Skills and Productivity

1. Skills and Productivity Caribbean Growth Forum June 5, 2013 Belize Biltmore Best Western Hotel

2. Skills • is the learned capacity or ability to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. In other words the abilities that one possesses. Skills can be divided into “hard skills and “soft skills. Based on this definition skills are learnt not inherited.

3. Productivity • The rate at which goods or services are produced especially output per unit of labor. • What Drives Productivity? • There are 5 main areas which drive productivity • Investment • Innovation • Skills • Enterprise • Competition • Other drivers of productivity growth include effective supervision (level and type of supervision) and job satisfaction.

4. Words from the Minister • We cannot have a skilled and productive workforce without education. Our current education situation reveals that while we are doing many good things we still have a long way to go. • How do we justify the continued heavy investment in education if such investment is not leading to the transformative results we desire? • The answer to this question is that education can be truly transformative and so the challenge is not so much about investing more as it is about doing things differently! • Any additional investment in education must be aimed at changing the status quo!”

5. Education Snapshot • Pre-school • 1 in 3 children (3 and 4 yrs olds) are enrolled in pre-school • Children in rural areas have less access to pre-school education • Enrolment still below the regional average of 65% • Primary School • Repetition rate has declined (7.0% down from 9.7%) • Repetition higher among the males school population • Significant gains in the Enrolment rates; however; 2235 children (ages 5 to 12) are not in school (2010 National Census) • National curriculum in place since 2002 • Higher repetition rates at the early stages (14% at Infant 1) • PSE results show poor performance in Math and English • Teaching force primarily untrained. 47% trained teacher at primary level and 33% at the secondary.

6. Education Snapshot • High School • Transition rate from Primary to secondary stood at 89.2% (2009/10) • High dropout high repetition at the secondary level • Female enrollment through the 4 years of secondary school is higher than that for males • PSE scores do not show any significant increase in performance; despite having an average student teacher ratio of (22:1) • Limited ICT in schools • Limited access in rural areas • No international measure of our quality of education • ITVET • ITVET not attracting the anticipated enrollment levels • Image as a drop center • Limited access • Properly equipped but severely underutilized • Un-qualified instructors

7. Education Snapshot • Tertiary • Increased enrolment in tertiary levels but access remain an issue for the rural population • The National University has 145 faculty members of that total 22 have a PhD while 108 have a Master’s Degree in their relevant area of responsibility • Graduation rates increasing but a disparity between males and females. ( January 2012 405 students graduated from UB 133 Males and 272 females) • 165 of those graduating were from an Education related program • Curriculum review currently being conducted at UB

8. Spending • 55% of the education budget is spent on the primary education ; 28% on Secondary 5% on tertiary and 2% on ITVET’s • Bulk of expenses includes salaries, while other non wage expenses include tuition and fees scholarships, tuition grants, textbooks and transportation. • Significant investment in teacher training • UB budget increased to $10 million

9. Other initiatives • Several out-of – school program on going (magazine road program YWCA, Friends Boys school, Gwen Lizarraga program ) • Apprenticeship program currently has an intake of 150 persons placed at various business places. Success rate at approximately 30%. • Other initiatives to increase access to training (ex: EU/UB banana belt project, Orange Walk teacher training program) • Financial literacy initiative ( needs to be expanded to all levels of education) • Limited entrepreneurship training within the school system

10. Labour Snapshot • The Ministry of Labour has an employment service being offered in every district via the Labour Department. • Program has been in place for over 10 years and was started by BELTRAIDE. • Seeks to attract job seekers and connect them with employers. It also provides basic training in resume writing and job application process. • Job seekers are provided short training sessions on the expectations at work including some labour education. • Some of the other constraints include: • Placement rate low • Quality of job seekers • Public knowledge • Access to employers • No data on what type of skills available • Raw data available but no complied which could assist in identifying the gaps in the labour market ( why people lose jobs, what employers need to know to manage their workforce legally) • Not enough enforcement of legislation • Out dated legislation which does not take into consideration the change demographics of the labour market (tourism industry)

11. Labour Snapshot • Decent work country program • Approved by Cabinet in July 2009 and launched October of that same year. • 3 main priority areas: • Modernization and Harmonization of National labour Legislation • Improvement of skills and employability • Institutional strengthening. • In 2011 the document was reviewed to include a priority area relating to TVET for employment. • The anticipated outcomes included • improved employment opportunities • matching skills demands of the labour market • making the job matching and advisory functions of the PES • more effective and a robust labour market information system (LMIS)

12. Private Sector Snapshot • The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) is the largest private sector membership based organization in Belize. • Only recognized "Employers Organization" in Belize under the International Labour Organization's (ILO) tri-partite social partnership. • BCCI boasts a fluctuating membership of almost three hundred (300) Belizean businesses • The Chamber has several initiatives available to its membership including training which is offered in collaboration with University of the West Indies Open Campus. • Some other initiatives from the private sector includes • Assistance in policy development • Entrepreneurship training and services which includes mentorship and access to finance for young entrepreneurs (Roughly trained 100 young persons over a 3 year period and about 25 got loans) • Training for Business Processing Outsourcing Specialist Training Program. • Few private sector persons becoming involved in the classrooms

13. Private Sector Snapshot • Private sector – public sector collaboration has also improved; efforts include: • The appointment of the Private Sector Liaison – is considered the coordinator of a strengthened private/public partnership. • Belize City Council and Belize Business bureau initiative “Open for Business” • Business Forum • Establishment of the Economic Development Council. • Despite all these initiatives there are challenges such as little or no data available from the private sector regarding the productivity of sectors and employment data/ skills needed for the labour force. Efforts continue to be undertaken in a silo manner and there are several variations of efforts. There is also constant cry for Government to find a way to make cost of doing business easier.

14. Discussion • What do we need to do to improve our skills and employability? • How do we prepare our young people for entrepreneurship? • Who will provide the avenue for access to finance? • What is the role of GOB, private Sector and the unions? • How do we move away from a culture of dependency?