16 percent for educationalexpenditure as a percentage of public spending in developing countries.UNESCO Table 9, as cited in Gannicott (2012).

government provides an overwhelming proportionof the higher education subsector budget toproviding scholarships, which in 2011 wascalculated as 71.7 percent (including donorcontributions).32 None of these scholarships relatedto TVET programs.33

Two recent studies have attempted to determinethe cost per student in the tertiary education andtraining sector. Gannicott (2012) indicated that theaverage cost per higher education student wasSI$70,462 and for TVET students SI$7,352. Batemanet al (draft 2014) indicates that, for selected SINUprograms, the cost per TVET student variedbetween SI$28,302 and SI$40,459 per annum, andfor non specialist VRTCs the cost per student variedfrom SI$2,883 to SI$11,495 per annum. For twoVRTCs that provide services to students withdisabilities, the annual cost per TVET student variedfrom SI$21,258 to SI$99,075.34 It is too soon forthese reports to inform government policy.

32 Gannicott (2012).33 Bateman et al (draft 2014).34 Bateman et al (draft 2014).

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SABER WfD Ratings on SystemOversight

The SABER WfD framework identifies threepertinent Policy Goals corresponding to oversightmechanisms for influencing the choices ofindividuals, training providers, and employers: (i)ensuring efficiency and equity in funding; (ii)assuring relevant and reliable standards; and (iii)diversifying pathways for skills acquisition. Theratings for these Policy Goals are presented andexplained below, followed by a reflection on theirimplications for policy dialogue.

Based on the data collected by the SABER WfDquestionnaire Solomon Islands received an overallrating of 1.6 (Latent) for the System OversightDimension (see Figure 13). This score is the averageof the ratings for the underlying Policy Goals:ensuring efficiency and equity of funding (1.4);assuring relevant and reliable standards (1.5); anddiversifying pathways for skills acquisition (2.0).Across all three Policy Goals, these ratings are justabout at the average for low and lower middleincome countries for which SABER WfD results havebeen generated. The explanation for these ratingsand their implications follow below.

WfD requires a significant investment of resourcesby the government, households, and employers. Toensure these resources are effectively used, it isimportant to examine the extent to which policiesand institutional arrangements are in place to: (i)ensure stable funding for effective programs ininitial, continuing, and targeted VET; (ii) monitorand assess equity in funding; and (iii) fosterpartnerships with employers for funding WfD.

Solomon Islands is rated at the Latent level onPolicy Goal 4 (1.4). The rating reflects the existenceof rudimentary procedures for allocating funds toSINU and VRTCs and for allocating scholarships, andan undeveloped culture of assessment of theimpact of funding on beneficiaries. The fact that thegovernment does not facilitate partnershipsbetween training providers and employers is alsoconsistent with a latent level of development.

Budgeting for Initial Vocational Education andTraining (IVET) is routine for both the Ministry ofEducation and Human Resource Development(MEHRD) and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry,Labour and Immigration (MCILI) through the annualbudget process. Budget estimates are largely basedon actual budget expenditure from previous yearswith some consideration of expected enrollments.MEHRD provides financial support to VRTCsthrough two payments per year, dependent onsubmission of SIEMIS (Solomon Islands EducationInformation Management System) data and ontwice yearly retirement reports that document howthe government grants were spent. Non submissionof SIEMIS data or retirement reports results insuspension of grants (at least in principle). SomeEducation Authorities also receive a grant fromMEHRD to assist in the management of schools andVRTCs. The MCILI budget allocation includes


Note: See Figure 2 for an explanation of the scale on the horizontal axis.Source: Based on analysis of the data collected using the SABER WfDquestionnaire.

1 2 3 4

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Oversight Overall 1.6

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management of the apprenticeship scheme andassessment of graduates from VRTCs and existingworkers.

Government funding for Continuing VocationalEducation and Training (CVET) is almost entirelydirected at the Institute for Public Administrationand Management (IPAM) for the training of publicsector employees. The funding for IPAM isdetermined through consultation with clientministries. Other CVET funding is provided throughthe universities—SINU, USP, and UPNG) —with thegovernment contributing annual budget allocationsto both SINU and USP. However, there is nogovernment budget funding for on the job trainingfor small/medium enterprises and no direct supportfor individuals seeking to upgrade their skills orlearn new ones.

Short cycle courses and training related active labormarket programs receive no routine and sustainedsupport in the government budget. This gap, whichis reflected in the low score for this Policy Goal,potentially leaves a large portion of the populationthat is not in formal training or education withoutstable access to such services. Almost all projects tosupport short term training and employmentservices for specific beneficiary groups are donorfunded (e.g., Honiara City Council’s World Bankfunded Rapid Employment Project, and theSecretariat of the Pacific Community’s Australiafunded Youth at Work Project). Because they arenot overseen by one specific entity, coordinationcan prove challenging.

There have been very few reviews of the impact offunding decisions on beneficiaries, which limits thequality of information on the funding procedures’efficiency and impact on equity. IPAM is the onegovernment agency that undertakes such reviews atregular intervals, with the last external review beingconducted in 2012.

The National Training Unit within MEHRD managesthe allocation of scholarships. Scholarships in theSolomon Islands are a complex mix of variousstrategies to provide access to education. Gannicott(2012) indicates that in the higher educationsubsector budget for 2011, administration,overheads, and salaries amounted to 2.6 percent,while institution support was 25.7 percent andscholarships 71.7 percent (including support toSINU School of Education, and scholarships fundedby partners such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan,and Taiwan, China). Very little of this money is usedto provide scholarships for TVET. In addition,although the level of funding is significant, there isno strategic process in place to use scholarshipfunding to address equity issues, to drive a changein TVET provision, or to target WfD priorities.36

The government is not actively engaged in makingpartnership arrangements with employers, exceptfor the apprenticeship program, which is legislated.Selected employers, as members of theapprenticeship board, influence the trainingrequirements for apprentices. A small number ofemployers provide facilities and equipment for onsite training and provide a log of apprenticeactivities for assessment purposes. SINU is the onlyprovider of off the job apprenticeship training.Benefits to employers include the chance to trainand screen potential new employees. MEHRD(through an EU project) has also developed a draftMemorandum of Agreement with employers, butthis has not yet been finalized or activated.

The WfD system comprises a wide range of trainingproviders offering programs at various levels indiverse fields. An effective system of standards andaccreditation enables students to document whatthey have learned and employers to identify

36 Bateman et al draft 2014.



workers with the relevant skills. For Policy Goal 5, itis therefore important to assess the status ofpolicies and institutions to: (i) set reliablecompetency standards; (ii) assure the credibility ofskills testing and certification; and (iii) develop andenforce accreditation standards for maintaining thequality of training provision.

Solomon Islands is rated at the Latent level (1.5) forthis Policy Goal. The score is consistent with thecountry’s lack of procedures for (i) developingoccupational competencies, standards, orcurriculum; (ii) putting in place a widely recognizedtesting regime to certify skills; and (iii) approvingand monitoring qualifications and trainingproviders.

Solomon Islands is establishing the Solomon IslandsQualifications Framework (SIQF), but the draftframework has not yet been endorsed and thelegislation has not been enacted. At this stage, nonational competency standards have beendeveloped, although outdated standards from theInternational Labour Organization are used todevelop a competency based curriculum for a fewtrades at SINU, and are the basis of trade testing bythe National Trade Training and Testing (NTTT) Unitin MCILI. Universities approve their own curriculainternally, while VRTCs utilize an internallydeveloped program for training purposes.

There is no system in place to establish registrationstandards for providers to ensure a minimum levelof quality of provider facilities, equipment, staffing,and student support services. It is envisaged thatregistration standards will be established as part ofthe process of developing the SIQF and theestablishment of a quality assurance andaccrediting agency. These initiatives have not beenimplemented as yet.

The universities within Solomon Islands areestablished through an act of parliament and haveself governing status, which includes the

development and conduct of assessments andissuance of qualifications. The NTTT Unit undertakestesting of apprenticeships based on trainingschedules set by the apprenticeship board and alsotests VRTC graduates and existing workers for a fewoccupations. However, very few apprentices arebeing tested each year. The NTTT Unit tests boththeory and practical application. In universities thefocus is on normative testing, whereas in the VRTCsthe focus is more on practical application.

At a systems level, testing does not form a reliableindication of trainee skills, as there is littlestandardization in procedures, content, or quality oftesting, leaving employers to rely on their ownknowledge of the issuing institution to judge thequality of graduates.

In dynamic economic environments, workers needto acquire new skills and competencies as well askeep their skills up to date throughout their workinglives. They are best served by a system of initial andcontinuing education and training that promoteslifelong learning by offering clear and flexiblepathways for transfers across programs,progression to higher levels of training, and accessto programs in other fields. For those already in theworkforce, schemes for recognition of prior learning(RPL) are essential to allow individuals to efficientlyupgrade their skills and learn new ones. Policy Goal6 therefore evaluates the extent to which policiesand institutions are in place to: (i) enableprogression through multiple learning pathways,including for students in TVET streams; (ii) facilitatethe recognition of prior learning; and (iii) providetargeted support services, particularly among thedisadvantaged.

Solomon Islands is rated at an Emerging level (2.0)for Policy Goal 6. While limited pathways areavailable for TVET students to progress to other



types of programs, several parts of the system arestill disconnected and there have been nosignificant system wide efforts to facilitate therecognition of prior formal or informal learning.Outside of three dedicated VRTCs, there is nosupport for training services for disadvantagedstudents, such as those with disabilities, creatingbarriers to access for such students.

TVET options at the tertiary level include VRTCs aswell as vocational programs at SINU, USP, andUPNG. In terms of access to programs, thecertifications issued by VRTCs have some value foradmission to SINU, but this is not through formalarrangements. In some cases, students who haveearned a VET qualification from SINU or USP canuse the qualification to access further, nonvocational study within those providers. Certificatesissued to students by the NTTT Unit for completionof an apprenticeship do not consistently enablefurther study but are recognized by employers.However, employers do not always put a lot of faithin these certificates to signal quality. Nonetheless,having a certificate does improve the employmentprospects of individuals and can improve earnings.

SINU, USP, and UPNG will recognize for admissionand cross credit each other's qualifications on anindividual basis. IPAM has one qualification at thediploma level approved through an internationaluniversity that could be recognized by othertraining providers but, given the lack of formalprocedures, this is not guaranteed. RPL is notintegrated into provider processes. The testingconducted by the NTTT Unit is the only avenue tocertify the skills and knowledge gained throughformal, informal, and non formal learning, and it islimited to five trades.

The government does not directly provide or fundservices to support further occupational and careerdevelopment for the general public. IPAM is themain way that the government provides support to

those already in the labor force seeking training,albeit targeting only public servants. Thegovernment supports three VRTCs that arededicated to serving people with disabilitiesthrough the standard twice yearly disbursementsavailable to all VRTCs, but provides no othertargeted support for members of disadvantagedpopulations to access job training and careerdevelopment services.



6. Managing Service Delivery

Training providers, both non state and government,are the main channels through which the country’spolicies in WfD are translated into results on theground. This chapter therefore provides a briefoverview of the composition of providers and thetypes of services available in the system beforepresenting the detailed SABER WfD findings onService Delivery and their policy implications.

Overview of the Delivery of TrainingServices

The education and training system is heavily relianton Christian mission schools and centers at thesecondary and tertiary levels; other than SINU,there are only two government national secondaryschools and four Vocational Rural Training Centers(VRTCs) administered by non religious EducationAuthorities. Tertiary education includes both highereducation and TVET, with key policy documentsonly recognizing provision through universities (andnot VRTCs) as formal education and training.

In the tertiary education and training sector:

Higher education is provided by threeuniversities: Solomon Islands NationalUniversity (SINU); University of the SouthPacific (USP); and University of Papua NewGuinea (UPNG).TVET is mainly provided by: (i) SINU(although the other two universities offerTVET programs); (ii) 41 VRTCs across theprovinces; (iii) the National Trade Trainingand Testing (NTTT) Unit, which provideslicensing assessments for apprentices andtrade testing of existing workers and exitingVRTC graduates; (iv) Institute for PublicAdministration and Management (IPAM),which provides professional and continuingeducation to public servants and, on a

contractual basis, to employees of otherformal sector employers; (v) AustraliaPacific Technical College (APTC), a trainingprovider that offers Australian standardskills and qualifications funded through theAustralian aid program;37 and (vi) privateproviders and NGOs.Non formal training is provided through 56Community Based Training Centres acrossthe provinces, as well as through adultliteracy classes and ad hoc training offeredin the workplace and by NGOs.

Annex 2 includes an overview of tertiary educationand training providers.

SABER WfD Ratings on ServiceDelivery

The Policy Goals for this Dimension in the SABERWfD framework focus on the following threeaspects of service delivery: (i) enabling diversity andexcellence in training provision; (ii) fosteringrelevance in public training programs; and (iii)enhancing evidence based accountability forresults. The ratings for these three Policy Goals arepresented below and are followed by a reflectionon their implications for policy dialogue.

Based on data collected by the SABER WfDquestionnaire, Solomon Islands receives an overallrating of 1.8 (Emerging) for the Service DeliveryDimension (see Figure 14). This score is the averageof the ratings for the underlying Policy Goals: (i)enabling diversity and excellence in trainingprovision (1.9); (ii) fostering relevance in publictraining programs (2.0); and (iii) enhancingevidence based accountability for results (1.5).Solomon Islands’ ratings place it below the averageof low and lower middle income countries with

37 APTC is a regional TVET provider. It is an Australian governmentinitiative funded by the Australian government and managed throughits aid program.



respect to quality assurance of private providers,covered in Policy Goal 7, and to the use of data forprogram and system monitoring and improvement,covered in Policy Goal 9. By contrast, it leads amongcomparator countries for Policy Goal 8, which isconcerned with managing public providers to

ensure quality and relevance. It is important tonote that this result is driven by the relativestrength of SINU and the NTTT Unit in solicitinginput from employers and is balanced against lessadvanced practices elsewhere. The explanation forthese ratings and their implications follow below.



Because the demand for skills is impossible topredict with precision, having a diversity ofproviders is a feature of strong WfD systems.Among non state providers, the challenge is totemper the profit motive or other program agendaswith appropriate regulation to assure quality andrelevance. Among state providers a key concern istheir responsiveness to the demand for skills fromemployers and students. Striking the right balancebetween institutional autonomy and accountabilityis one approach to address this concern. Policy Goal7 takes these ideas into account and benchmarksthe system according to the extent to which policiesand institutional arrangements are in place to: (i)encourage and regulate non state provision oftraining and (ii) foster excellence in public trainingprovision by combining incentives and autonomy inthe management of public institutions.

Solomon Islands scored at the Emerging level forPolicy Goal 7 (1.9). A range of non state providersare active in the education and training market, butas the Ministry of Education and Human ResourceDevelopment (MEHRD) does not recognize or havea list of non state providers in Solomon Islands, so itis unclear how many there are. There are fewgovernment incentives to encourage non stateprovision and no quality assurance arrangements inplace to approve and monitor programs orproviders. The three universities have considerableautonomy, whereas IPAM resides within a ministryand its autonomy is limited. The government doesnot require any providers, public or private, to meetimplicit or explicit performance targets, nor does itprovide financial or non financial incentives forprovider performance.

A range of non state training providers are allowedto operate, including NGOs and private providers(for profit and not for profit). Private providers arerequired to register as a business, but do not need

7. Excellence

8. Relevance

9. AccountabilityServiceDelivery Overall 1.8

1.9

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1.5



to seek approval to be an education and trainingprovider or to deliver programs. There are noincentives to encourage private providers, nor arethere government measures to assure the quality oftheir education and training provision.

VRTCs are notionally recognized under theEducation Act as ‘schools’ and are required to belisted with MEHRD to receive financial supportthrough annual grants and teaching staff salaries.Some measures have been established in order tomonitor VRTCs, such as reporting on enrollment,facilities, staff, and financial data. A small number ofaudits are conducted annually, but these auditsfocus on administrative data and facilities, and noncompliance does not have consequences. Measuresto ensure accountability for results with the use ofpublic funds are not in place.

Legislation affords SINU, USP and UPNG broadinstitutional autonomy over management decisionsby giving them status as self governing institutions.All have boards to which they are accountable, butformal mechanisms for handling non academiccomplaints do not exist at SINU. IPAM has lessautonomy with respect to selection and recruitmentof staff given that it is a government agency, andcomplaints are handled through normal publicservice channels.

The government has no control over programprovision at any of the providers, and sets notargets or incentives for the performance of publicproviders like IPAM, SINU, and USP. Theseinstitutions follow formal internal procedures foropening and closing programs, with IPAM offeringprograms in response to consultations with clientministries and SINU making decisions aboutprogram offerings based on the availability offunding and equipment, student interest, andinformal employer feedback.

Public training institutions need reliable informationon current and emerging skills demands in order tokeep their program offerings relevant to marketconditions. It is therefore desirable for publictraining institutions to establish and maintainrelationships with employers, industry associations,and research institutions. Such partners are asource of both information about skillscompetencies and expertise and advice oncurriculum design and technical specifications fortraining facilities and equipment. They can also helpcreate opportunities for workplace training forstudents and continuing professional developmentfor instructors and administrators. Policy Goal 8considers the extent to which arrangements are inplace for public training providers to: (i) benefitfrom industry and expert input in the design ofprograms and (ii) recruit administrators andinstructors with relevant qualifications and supporttheir professional development.

Solomon Islands is evaluated at the Emerging levelof development for Policy Goal 8 (2.0). This scorereflects the fact that some training providers haveinformal and formal links with industry in regard tocurricula design and in offering internshipprograms. The score on this Goal also reflects thefact that instructors and administrators of publictraining providers and at VRTCs38 are required tomeet basic vocational and teaching skills andknowledge requirements; however, for allproviders, opportunities for the professionaldevelopment of heads of schools and instructors

38 VRTCs have not been considered public institutions for the purposesof this study. However, the government pays for staff salaries (inaddition to providing recurrent funding), giving the government defacto influence over policies toward teachers and administrators andother operational matters. Because policies toward staff are a majorconsideration of this Policy Goal, and because VRTCs make up a largepart of the non tertiary post secondary training supply in SolomonIslands, they have been considered here so as to provide a morecomplete picture of measures taken to ensure the relevance of TVET toindustry.



are not managed strategically by the provider andare limited.

The majority of institutions have links with industryto improve training relevance and quality. ForVRTCs, these links are informal or weak, with somecenters providing their students with workplacement in local industry, (e.g., shipyards,construction). For universities, formal links areestablished through course development andreview processes. With the apprenticeship scheme,industry input on training and assessmentrequirements through participation in trade specificIndustry Advisory Groups is required under theLabour Act. While five trades are recognized,Industry Advisory Groups have been established foronly three of the trades. A small number ofemployers host apprentices and participate instudent assessment.

In addition, approximately 50 percent of firmssurveyed for the Solomon Islands Chamber ofCommerce and Industry (SICCI)’s Skills in Demand2011 2012 report claimed to offer some form ofinternship or volunteer program, and 85 percent ofrespondents indicated that they had some sort ofan affiliation with a tertiary institution. Bateman etal (draft 2014) noted that 80 industry sponsoredstudents were enrolled in SINU in 2012.

State providers, such as the universities and IPAM,have established processes to assure that heads ofschools and instructors are appropriately qualified.Heads and instructors of public training institutions(such as SINU, USP, and IPAM), as well as VRTCinstructors whose salaries are paid by thegovernment, are recruited on the basis of minimumacademic qualifications and teaching experience.However, for both heads of school and forinstructors, there are limited opportunities for inservice training. For SINU, its budget allocatesmonies to professional development, but only fivescholarships are provided each year across all staff.

The government’s general scholarship scheme, aswell as scholarships funded by developmentpartners and other organizations, are an additionalsource of funding for professional development thatallow a limited number of heads and instructors topursue formal study either in Solomon Islands orabroad each year.

For VRTCs, the Teaching Service Handbook (2012)outlines five categories of employment and 4 8levels of pay within each category. This handbookrequires heads of schools to have at least avocational certificate, a teaching certificate, andextensive teaching experience. Instructors arerequired to have at a minimum a vocationalcertificate. Those instructors not registered withthe Teaching Service (under MEHRD) and not paidby MEHRD may not have formal qualificationsand/or experience; they are recruited and paidsolely by the VRTC. In service training opportunitiesfor VRTC staff are rare.

Systematic monitoring and evaluation of servicedelivery are important for both quality assuranceand system improvement. Accomplishing thisfunction requires gathering and analyzing data froma variety of sources. The reporting of institutionlevel data enables the relevant authorities to ensurethat providers are delivering on expected outcomes.Such data also enable these authorities to identifygaps or challenges in training provision or areas ofgood practice. Additionally, periodic surveys andevaluations of major programs generatecomplementary information that can help enhancethe relevance and efficiency of the system as awhole. Policy Goal 9 considers these ideas whenassessing the system’s arrangements for collectingand using data to focus attention on trainingoutcomes, efficiency, and innovation in servicedelivery.



Solomon Islands scores at the Latent level for PolicyGoal 9 (1.5). This low score reflects the fact that thegovernment does not collect or consolidateadministrative data from training providers in asystem wide database for analysis of providerperformance and system trends or to inform policy.Sources of data on labor market outcomes arelimited to a few ad hoc skills related surveys orstudies.

The government does not require any trainingproviders to submit administrative data (e.g.,enrollments, completion rates, student satisfaction,and employment outcomes). Nor is there anyconsolidation of data to analyze providerperformance and system trends or to inform policy.There is no requirement regarding the format forprovider data retention, and so systems forretention vary from large scale databases inuniversities to paper based or very limited recordsin VRTCs. There is thus no consolidated informationof the nature and extent of education and trainingprovision in the tertiary sector. MEHRD does notreport TVET or higher education enrollment data inAnnual Reports or in the Performance Assessmentreporting process.

VRTCs are required to submit data to be eligible toreceive the government grants. However, there is alow level of SIEMIS survey returns and a lack ofcompleteness of data.39 SIEMIS data are used forreconciliation of grant monies and for determiningthe required number of staff, but are not at a levelof quality and completeness where robust systemlevel analysis is possible. Administrative data onfunds reconciliation, salaries, and assets arecollected but rarely used to guide investmentsbeyond teacher payments. In addition,administrative data are limited to inputs (e.g., thenumber of toilets to students, access to cleanwater, student teacher ratios, etc.).

39 Bateman et al, draft 2014.

Universities report administrative data throughtheir annual reports; however, the data are notreviewed or collated at the ministerial level. IPAMand the NTTT Unit report data within theirrespective ministry’s annual report. No data arecollected from private providers or NGOs.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour andImmigration (MCILI does not publish data on theemployment and earnings of those who havecompleted the apprenticeship program or ofgraduates of NTTT Unit assessments, nor does itconduct any periodic or special surveys related tolabor market conditions or other topics.



Annex 1: Workforce Development Actions for Solomon Islands40

This matrix includes priority actions arising from the SABER Solomon Islands Workforce DevelopmentAssessment. Responsibilities are proposed based on the consultations undertaken during the workforcedevelopment assessment. Resources are also proposed; please note that resource requirements are focused onexisting or minor incremental resources (such as national consultants or staff positions).

Recommendation ActionsCurrent: September 2014;Short term: Dec 2014;Medium term: Dec 2015

Responsible

1. Solomon Islands’leaders need to definethe skills required forparticipatory economicdevelopment

Short term: Submission for Cabinet approval onNHRDTP policy commitments and priorityimplementation resource requirements.Medium term: Proposed SIQA and SITEC to prepareadvice to cabinet on skills priorities for growth.

MDPAC: Social Services DivisionSIQA, SITEC (once they are in place)

2. Policy makers needto sustain coordinationand regularlyparticipate in agreedmeetings

Short term: Enable regular and empoweredparticipation by high level staff from relevantministries and stakeholders in meetings of formalcoordination bodies in place and being developed(NHRDTC, SITEC, and SIQA). Efforts need to besupported by timelines and secretariat resourcesfrom central coordinating agencies such as MDPACand the NHRDTC.

MEHRD: TVET Division and UnderSecretary for Tertiary EducationMCILI: Labour Commissioner,National Trade Testing OfficersMDPAC: Director, Social ServicesDivisionSICCI: CEO or delegateOther agencies as per draft NHRDTCSITEC, SIQA (once they are in place)

3. Employers need toparticipate so as toguide training policyand standards

Current: SICCI and other employer representativesto participate in NHRDTC.Short term: Employer groups to participate inemerging SITEC and SIQA structures.Short term: Support and incentivize employergroups to initiate informal meeting groups toidentify sector training needs and standards.

SICCI to facilitate and coordinateemployers’ participation

4. Policy makers shoulddevelop a strategy andprograms to support

Medium term: As a member of the NHRDTC, MCILIcould lead on developing strategy and keyprograms for informal livelihood support including

MCILI (staff responsibilities to beidentified)

40 Presented to Solomon Islands stakeholders at a SABER WfD dissemination meeting on June 26, 2014.




Responsible

the informal economyincluding skillsdevelopment forlivelihoods.

skills development. Experience of micro businessgrants, small business training and informal villageskills training can contribute.

5. Build strongerpathways connectingthe pre employmenteducation and trainingsystem, includingrecognition of priorlearning as a keycomponent in the SIQF

Short term: Development of SIQF to includerecognition of prior learning.Short term: MEHRD should work with trainingproviders to identify and take action on thepriorities to improve pathways into formaleducation and training and facilitate flexiblepathways for progression and transfer (e.g.,certificate recognition and development of jointprograms; and provide multiple exit points e.g.embed lower level qualifications in higher levelqualifications).

MEHRD Under Secretary for Tertiaryand the TVET Division (withAustralian Government support)SITEC, SIQA (once they are in place)

6. Include robustquality standards in theSIQF to ensure SIqualifications arevalued.

Short term: Increase the presence of providersdelivering training that are quality assured by areliable international body.

Medium term: Development of SIQF to include atwo step registration process to ensure that thereare robust quality standards. This will requireemployer coordination and participation inmeetings

MEHRD Under Secretary for Tertiaryand the TVET DivisionSITEC, SIQA (once they are in place)

7. Introduce basicincentive and efficiencymeasures for tertiaryeducation and trainingfunding

Short term: Seek technical advice to developproposals for new funding arrangements based onevidence and analysis to date.MT: SITEC to continue work of developing newfunding arrangements.

MEHRD Under Secretary for Tertiaryand the TVET DivisionSITEC, SIQA (once they are in place)

8. Invest in the capacityto measure educationand trainingperformance and jobsdemand

Short term: Recruit for national data coordinatorpositions; recruit international technical assistancespecialist as needed.Short term: Implement measures to enablecompliance with data reporting requirements byvocational training providers, something that can

Training Performance DataMEHRD Under Secretary forTertiary, the TVET Division andPlanning Coordination andResearch UnitSITEC, SIQA (once they are inplace)




Responsible

be undertaken as part of the current MEHRD anddevelopment partner strengthening of SolomonIslands’ Education Management InformationSystem (SIEMIS).

Labor Market Data: MDPAC SocialServices Division and/or MCILILabour Division



Annex 2: Summary of Key ProvidersProvider SummarySolomon Islands NationalUniversity (SINU)

Based in Honiara. Provides TVET certificate or diploma programs to students whoenter after Form 3 or Form 6, as well as a small offering of degree programs.Government funding is provided to SINU along with apprenticeship sponsorship andsupport grants (or sponsorships) for student fees and living expenses, e.g. lunch.

VRTCs Provides formal TVET provision throughout the provinces. Loosely managed byEducation Authorities and are not seen by MEHRD as public providers under theirdirect control. However, if VRTCs register with the MEHRD they are provided with aper capita student grant and per capita student boarding grant (if relevant).Registered VRTCs (n=41) also have teaching staff salaries paid by MEHRD. There areonly four of these 41 centers that do not have boarding facilities41, and three VRTCsprovide education and training to students with disabilities. The VRTCs provide basictraining programs in the areas of life skills, agriculture, small engines, carpentry,electrical and plumbing. Although the VRTCs have a narrow offering of programs,they have the potential to reach a wider range of students.

University of the SouthPacific

Pacific regional university with a campus in Honiara. Provides a range of TVET andbridging programs, degrees and post graduate qualifications; in addition to a rangeof short programs through the Continuing and Community Education (CCCE)regional center.

Open College of TheUniversity of Papua NewGuinea

Campus in Honiara. Provides a small number of distance and open programsincluding a bridging program, as well as TVET and tertiary education programs.

Australia PacificTechnical College (APTC)

Recently opened campus in Solomon Islands in collaboration with Don BoscoVocational Training Centre – Henderson to provide a small number of tradeprograms. APTC is an Australian Government initiative funded by the AustralianGovernment and managed through its aid program. The APTC was designed as acenter of training, helping Pacific islanders to gain Australian standard skills andqualifications for a wide range of vocational careers throughout the Pacific. APTCcampuses are also located in Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

Institute of PublicAdministration andManagement (IPAM)

Part of the Ministry of Public Service. Provides training services to the workforce ofthe Government which is approximately 13,000 public officers including teachers,nurses and police officers, both in Honiara and the nine provinces of the country.42

Programs include Public Administration and Supervision, Leadership andManagement, Information, Communication and Technology skills, FinancialManagement and the Public Service Induction Program which aims to familiarizepublic officers with the Public Service culture. It also provides a range of shortprograms (e.g. code of conduct, presentation skills, negotiation skills, report writing,

41 Don Bosco – Henderson, St Peter’s, GSF and Tuvaruhu.42 Ministry of Public Service (2013). IPAM Learning and Development Prospectus 2013.



Provider Summaryleadership skills, Microsoft programs) plus Diploma in Human ResourceManagement.43 IPAM has provided similar programs to businesses on a fee forservice basis.

National Trade Trainingand Testing Unit

Part of MCILI. Provides training support for those in the workforce (specific tradeareas), undertakes proficiency assessments of completing apprentices andundertakes assessments of exiting students from VRTCs and of those in theworkforce. Proficiency assessments are conducted in the areas of: light mechanical,heavy mechanical, electrical, plumbing/allied areas, carpentry and joinery. The NTTTcertificate assessments of VRTC students and employees are related to the sametrade areas across the following levels: basic, intermediate and final.

Private providers44 There is very little documentation about private provider training provision in theSolomon Islands. There are a small number of private (for profit and not for profitproviders) with most of the training appearing to be linked to businessmanagement, bookkeeping and ITC skills. These providers are not registered withMEHRD and are not acknowledged by MEHRD as formal training providers.

Other A range of NGOs provide non formal training. There are 56 community basedlearning centers across the provinces that provide short term skills training orprovide opportunities for the informal exchange of skills with communities.45

43 This program is delivered by the Divine Word University.44Private providers are defined as those that are privately owned and are for profit.45 Bateman et al, draft 2014.

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MA

, SI

SBEC

Furt

her

Opt

ions

:

(a) G

radu

ate

dest

inat

ion

surv

ey; (

b) U

se o

f SIC

CI E

nter

pris

e D

atab

ase;

(c) S

choo

l-to-

wor

k T

rans

ition

Sur

vey

(d) S

elf-

empl

oym

ent a

nd in

form

al se

ctor

info

rmat

ion



Annex 4: Acronyms

APTC Australia Pacific Technical College

AusAID Australian Agency for International Development (now Australian Aid Program, DFAT)

CBTC Community Based Training Centre

CBSI Central Bank of Solomon Islands

CVET Continuing Vocational Education and Training

DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)

EA Education Authority

ECE Early childhood education

EFT Effective full time student

GDP Gross domestic product

ICT Information and Communications Technology

IPAM Institute for Public Administration and Management

ISCO International Standard Classification of Occupations

IVET Initial Vocational Education and Training

MCILI Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration

MDPAC Ministry of Development Planning and Aid Coordination

MEHRD Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development

MFAT Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand)

MFT Ministry of Finance and Treasury

NEAP National Education Action Plan

NGO Non Governmental Organization

NHRDTP National Human Resource Development and Training Plan

NSO National Statistics Office

NQF National Qualifications Framework



NTTT National Trade Training and Testing

NTU National Training Unit

NZAID New Zealand Agency for International Development (now the New Zealand AidProgramme, MFAT)

QA Quality assurance

RPL Recognition of prior learning

SABER Systems Approach for Better Education Results

SI Solomon Islands

SIAVRTC Solomon Islands Association of Vocational and Rural Training Centres

SICCI Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry

SICHE Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (now SINU)

SIG Solomon Islands Government

SIMA Solomon Islands Monetary Authority

SINU Solomon Islands National University

SISBEC Solomon Islands Small Business Enterprise Centre

SISC Solomon Islands School Certificate

SIQF Solomon Islands Qualifications Framework

SME Small and Medium sized Enterprise

SMEC Small and Medium Enterprise Council

TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UPNG University of Papua New Guinea

USP University of the South Pacific

VRTC Vocational Rural Training Centre

WfD Workforce Development



Annex 5: The SABER WfD Analytical FrameworkPolicy Goal Policy Action Topic

Dimen

sion

1

StrategicFram

ework

G1Setting aStrategicDirection

Provide sustained advocacy for WfD at the topleadership level

G1_T1 Advocacy for WfD to Support Economic Development

G1_T2 Strategic Focus and Decisions by the WfD Champions

G2Fostering aDemand LedApproach

Establish clarity on the demand for skills and areas ofcritical constraint

G2_T1 Overall Assessment of Economic Prospects and Skills Implications

G2_T2 Critical Skills Constraints in Priority Economic Sectors

Engage employers in setting WfD priorities and inenhancing skills upgrading for workers

G2_T3 Role of Employers and Industry

G2_T4 Skills Upgrading Incentives for Employers

G2_T5 Monitoring of the Incentive Programs

G3Strengthening

CriticalCoordination

Formalize key WfD roles for coordinated action onstrategic priorities

G3_T1 Roles of Government Ministries and Agencies

G3_T2 Roles of Non Government WfD Stakeholders

G3_T3 Coordination for the Implementation of Strategic WfD Measures

Dimen

sion

2

System

Oversight

G4

EnsuringEfficiency and

Equity inFunding

Provide stable funding for effective programs in initial,continuing and targeted vocational education andtraining

G4_T1 Overview of Funding for WfDG4_T2 Recurrent Funding for Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVET)

G4_T3 Recurrent Funding for Continuing Vocational Education and TrainingPrograms (CVET)

G4_T4 Recurrent Funding for Training related Active Labor MarketPrograms (ALMPs)

Monitor and enhance equity in funding for training G4_T5 Equity in Funding for Training ProgramsFacilitate sustained partnerships between traininginstitutions and employers G4_T6 Partnerships between Training Providers and Employers

G5

AssuringRelevant and

ReliableStandards

Broaden the scope of competency standards as a basisfor developing qualifications frameworks

G5_T1 Competency Standards and National Qualifications FrameworksG5_T2 Competency Standards for Major Occupations

Establish protocols for assuring the credibility of skillstesting and certification

G5_T3 Occupational Skills TestingG5_T4 Skills Testing and CertificationG5_T5 Skills Testing for Major Occupations

Develop and enforce accreditation standards formaintaining the quality of training provision

G5_T6 Government Oversight of AccreditationG5_T7 Establishment of Accreditation StandardsG5_T8 Accreditation Requirements and Enforcement of Accreditation StandardsG5_T9 Incentives and Support for Accreditation

G6

DiversifyingPathways for

SkillsAcquisition

Promote educational progression and permeabilitythrough multiple pathways, including for TVET students

G6_T1 Learning PathwaysG6_T2 Public Perception of Pathways for TVET

Facilitate life long learning through articulation of skillscertification and recognition of prior learning

G6_T3 Articulation of Skills CertificationG6_T4 Recognition of Prior Learning

Provide support services for skills acquisition byworkers, job seekers and the disadvantaged

G6_T5 Support for Further Occupational and Career DevelopmentG6_T6 Training related Provision of Services for the Disadvantaged

Dimen

sion

3

ServiceDe

livery

G7

EnablingDiversity andExcellence inTrainingProvision

Encourage and regulate non state provision of training

G7_T1 Scope and Formality of Non State Training ProvisionG7_T2 Incentives for Non State ProvidersG7_T3 Quality Assurance of Non State Training ProvisionG7_T4 Review of Policies towards Non State Training Provision

Combine incentives and autonomy in the managementof public training institutions

G7_T5 Targets and Incentives for Public Training InstitutionsG7_T6 Autonomy and Accountability of Public Training InstitutionsG7_T7 Introduction and Closure of Public Training Programs

G8

FosteringRelevance inPublic Training

Programs

Integrate industry and expert input into the design anddelivery of public training programs

G8_T1 Links between Training Institutions and IndustryG8_T2 Industry Role in the Design of Program CurriculaG8_T3 Industry Role in the Specification of Facility StandardsG8_T4 Links between Training and Research Institutions

Recruit and support administrators and instructors forenhancing the market relevance of public trainingprograms

G8_T5 Recruitment and In Service Training of Heads of Public TrainingInstitutions

G8_T6 Recruitment and In Service Training of Instructors of Public TrainingInstitutions

G9

EnhancingEvidencebased

Accountabilityfor Results

Expand the availability and use of policy relevant datafor focusing providers' attention on training outcomes,efficiency and innovation

G9_T1 Administrative Data from Training ProvidersG9_T2 Survey and Other Data

G9_T3 Use of Data to Monitor and Improve Program and System Performance

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Anne

x6:

Rubricsfor

ScoringtheSA

BERWfD

Data

Func

tiona

lDim

ensi

on 1

: Str

ateg

ic F

ram

ewor

kPo

licy

Goa

lL

evel

of D

evel

opm

ent

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G1: Setting a Strategic Direction for WfD

Vis

ible

cha

mpi

ons f

or W

fD a

re

eith

er a

bsen

t ort

ake

no sp

ecifi

c ac

tion

to a

dvan

ce st

rate

gic

WfD

pr

iorit

ies.

Som

e vi

sibl

e ch

ampi

ons p

rovi

de a

d-ho

cad

voca

cy fo

r WfD

and

hav

e ac

ted

on fe

w in

terv

entio

ns to

ad

vanc

e st

rate

gic

WfD

prio

ritie

s; n

oar

rang

emen

ts e

xist

to m

onito

r and

re

view

impl

emen

tatio

n pr

ogre

ss.

Gov

ernm

ent l

eade

rs e

xerc

ise

sust

aine

dad

voca

cyfo

r WfD

with

oc

casi

onal

, ad-

hoc

parti

cipa

tion

from

non

-gov

ernm

ent l

eade

rs; t

heir

advo

cacy

focu

ses o

n se

lect

ed

indu

strie

s or e

cono

mic

sect

ors a

nd

man

ifest

s its

elf t

hrou

gh a

ran

ge o

f sp

ecifi

c in

terv

entio

ns;

impl

emen

tatio

n pr

ogre

ss is

m

onito

red,

alb

eit t

hrou

gh a

d-ho

c re

view

s.

Bot

h go

vern

men

t and

non

-go

vern

men

t lea

ders

exe

rcis

e su

stai

ned

advo

cacy

for W

fD, a

nd

rely

on

rout

ine,

inst

itutio

naliz

ed

proc

esse

s to

colla

bora

te o

n w

ell-

inte

grat

ed in

terv

entio

ns to

adv

ance

a

stra

tegi

c, e

cono

my-

wid

e W

fD

polic

y ag

enda

; im

plem

enta

tion

prog

ress

is m

onito

red

and

revi

ewed

th

roug

h ro

utin

e, in

stitu

tiona

lized

pr

oces

ses.

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Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 1

: Str

ateg

ic F

ram

ewor

k

Polic

yG

oal

Lev

el o

f Dev

elop

men

t L

aten

t E

mer

ging

E

stab

lishe

dA

dvan

ced

G2: Fostering a Demand-LedApproach to WfD

Ther

e is

no

asse

ssm

ent o

f the

co

untry

's ec

onom

ic p

rosp

ects

and

th

eir i

mpl

icat

ions

for s

kills

; ind

ustry

an

d em

ploy

ers h

ave

a lim

ited

or n

o ro

le in

def

inin

g st

rate

gic

WfD

pr

iorit

ies a

nd re

ceiv

e lim

ited

supp

ort

from

the

gove

rnm

ent f

or sk

ills

upgr

adin

g.

Som

e ad

-hoc

asse

ssm

ents

exi

st o

n th

e co

untry

's ec

onom

ic p

rosp

ects

an

d th

eir i

mpl

icat

ions

for s

kills

;so

me

mea

sure

s are

take

n to

add

ress

cr

itica

l ski

lls c

onst

rain

ts (e

.g.,

ince

ntiv

es fo

r ski

lls u

pgra

ding

by

empl

oyer

s); t

he g

over

nmen

t mak

es

limite

def

forts

to e

ngag

e em

ploy

ers

as st

rate

gic

partn

ers i

n W

fD.

Rou

tine

asse

ssm

ents

bas

ed o

n m

ultip

le d

ata

sour

ces e

xist

on

the

coun

try's

econ

omic

pro

spec

ts a

nd

thei

r im

plic

atio

ns fo

r ski

lls; a

wid

e ra

nge

of m

easu

resw

ithbr

oad

cove

rage

are

take

n to

add

ress

crit

ical

sk

ills c

onst

rain

ts; t

he g

over

nmen

t re

cogn

izes

em

ploy

ers a

s stra

tegi

c pa

rtner

s in

WfD

, for

mal

izes

thei

r ro

le, a

nd p

rovi

des s

uppo

rt fo

r ski

lls

upgr

adin

g th

roug

h in

cent

ive

sche

mes

that

are

rev

iew

ed a

nd

adju

sted

.

A ri

ch a

rray

of r

outin

e an

d ro

bust

as

sess

men

ts b

y m

ultip

lest

akeh

olde

rs e

xist

s on

the

coun

try's

econ

omic

pro

spec

ts a

nd th

eir

impl

icat

ions

for s

kills

; the

in

form

atio

n pr

ovid

es a

bas

is fo

r a

wid

e ra

nge

of m

easu

res w

ith b

road

cove

rage

that

add

ress

crit

ical

skill

s co

nstra

ints

; the

gov

ernm

ent

reco

gniz

es e

mpl

oyer

s as s

trate

gic

partn

ers i

n W

fD, f

orm

aliz

es th

eir

role

, and

pro

vide

s sup

port

for s

kills

up

grad

ing

thro

ugh

ince

ntiv

es,

incl

udin

g so

me

form

of a

levy

-gra

nt

sche

me,

that

are

syst

emat

ical

ly

revi

ewed

for i

mpa

ct a

nd a

djus

ted

acco

rdin

gly.

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Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 1

: Str

ateg

ic F

ram

ewor

k

Polic

yG

oal

Lev

el o

f Dev

elop

men

t

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ngE

stab

lishe

dA

dvan

ced

G3: Strengthening Critical Coordination for Implementation

Indu

stry

/em

ploy

ers h

ave

a lim

ited

or n

o ro

le in

def

inin

g st

rate

gic

WfD

prio

ritie

s; th

e go

vern

men

t ei

ther

pro

vide

s no

ince

ntiv

es to

en

cour

age

skill

s upg

radi

ng b

y em

ploy

ers o

r con

duct

s no

revi

ews

of su

ch in

cent

ive

prog

ram

s.

Indu

stry

/em

ploy

ers h

elp

defin

e W

fD

prio

ritie

s on

an a

d-ho

cba

sis a

nd

mak

e lim

ited

cont

ribut

ions

to

addr

ess s

kills

impl

icat

ions

of m

ajor

po

licy/

inve

stm

ent d

ecis

ions

; the

go

vern

men

t pro

vide

s som

e in

cent

ives

fo

r ski

lls u

pgra

ding

for f

orm

al a

nd

info

rmal

sect

or e

mpl

oyer

s; if

a le

vy-

gran

t sch

eme

exis

ts it

s cov

erag

e is

lim

ited;

ince

ntiv

e pr

ogra

ms a

re n

ot

syst

emat

ical

ly re

view

edfo

r im

pact

.

Indu

stry

/em

ploy

ers h

elp

defin

e W

fD

prio

ritie

s on

a ro

utin

eba

sis a

nd

mak

e so

me

cont

ribut

ions

in se

lect

ed

area

s to

addr

ess t

he sk

ills

impl

icat

ions

of m

ajor

po

licy/

inve

stm

ent d

ecis

ions

; the

go

vern

men

t pro

vide

s a r

ange

of

ince

ntiv

es fo

r ski

lls u

pgra

ding

for a

ll em

ploy

ers;

a le

vy-g

rant

sche

me

with

br

oad

cove

rage

of f

orm

al se

ctor

em

ploy

ers e

xist

s; in

cent

ive

prog

ram

s ar

esy

stem

atic

ally

revi

ewed

and

adju

sted

; an

annu

al re

port

on th

e le

vy-g

rant

sche

me

is p

ublis

hed

with

a tim

e la

g.

Indu

stry

/em

ploy

ers h

elp

defin

e W

fD

prio

ritie

s on

a ro

utin

eba

sis a

nd

mak

e si

gnifi

cant

con

tribu

tions

in

mul

tiple

area

s to

addr

ess t

he sk

ills

impl

icat

ions

of m

ajor

po

licy/

inve

stm

ent d

ecis

ions

; the

go

vern

men

t pro

vide

s a r

ange

of

ince

ntiv

es fo

r ski

lls u

pgra

ding

for a

ll em

ploy

ers;

a le

vy-g

rant

sche

me

with

com

preh

ensi

ve c

over

age

of fo

rmal

se

ctor

em

ploy

ers e

xist

s; in

cent

ive

prog

ram

s to

enco

urag

e sk

ills

upgr

adin

g ar

e sy

stem

atic

ally

re

view

ed fo

r im

pact

on

skill

s and

pr

oduc

tivity

and

are

adj

uste

dac

cord

ingl

y; a

nan

nual

repo

rt on

the

levy

-gra

nt sc

hem

e is

pub

lishe

d in

atim

ely

fash

ion.

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Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 2

: Sys

tem

Ove

rsig

ht

Polic

yG

oal

Lev

el o

f Dev

elop

men

t

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G4: Ensuring Efficiency and Equity in Funding

The

gove

rnm

ent f

unds

IVET

, CV

ET

and

ALM

Ps (b

ut n

ot O

JT in

SM

Es)

base

d on

ad-

hoc

budg

etin

g pr

oces

ses,

but t

akes

no

actio

n to

faci

litat

e fo

rmal

pa

rtner

ship

s bet

wee

n tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers a

nd e

mpl

oyer

s; th

e im

pact

of

fund

ing

on th

e be

nefic

iarie

s of t

rain

ing

prog

ram

s has

not

bee

n re

cent

ly

revi

ewed

.

The

gove

rnm

ent f

unds

IVET

, CV

ET

(incl

udin

g O

JT in

SM

Es) a

nd A

LMPs

; fu

ndin

g fo

r IV

ET a

nd C

VET

follo

ws

rout

ine

budg

etin

g pr

oces

ses i

nvol

ving

on

ly g

over

nmen

t off

icia

ls w

ithal

loca

tions

det

erm

ined

larg

ely

by th

e pr

evio

us y

ear'

s bud

get;

fund

ing

for

ALM

Ps is

dec

ided

by

gove

rnm

ent

offic

ials

on

anad

-hoc

bas

is a

nd ta

rget

s se

lect

pop

ulat

ion

grou

ps th

roug

h va

rious

cha

nnel

s; th

e go

vern

men

t ta

kess

ome

actio

n to

faci

litat

e fo

rmal

partn

ersh

ips b

etw

een

indi

vidu

al

train

ing

prov

ider

s and

em

ploy

ers;

re

cent

revi

ews c

onsi

dere

d th

e im

pact

of

fund

ing

on o

nly

trai

ning

-rel

ated

in

dica

tors

(e.g

. enr

ollm

ent,

com

plet

ion)

, whi

ch st

imul

ated

di

alog

ue a

mon

g so

me

WfD

st

akeh

olde

rs.

The

gove

rnm

ent f

unds

IVET

, CV

ET

(incl

udin

g O

JT in

SM

Es) a

nd A

LMPs

; fu

ndin

g fo

r IV

ET is

rou

tine

and

base

d on

mul

tiple

crit

eria

, inc

ludi

ng

evid

ence

of p

rogr

am e

ffec

tiven

ess;

re

curr

ent f

undi

ng fo

r CV

ET re

lies o

nfo

rmal

proc

esse

s with

inpu

t fro

m k

ey

stak

ehol

ders

and

ann

ual r

epor

ting

with

a

lag;

fund

ing

for A

LMPs

is

dete

rmin

ed th

roug

h a

syst

emat

icpr

oces

s with

inpu

t fro

m k

ey

stak

ehol

ders

; ALM

Ps ta

rget

div

erse

popu

latio

n gr

oups

thro

ugh

vario

us

chan

nels

and

are

revi

ewed

for i

mpa

ct

but f

ollo

w-u

p is

lim

ited;

the

gove

rnm

ent

take

s act

ion

to fa

cilit

ate

form

alpa

rtner

ship

sbet

wee

n tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers a

nd e

mpl

oyer

s at m

ultip

le

leve

ls (i

nstit

utio

nal a

nd sy

stem

ic);

rece

nt re

view

s con

side

red

the

impa

ct

of fu

ndin

g on

bot

h tra

inin

g-re

late

d in

dica

tors

and

labo

r mar

ket o

utco

mes

; th

e re

view

s stim

ulat

ed d

ialo

gue

amon

g W

fD st

akeh

olde

rs a

nd so

me

reco

mm

enda

tions

wer

e im

plem

ente

d.

The

gove

rnm

ent f

unds

IVET

, CV

ET

(incl

udin

g O

JT in

SM

Es) a

nd A

LMPs

; fu

ndin

g fo

r IV

ET is

rou

tine

and

base

d on

com

preh

ensi

ve c

riter

ia, i

nclu

ding

ev

iden

ce o

f pro

gram

eff

ectiv

enes

s, th

at

are

rout

inel

y re

view

ed a

nd a

djus

ted;

recu

rren

t fun

ding

for C

VET

relie

s on

form

alpr

oces

sesw

ithin

put f

rom

key

st

akeh

olde

rs a

nd ti

mel

y an

nual

re

port

ing;

fund

ing

for A

LMPs

is

dete

rmin

ed th

roug

ha

syst

emat

ic

proc

ess w

ith in

put f

rom

key

st

akeh

olde

rs; A

LMPs

targ

et d

iver

sepo

pula

tion

grou

ps th

roug

h va

rious

ch

anne

ls a

nd a

re re

view

ed fo

r im

pact

an

d ad

just

ed a

ccor

ding

ly; t

he

gove

rnm

ent t

akes

act

ion

to fa

cilit

ate

form

alpa

rtner

ship

s bet

wee

n tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers a

nd e

mpl

oyer

s at a

ll le

vels

(inst

itutio

nal a

nd sy

stem

ic);

rece

nt

revi

ews c

onsi

dere

d th

e im

pact

of

fund

ing

on a

full

rang

e of

trai

ning

-re

late

d in

dica

tors

and

labo

r mar

ket

outc

omes

; the

revi

ews s

timul

ated

broa

d-ba

sed

dial

ogue

am

ong

WfD

st

akeh

olde

rs a

nd k

ey

reco

mm

enda

tions

wer

e im

plem

ente

d.

COUNTR

YNAM

EWORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|YEA

R

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

73

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 2

: Sys

tem

Ove

rsig

htPo

licy

Goa

lL

evel

of D

evel

opm

ent

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G5: Assuring Relevant and Reliable Standards

Polic

y di

alog

ue o

n co

mpe

tenc

y st

anda

rds a

nd/o

r th

e N

QF

occu

rs o

n an

ad-

hoc

basi

s with

lim

ited

enga

gem

ent

of k

ey st

akeh

olde

rs;

com

pete

ncy

stan

dard

s hav

e no

t bee

n de

fined

; ski

lls

test

ing

for m

ajor

occ

upat

ions

is

mai

nly

theo

ry-b

ased

and

ce

rtific

ates

aw

arde

d ar

e re

cogn

ized

by

publ

ic se

ctor

em

ploy

erso

nly

and

have

little

impa

ct o

n em

ploy

men

t an

d ea

rnin

gs; n

o sy

stem

is in

pl

ace

to e

stab

lish

accr

edita

tion

stan

dard

s.

A fe

w st

akeh

olde

rs e

ngag

e in

ad-

hoc

polic

y di

alog

ue o

n co

mpe

tenc

y st

anda

rds a

nd/o

r the

N

QF;

com

pete

ncy

stan

dard

s exi

st

for a

few

occ

upat

ions

and

are

us

ed b

y so

me

train

ing

prov

ider

s in

thei

r pro

gram

s; sk

ills t

estin

g is

co

mpe

tenc

y-ba

sed

for a

few

oc

cupa

tions

but

for t

he m

ost p

art

ism

ainl

y th

eory

-bas

ed;

certi

ficat

es a

rere

cogn

ized

by

publ

ic a

nd so

me

priv

ate

sect

or

empl

oyer

s but

hav

e lit

tle im

pact

on e

mpl

oym

ent a

nd e

arni

ngs;

the

accr

edita

tion

of tr

aini

ng p

rovi

ders

is

supe

rvis

ed b

y a

dedi

cate

d of

fice

in th

e re

leva

nt m

inis

try;

priv

ate

prov

ider

s are

requ

ired

to

be a

ccre

dite

d, h

owev

er

accr

edita

tion

stan

dard

s are

not

co

nsis

tent

ly p

ublic

ized

or

enfo

rced

; pro

vide

rs a

re o

ffer

ed

som

ein

cent

ives

to se

ek a

nd re

tain

ac

cred

itatio

n.

Num

erou

s sta

keho

lder

s eng

age

in p

olic

y di

alog

ue o

n co

mpe

tenc

y st

anda

rds a

nd/o

r th

e N

QF

thro

ugh

inst

itutio

naliz

ed

proc

esse

s; c

ompe

tenc

y st

anda

rds e

xist

fo

r mos

t occ

upat

ions

and

are

use

d by

som

e tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers i

n th

eir

prog

ram

s; th

e N

QF,

if in

pla

ce, c

over

s so

me

occu

patio

ns a

nd a

rang

e of

skill

le

vels

; ski

lls te

stin

g fo

r mos

t occ

upat

ions

fo

llow

s sta

ndar

d pr

oced

ures

, is

com

pete

ncy-

base

d an

d as

sess

es b

oth

theo

retic

al k

now

ledg

e an

d pr

actic

al

skill

s; c

ertif

icat

es a

re re

cogn

ized

by b

oth

publ

ic a

nd p

riva

te se

ctor

em

ploy

ers

and

may

impa

ct e

mpl

oym

ent a

nd

earn

ings

; the

acc

redi

tatio

n of

trai

ning

pr

ovid

ers i

s sup

ervi

sed

by a

ded

icat

ed

agen

cy in

the

rele

vant

min

istry

; the

ag

ency

is re

spon

sibl

e fo

r def

inin

g ac

cred

itatio

n st

anda

rds w

ith st

akeh

olde

r in

put;

stan

dard

s are

revi

ewed

on

an a

d-ho

c ba

sis a

nd a

re p

ublic

ized

or e

nfor

ced

to so

me

exte

nt; a

ll pr

ovid

ers r

ecei

ving

pu

blic

fund

ing

mus

t be

accr

edite

d;

prov

ider

s are

off

ered

ince

ntiv

es a

ndlim

ited

supp

ort t

o se

ek a

nd re

tain

ac

cred

itatio

n.

All

key

stak

ehol

ders

eng

age

in p

olic

y di

alog

ue o

n co

mpe

tenc

y st

anda

rds a

nd/o

r th

e N

QF

thro

ugh

inst

itutio

naliz

edpr

oces

ses;

com

pete

ncy

stan

dard

s exi

st fo

r m

osto

ccup

atio

ns a

nd a

re u

sed

by tr

aini

ng

prov

ider

s in

thei

r pro

gram

s; th

e N

QF,

if in

pl

ace,

cov

ers m

ost o

ccup

atio

ns a

nd a

wid

era

nge

of sk

ill le

vels

; ski

lls te

stin

g fo

r m

ost o

ccup

atio

ns fo

llow

s sta

ndar

d pr

oced

ures

, is c

ompe

tenc

y-ba

sed

and

asse

sses

both

theo

retic

al k

now

ledg

e an

d pr

actic

al sk

ills;

robu

st p

roto

cols

,in

clud

ing

rand

om a

udits

, ens

ure

the

cred

ibili

ty o

f cer

tific

atio

n; c

ertif

icat

es a

reva

lued

by

mos

t em

ploy

ers a

nd

cons

iste

ntly

impr

ove

empl

oym

ent

pros

pect

s and

ear

ning

s; th

e ac

cred

itatio

n of

trai

ning

pro

vide

rs is

supe

rvis

ed b

y a

dedi

cate

d ag

ency

in th

e re

leva

nt m

inis

try;

the

agen

cy is

resp

onsi

ble

for d

efin

ing

accr

edita

tion

stan

dard

s in

cons

ulta

tion

with

stak

ehol

ders

; sta

ndar

ds a

re re

view

ed

follo

win

g es

tabl

ishe

d pr

otoc

ols a

nd a

re

publ

iciz

ed a

nd r

outin

ely

enfo

rced

; all

train

ing

prov

ider

s are

requ

ired

as w

ell a

s of

fere

d in

cent

ives

and

supp

ort t

o se

ek

and

reta

in a

ccre

dita

tion.

COUNTR

YNAM

EWORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|YEA

R

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

74

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 2

: Sys

tem

Ove

rsig

htPo

licy

Goa

lL

evel

of D

evel

opm

ent

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G6: Diversifying Pathways for Skills Acquisition

Stud

ents

in te

chni

cal a

nd v

ocat

iona

l ed

ucat

ion

have

few

or

no o

ptio

nsfo

r fur

ther

form

al sk

ills a

cqui

sitio

n be

yond

the

seco

ndar

y le

vel a

nd th

e go

vern

men

t tak

es n

o ac

tion

to

impr

ove

publ

ic p

erce

ptio

n of

TV

ET; c

ertif

icat

es fo

r tec

hnic

al a

nd

voca

tiona

l pro

gram

s are

not

reco

gniz

ed in

the

NQ

F;

qual

ifica

tions

cer

tifie

d by

non

-Ed

ucat

ion

min

istri

es a

re n

otre

cogn

ized

by

form

al p

rogr

ams

unde

r the

Min

istry

of E

duca

tion;

re

cogn

ition

of p

rior l

earn

ing

rece

ives

lim

ited

atte

ntio

n; th

e go

vern

men

t pro

vide

s pra

ctic

ally

no

supp

ort f

or fu

rther

occ

upat

iona

l an

d ca

reer

dev

elop

men

t, or

trai

ning

pr

ogra

ms f

or d

isad

vant

aged

po

pula

tions

.

Stud

ents

in te

chni

cal a

nd v

ocat

iona

l ed

ucat

ion

can

only

pro

gres

s to

voca

tiona

lly-o

rien

ted,

non

-un

iver

sity

pro

gram

s; th

e go

vern

men

t tak

es li

mite

dac

tion

to

impr

ove

publ

ic p

erce

ptio

n of

TV

ET

(e.g

. div

ersi

fyin

g le

arni

ng p

athw

ays)

; so

me

certi

ficat

esfo

r tec

hnic

al a

nd

voca

tiona

l pro

gram

s are

reco

gniz

ed

in th

e N

QF;

few

qual

ifica

tions

certi

fied

by n

on-E

duca

tion

min

istri

es

are

reco

gniz

edby

form

al p

rogr

ams

unde

r the

Min

istry

of E

duca

tion;

po

licy-

mak

ers p

ay so

me

atte

ntio

n to

th

e re

cogn

ition

of p

rior l

earn

ing

and

prov

ide

the

publ

ic w

ith so

me

info

rmat

ion

on th

e su

bjec

t; th

e go

vern

men

t off

ers l

imite

dse

rvic

esfo

r fur

ther

occ

upat

iona

l and

car

eer

deve

lopm

ent t

hrou

gh st

and-

alon

elo

cal s

ervi

ce c

ente

rs th

at a

re n

otin

tegr

ated

into

a sy

stem

; tra

inin

g pr

ogra

ms f

or d

isad

vant

aged

po

pula

tions

rece

ive

ad-h

oc su

ppor

t.

Stud

ents

in te

chni

cal a

nd v

ocat

iona

l ed

ucat

ion

can

prog

ress

to v

ocat

iona

lly-

orie

nted

pro

gram

s, in

clud

ing

at th

e un

iver

sity

leve

l; th

e go

vern

men

t tak

esso

me

actio

n to

impr

ove

publ

ic

perc

eptio

n of

TV

ET (e

.g. d

iver

sify

ing

lear

ning

pat

hway

s and

impr

ovin

g pr

ogra

m q

ualit

y) a

nd re

view

s the

im

pact

of s

uch

effo

rts o

n an

ad-

hoc

basi

s; m

ost c

ertif

icat

es fo

r tec

hnic

al

and

voca

tiona

l pro

gram

s are

reco

gniz

ed

in th

e N

QF;

a la

rge

num

ber

ofqu

alifi

catio

ns c

ertif

ied

by n

on-

Educ

atio

n m

inis

tries

are

reco

gniz

ed b

y fo

rmal

pro

gram

s und

er th

e M

inis

try o

f Ed

ucat

ion,

alb

eit w

ithou

t the

gra

ntin

g of

cre

dits

; pol

icy-

mak

ers g

ive

som

e at

tent

ion

to th

e re

cogn

ition

of p

rior

lear

ning

and

pro

vide

the

publ

ic w

ith

som

e in

form

atio

non

the

subj

ect;

afo

rmal

ass

ocia

tion

of st

akeh

olde

rs

prov

ides

dedi

cate

dat

tent

ion

to a

dult

lear

ning

issu

es; t

he g

over

nmen

t off

ers

limite

dse

rvic

es fo

r fur

ther

oc

cupa

tiona

l and

car

eer d

evel

opm

ent,

whi

ch a

re a

vaila

ble

thro

ugh

anin

tegr

ated

net

wor

k of

cen

ters

;tra

inin

g pr

ogra

ms f

or d

isad

vant

aged

po

pula

tions

rece

ive

syst

emat

ic su

ppor

t an

d ar

e re

view

ed fo

r im

pact

on

an a

d-ho

cba

sis.

Stud

ents

in te

chni

cal a

nd v

ocat

iona

l ed

ucat

ion

can

prog

ress

to a

cade

mic

ally

or

voca

tiona

lly-o

rien

ted

prog

ram

s,in

clud

ing

at th

e un

iver

sity

leve

l; th

e go

vern

men

t tak

es c

oher

ent a

ctio

non

mul

tiple

fron

ts to

impr

ove

publ

ic

perc

eptio

n of

TV

ET (e

.g. d

iver

sify

ing

lear

ning

pat

hway

s and

impr

ovin

g pr

ogra

m

qual

ity a

nd re

leva

nce,

with

the

supp

ort o

f a

med

ia c

ampa

ign)

and

rou

tinel

yre

view

s an

d ad

just

s suc

h ef

forts

to m

axim

ize

thei

r im

pact

; mos

t cer

tific

ates

for t

echn

ical

and

vo

catio

nal p

rogr

ams a

re re

cogn

ized

in th

e N

QF;

a la

rge

num

ber

of q

ualif

icat

ions

ce

rtifie

d by

non

-Edu

catio

n m

inis

tries

are

re

cogn

ized

and

gra

nted

cre

dits

by

form

al

prog

ram

s und

er th

e M

inis

try o

f Edu

catio

n;

polic

y-m

aker

s giv

e su

stai

ned

atte

ntio

n to

th

e re

cogn

ition

of p

rior l

earn

ing

and

prov

ide

the

publ

ic w

ith c

ompr

ehen

sive

info

rmat

ion

on th

e su

bjec

t; a

natio

nal

orga

niza

tion

of st

akeh

olde

rs p

rovi

des

dedi

cate

dat

tent

ion

to a

dult

lear

ning

issu

es;

the

gove

rnm

ent o

ffer

s a c

ompr

ehen

sive

m

enu

of se

rvic

es fo

r fur

ther

occ

upat

iona

l an

d ca

reer

dev

elop

men

t, in

clud

ing

onlin

e re

sour

ces,

whi

ch a

re a

vaila

ble

thro

ugh

an

inte

grat

ed n

etw

ork

of c

ente

rs; t

rain

ing

prog

ram

s for

dis

adva

ntag

ed p

opul

atio

ns

rece

ive

syst

emat

ic su

ppor

t with

mul

ti-ye

arbu

dget

s and

are

rou

tinel

y re

view

edfo

rim

pact

and

adju

sted

acc

ordi

ngly

.

COUNTR

YNAM

EWORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|YEA

R

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

75

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 3

: Ser

vice

Del

iver

yPo

licy

Goa

lL

evel

of D

evel

opm

ent

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G7: Enabling Diversity and Excellence in Training Provision

Ther

e is

no

dive

rsity

of t

rain

ing

prov

isio

n as

the

syst

em is

larg

ely

com

pris

ed o

f pub

lic p

rovi

ders

with

limite

d or

no

auto

nom

y; tr

aini

ng

prov

isio

n is

not

info

rmed

by

form

al

asse

ssm

ent,

stak

ehol

der i

nput

or

perf

orm

ance

targ

ets.

Ther

e is

som

e di

vers

ity in

trai

ning

pr

ovis

ion;

non

-sta

te p

rovi

ders

ope

rate

w

ith li

mite

d go

vern

men

t inc

entiv

es

and

gove

rnan

ce o

ver r

egis

tratio

n,

licen

sing

and

qua

lity

assu

ranc

e;

publ

ic tr

aini

ng is

pro

vide

d by

in

stitu

tions

with

som

e au

tono

my

and

info

rmed

by

som

e as

sess

men

tof

impl

emen

tatio

n co

nstra

ints

, st

akeh

olde

r inp

ut a

nd b

asic

targ

ets.

Ther

e is

div

ersi

ty in

trai

ning

pr

ovis

ion;

non

-sta

te tr

aini

ng

prov

ider

s, so

me

regi

ster

ed a

nd

licen

sed,

ope

rate

with

in a

ran

ge o

f go

vern

men

t inc

entiv

es, s

yste

mat

ic

qual

ity a

ssur

ance

mea

sure

s and

ro

utin

ere

view

sof g

over

nmen

t po

licie

s tow

ard

non-

stat

e tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers;

pub

lic p

rovi

ders

,mos

tly

gove

rned

by

man

agem

ent b

oard

s, ha

ve so

me

auto

nom

y; tr

aini

ng

prov

isio

n is

info

rmed

by

form

al

anal

ysis

of i

mpl

emen

tatio

n co

nstra

ints

, sta

keho

lder

inpu

t and

ba

sic

targ

ets;

lagg

ing

prov

ider

s re

ceiv

e su

ppor

t and

exe

mpl

ary

inst

itutio

ns a

re r

ewar

ded.

Ther

e is

bro

ad d

iver

sity

in tr

aini

ng

prov

isio

n; n

on-s

tate

trai

ning

pr

ovid

ers,

mos

t reg

iste

red

and

licen

sed,

ope

rate

with

com

preh

ensi

ve g

over

nmen

t in

cent

ives

, sys

tem

atic

qua

lity

assu

ranc

e m

easu

res a

nd r

outin

e re

view

and

adju

stm

ent o

fgo

vern

men

t pol

icie

s tow

ard

non-

stat

e tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers;

pub

lic p

rovi

ders

, m

ostly

gov

erne

d by

man

agem

ent

boar

ds, h

ave

signi

fican

t aut

onom

y;

deci

sion

s abo

ut tr

aini

ng p

rovi

sion

are

tim

e-bo

und

and

info

rmed

by

form

al

asse

ssm

ent o

f im

plem

enta

tion

cons

train

ts; s

take

hold

er in

put a

nd u

se

of a

var

iety

ofm

easu

res t

oin

cent

iviz

e pe

rfor

man

ce in

clud

e su

ppor

t, re

war

ds a

nd p

erfo

rman

ce-

base

d fu

ndin

g.

COUNTR

YNAM

EWORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|YEA

R

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

76

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 3

: Ser

vice

Del

iver

y Po

licy

Goa

lL

evel

of D

evel

opm

ent

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G8: Fostering Relevance in Public Training Programs

Ther

e ar

e fe

w o

r no

att

empt

s to

fost

er re

leva

nce

in p

ublic

trai

ning

pr

ogra

ms t

hrou

gh e

ncou

ragi

ng li

nks

betw

een

train

ing

inst

itutio

ns, i

ndus

try

and

rese

arch

inst

itutio

ns o

r thr

ough

se

tting

stan

dard

s for

the

recr

uitm

ent

and

train

ing

of h

eads

and

inst

ruct

ors

in tr

aini

ng in

stitu

tions

.

Rel

evan

ce o

f pub

lic tr

aini

ng is

en

hanc

ed th

roug

h in

form

al li

nks

betw

een

som

e tra

inin

g in

stitu

tions

, in

dust

ry a

nd re

sear

ch in

stitu

tions

, in

clud

ing

inpu

t int

o th

e de

sign

of

curr

icul

a an

d fa

cilit

y st

anda

rds;

hea

ds

and

inst

ruct

ors a

re re

crui

ted

on th

e ba

sis o

f min

imum

aca

dem

ic

stan

dard

s and

hav

e lim

ited

oppo

rtuni

ties f

or p

rofe

ssio

nal

deve

lopm

ent.

Rel

evan

ce o

f pub

lic tr

aini

ng is

enha

nced

thro

ugh

form

al li

nks

betw

een

som

e tra

inin

g in

stitu

tions

, in

dust

ry a

nd re

sear

ch in

stitu

tions

,le

adin

g to

col

labo

ratio

n in

seve

ral

area

s inc

ludi

ng b

ut n

ot li

mite

d to

the

desi

gn o

f cur

ricul

a an

d fa

cilit

y st

anda

rds;

hea

ds a

nd in

stru

ctor

s are

re

crui

ted

on th

e ba

sis o

f min

imum

ac

adem

ic a

nd p

rofe

ssio

nal

stan

dard

s and

hav

e re

gula

r ac

cess

to o

ppor

tuni

ties f

or p

rofe

ssio

nal

deve

lopm

ent.

Rel

evan

ce o

f pub

lic tr

aini

ng is

en

hanc

ed th

roug

h fo

rmal

link

s be

twee

n m

ost t

rain

ing

inst

itutio

ns,

indu

stry

and

rese

arch

inst

itutio

ns,

lead

ing

to si

gnifi

cant

col

labo

ratio

n in

a

wid

e ra

nge

of a

reas

; hea

ds a

nd

inst

ruct

ors a

re re

crui

ted

on th

e ba

sis

of m

inim

um a

cade

mic

and

pr

ofes

sion

al st

anda

rds a

nd h

ave

regu

lar

acce

ss to

div

erse

op

portu

nitie

sfor

pro

fess

iona

l de

velo

pmen

t, in

clud

ing

indu

stry

at

tach

men

ts fo

r ins

truct

ors.

COUNTR

YNAM

EWORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|YEA

R

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

77

Func

tiona

l Dim

ensi

on 3

: Ser

vice

Del

iver

y

Polic

yG

oal

Lev

el o

f Dev

elop

men

t

Lat

ent

Em

ergi

ng

Est

ablis

hed

Adv

ance

d

G9: Enhancing Evidence-based Accountability for Results

Ther

e ar

e no

spec

ific

data

col

lect

ion

and

repo

rting

requ

irem

ents

,but

tra

inin

g pr

ovid

ers m

aint

ain

thei

r ow

n da

taba

ses;

the

gove

rnm

ent d

oes n

ot

cond

ucto

r sp

onso

r sk

ills-

rela

ted

surv

eys o

r im

pact

eva

luat

ions

and

ra

rely

use

s dat

a to

mon

itor a

nd

impr

ove

syst

em p

erfo

rman

ce.

Trai

ning

pro

vide

rs c

olle

ct a

nd re

port

adm

inis

trat

ive

data

and

ther

e ar

esi

gnifi

cant

gap

s in

repo

rting

by

non-

stat

e pr

ovid

ers;

som

e pu

blic

pr

ovid

ers i

ssue

ann

ual r

epor

ts a

nd th

e go

vern

men

t occ

asio

nally

spon

sors

or

cond

ucts

skill

s-re

late

d su

rvey

s; th

e go

vern

men

t doe

s not

con

solid

ate

data

in a

syst

em-w

ide

data

base

and

us

esm

ostly

adm

inis

trat

ive

data

to

mon

itor a

nd im

prov

e sy

stem

pe

rfor

man

ce; t

he g

over

nmen

t pu

blis

hes i

nfor

mat

ion

on g

radu

ate

labo

r mar

ket o

utco

mes

for s

ome

train

ing

prog

ram

s.

Trai

ning

pro

vide

rs c

olle

ct a

nd re

port

adm

inis

trat

ive

and

othe

r da

ta (e

.g.,

job

plac

emen

t sta

tistic

s, ea

rnin

gs o

f gr

adua

tes)

and

ther

e ar

e so

me

gaps

in

repo

rting

by

non-

stat

e pr

ovid

ers;

m

ost p

ublic

pro

vide

rs is

sue

inte

rnal

an

nual

repo

rts a

nd th

e go

vern

men

t ro

utin

ely

spon

sors

skill

s-re

late

d su

rvey

s; th

e go

vern

men

t con

solid

ates

da

ta in

a sy

stem

-wid

e da

taba

se a

nd

uses

adm

inis

trat

ive

data

and

in

form

atio

n fr

om su

rvey

s to

mon

itor

and

impr

ove

syst

em p

erfo

rman

ce; t

he

gove

rnm

ent p

ublis

hes i

nfor

mat

ion

on

grad

uate

labo

r mar

ket o

utco

mes

for

num

erou

s tra

inin

g pr

ogra

ms.

Trai

ning

pro

vide

rs c

olle

ct a

nd re

port

adm

inis

trat

ive

and

othe

r da

ta(e

.g.,

job

plac

emen

t sta

tistic

s, ea

rnin

gs o

f gr

adua

tes)

and

ther

e ar

e fe

w g

aps i

n re

porti

ng b

y no

n-st

ate

prov

ider

s;

mos

tpub

lic p

rovi

ders

issu

e pu

blic

ly

avai

labl

e an

nual

repo

rts a

nd th

e go

vern

men

t rou

tinel

ysp

onso

rs o

r co

nduc

ts sk

ills-

rela

ted

surv

eys a

nd

impa

ct e

valu

atio

ns; t

he g

over

nmen

t co

nsol

idat

es d

ata

in a

syst

em-w

ide,

up

to d

ate

data

base

and

use

s ad

min

istr

ativ

e da

ta, i

nfor

mat

ion

from

surv

eys a

ndim

pact

eval

uatio

ns to

mon

itor a

nd im

prov

e sy

stem

per

form

ance

; the

gov

ernm

ent

publ

ishe

s inf

orm

atio

n on

gra

duat

e la

bor m

arke

t out

com

es fo

r mos

ttra

inin

g pr

ogra

ms o

nlin

e.



Annex 7: References and Informants

References

ANU Enterprise. 2013. 2013 SIG RAMSI People’s Survey Report. ANU: Canberra.

Bateman, A, Cassity, E and Fangalasuu, J. 2014 draft. Research into the financing of TVET in the Pacific: SolomonIslands country report. DFAT and ACER: Canberra.

Central Bank of Solomon Islands (key economic indicators) 2013 and 2014.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) Australia. 2004. Solomon Islands: rebuilding an island economy. DFAT EastAsia Analytical Unit: Canberra.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) Australia.http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/solomon_islands/solomon_islands_brief.html. Accessed July 2013.

Gannicott, K. 2012. Education Expenditure and Sub Sector Analysis in Solomon Islands: Work in support of NEAPAssessment Report 2009 2013 and NEAP 2012 15; Solomon Islands Government Consolidated Budgets, Years2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.

IMF.World Economic Outlook Database,(http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/01/weodata/index.aspx). Accessed April 22, 2014.

Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry 2012, Skills in Demand Report 2011 2012, Honiara

Solomon Islands Government. MEHRD. 2011. MEHRD Performance Assessment Framework 2009 2011. HoniaraSIG

Solomon Islands Government. MEHRD. 2013.MEHRD Performance Assessment Report 2006 2013. Honiara SIG

Solomon Islands Government. MEHRD. 2010. National Education Action Plan 2007 2009. Honiara SIG

Solomon Islands Government. MEHRD. 2010. National Education Action Plan 2010 2012. Honiara SIG

Solomon Islands Government. MEHRD. 2013. National Education Action Plan 2013–2015. Honiara. SIG

Solomon Islands Government, MEHRD. 2010. Policy Statement and Guidelines for Tertiary Education in SolomonIslands. Honiara: SIG

Solomon Islands Government, MDPAC. 2011. National Human Resource Development Plan 2013 2015, Honiara:SIG.

Solomon Islands Government, MFT (budget data and key economic indicators) 2013 and 2014

Solomon Islands Government. Ministry of Public Service. 2013. Institute of Public Administration andManagement Learning and Development Prospectus 2013. Honiara: SIG.

Solomon Islands Government. 2013. Solomon Islands 2009 Population and Housing Census: Report on EconomicActivity and Labour Force. Honiara: SIG.

Solomon Islands Government. 2013. Solomon Islands Budget 2013: Budget Strategy and Outlook. Budget Paper;Volume 1.Honiara: SIG.

Solomon Islands Government. MEHRD. 2012. Solomon Islands Teaching Service Handbook 2012. Honiara: SIG.

Solomon Islands Government. 2010. SIG Approved 2010 Development Estimates. Honiara: SIG.





Solomon Islands Government. 2010. SIG Year 2010: Approved Recurrent Estimates. Honiara: SIG.

Solomon Islands Government. 2011. SIG Year 2011: Approved Recurrent Estimates. Honiara: SIG.

Solomon Islands Government. 2012. SIG Year 2012: Approved Recurrent Estimates. Budget Paper: Volume 2.Honiara: SIG.

Solomon Islands Government. 2012. SIG Year 2013: Approved Recurrent Estimates. Budget Paper: Volume 2.Honiara: SIG.

Solomon Islands Government. 2012. SIG Year 2013: Approved Development Estimates. Honiara: SIG.

UNICEF. 2005. Solomon Islands: A Situational analysis of women, children and youth. Fiji: UNICEF Pacific Office

World Bank. 2012. Improving Skills Development in the Informal Sector: Strategies for Sub Saharan Africa.Washington D.C.: World Bank.

World Bank. 2012. Skills for Solomon Islands: Opening New Opportunities. Sydney: World Bank.

World Bank. 2010. Solomon Islands Growth Prospects: Constraints and Policy Priorities, Discussion Note October2010. Washington DC: World Bank.

World Bank, 2014.Well being from Work in the Pacific Island Countries,Washington DC: World Bank.



List of informants

Name Position/Title Organization

Alice Fakarii ProgramManager, Education Australian Aid Program, DFAT

Alphea Hou HR Manager Pasifiki Services Ltd.

Alison Ofotalau Media Officer World Bank (Honiara)

Anne Tully Country Representative World Bank (Honiara)

Bede O'Brien Director APTC

Benedict Kausua Principal Education Officer TVET Division, MEHRD

Bernard Rapasia Principal Education Officer TVET Division, MEHRD

Bob Pollard Managing Director Pasifiki Services Ltd.

Cain Kaieti HR Manager Sol Tuna

Daniel Rove Director, Social SectorMinistry of Development, Planning and Aid

Coordination

David Iro Chairman Apprenticeship Board

David Kaumae Deputy Commissioner of Labour Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour andImmigration

Duffy Ako Senior Budget Analyst Budget Unit, Ministry of Finance and Treasury

Ed Smith Second Secretary Australian Aid Program, DFAT

Edwin Vovose HR Manager Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock

Emily Teaitala Under Secretary Ministry of Public Service

Enaly Fifiri Construction Capacity AdvisorRAMSI Solomon Islands Infrastructure

Partnership

Ethel Frances Consultant PROBUS

Franco RodieUnder Secretary, Permanent

Secretary ActingMEHRD

George Hemming Media Director Office of the Prime Minister

George Kokili Director ACOM, Education Authority

Gideon Row Principal Education Officer Bethesda Disability Training and Support Centre

James Dolarii Membership Services officer SICCI

James Niutaloa Inspector TVET Inspectorate Division, MEHRD

Jerry Manele Permanent Secretary Ministry of Development, Planning and AidCoordination



Name Position/Title Organization

Jerry Tegemoana Chief Executive Officer Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI)

Joash Maneipuri Director SSEC, Education Authority

Joe Sika Chairman Solomon Islands Manufacturers' Association

John Usuramo Director USP SI Campus

John Wate Director TVET Division, MEHRD

John Wesley Kumakana Principal Education Officer Bishop Koete RTC

Joseph Pitakia Director Seventh Day Adventist, Education Authority

Kirsten Hawke Counsellor Service Delivery Australian Aid Program, DFAT

Marlon Butler First Secretary Australian Aid Program, DFAT

Martin Hou Director MASE

Naoko Laka Project Formulation Advisor JICA, Japan

Noelyn Biliki Director Planning Coordination and Research Unit,MEHRD

Nollen Leni Manager, Government Affairs National Fisheries Development

Philemon Ruia Principal Education Officer St Dominics RTC, Catholic Diocese of Gizo

Ramo Darlyn Principal Planning Officer Social Services Section, MDPAC

Robinson Gegeu Chief Labour Officer Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour andImmigration

Robyn Galo Director Business Proficiency Training Centre

Rolland Delemani Employment Services Officer Solomon Islands National University (SINU)

Rose Isukana Chair Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce andIndustry (SICCI)

Rose Kudi Director (A) National Training Unit, MEHRD

Rose Wale Director Institute of Public Administration andManagement (IPAM)

Solomon Pita Director Institute of Technology SINU and Deputy Chairof App Board

Tiraro Galo Manager Curriculum and Standards Unit, Solomon IslandsNational University



Annex 8: SABER WfD ScoresPolicy Goal Policy Action Topic

Dimen

sion

1

1.9

G1 2.0 Provide sustained advocacy for WfD at the top leadership level 2.0 G1_T1 2G1_T2 2

G2 2.0

Establish clarity on the demand for skills and areas of criticalconstraint 2.0 G2_T1 2

G2_T2 2

Engage employers in setting WfD priorities and in enhancing skillsupgrading for workers 2.0

G2_T3 2G2_T4 2G2_T5 2

G3 1.7 Formalize key WfD roles for coordinated action on strategic priorities 1.7G3_T1 3G3_T2 1G3_T3 1

Dimen

sion

2

1.6

G4 1.4

Provide stable funding for effective programs in initial, continuingand targeted vocational education and training 1.3

G4_T1 infoG4_T2 2G4_T3 1G4_T4 1

Monitor and enhance equity in funding for training 1.3G4_T5_IVET 1G4_T5_CVET 2G4_T5_ALMP 1

Facilitate sustained partnerships between training institutions andemployers 2.0 G4_T6 2

G5 1.5

Broaden the scope of competency standards as a basis for developingqualifications frameworks 1.0 G5_T1 1

G5_T2 1

Establish protocols for assuring the credibility of skills testing andcertification 2.3

G5_T3 2G5_T4 2G5_T5 3

Develop and enforce accreditation standards for maintaining thequality of training provision 1.0

G5_T6 infoG5_T7 1G5_T8 1G5_T9 1

G6 2.0

Promote educational progression and permeability through multiplepathways, including for TVET students 2.0 G6_T1 3

G6_T2 1Facilitate life long learning through articulation of skills certificationand recognition of prior learning 2.0 G6_T3 2

G6_T4 2Provide support for skills acquisition by workers, job seekers and thedisadvantaged 2.0 G6_T5 2

G6_T6 2

Dimen

sion

3

1.8

G7 1.9

Encourage and regulate non state provision of training 1.5

G7_T1 2G7_T2 2G7_T3 1G7_T4 1

Combine incentives and autonomy in the management of publictraining institutions 2.3

G7_T5 1G7_T6 3G7_T7 3

G8 2.0

Integrate industry and expert input into the design and delivery ofpublic training programs 1.9

G8_T1 2.5G8_T2 2.5G8_T3 1.75G8_T4 1

Recruit and support administrators and instructors for enhancing themarket relevance of public training programs 2.1 G8_T5 2.5

G8_T6 1.75

G9 1.5 Expand the availability and use of policy relevant data for focusingproviders' attention on training outcomes, efficiency and innovation 1.5

G9_T1 2G9_T2 1.5G9_T3 1



Annex 9: Authorship and Acknowledgements

This report is the product of collaboration between Andrea Bateman and Judy Fangalasuu and staff at the WorldBank, comprising Stephen Close (Task Team Leader), as well as Jee Peng Tan, Ryan Flynn, and Viviana Gomez,who are leader and members, respectively, of the SABER WfD team based in the Education Global Practice. Aresearch team comprised of Andrea Bateman, Judy Fangalasuu, Ryan Flynn, and Stephen Close collected thedata using the SABER WfD data collection instrument, scored the data and wrote the report; the Bank teamscored the data, designed the template for the report, and made substantive contributions to the final write up.This report has benefited from suggestions and feedback from Luis Benveniste, Sukhdeep Brar, Rita Costa, FranzDrees Gross, Tobias Haque, David Letichevsky, and Anne Tully.

The research team acknowledges the support of all who have contributed to the report and its findings,including informants, survey respondents, participants at various consultation workshops, as well as othermembers of the SABER WfD team at the World Bank: Francisco Marmolejo, Rita Costa, Kiong Hock Lee, and JoyYoo Jeung Nam. The research team gratefully acknowledges the generous financial support of the Governmentof the United Kingdom through its Department for International Development’s Partnership for EducationDevelopment with the World Bank, which makes it possible for the SABER WfD team to provide technicalsupport to the principal investigator in the form of standardized tools for and guidance on data collection,analysis, and reporting. The team also acknowledges the generous financial support of the Government ofAustralia through its Pacific Trust Fund in supporting the country specific aspects of this research.



www.worldbank.org/education/saber

The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiativeproduces comparative data and knowledge on education policies andinstitutions, with the aim of helping countries systematicallystrengthen their education systems. SABER evaluates the quality ofeducation policies against evidence based global standards, using newdiagnostic tools and detailed policy data. The SABER country reportsgive all parties with a stake in educational results—fromadministrators, teachers, and parents to policymakers and businesspeople—an accessible, objective snapshot showing how well thepolicies of their country's education system are oriented towardensuring that all children and youth learn.

This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of workforcedevelopment.

This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, andconclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, orthe governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. Theboundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on thepart of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.

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SOLOMON Solomon Islands - World Bankwbgfiles.worldbank.org/documents/hdn/ed/saber/... · Solomon Islands. Next steps Solomon Islands is facing some key challenges in relation to workforce