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Overview and Approach


This annex provides a brief overview of the financial mechanisms that might be applied for the National Training Fund. The general approach for introduction of the mechanisms is balancing of demand and supply sides for vocational training in Armenia. According to consultations with the key stakeholders, the Fund should target labor market as its primary area of intervention. The rationale of this idea is an obvious gap between need of economy and services delivered by public institutions. Particularly, Government targets unemployed people as a major segment of policy actions. And according official definition unemployed people are those capable people who: (i) are not employed, (ii) looking for the job, (iii) do not receive pension, (iv) are registered at the Employment service.

According to the Law of the Republic of Armenia on “The Budget for the FY 2009”, 249.4 mln AMD are allocated for the vocational training of the people seeking job. 93.4 percent of this amount will be directed to the vocational training of unemployed people, 5.2 percent – for training of disabled, and 1.4 percent – to vocational training of those who receive long-service benefit.

This means that a big segment falls out of the trainings available under current system – employed people who want to upgrade their skills or wish to change their job and need training for this, unemployed people who are not registered at the Employment service, people living in rural areas, etc. Taking into account that the major role of the Fund’s activities should be organization of trainings that meets the demand of labor market, the above-mentioned information is an evidence that current model of vocational training does not cover those who are de-facto unemployed, but de-jure are not considered as unemployed.

  1. Policy Option for the Fund

    1. Justification


The resources currently allocated by the Government for training of unemployed – 232.9 mln AMD for 2009, are insufficient to cover actual demand for vocational trainings. On the other hand, the private sector has enough resources to fill this gap but it reluctant to pay more for this service unless it is given an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. Since the current system of vocational training for labor market does not support the format in which employers might participate to the decision-making, establishment of the VET Fund is recommended as a solution.

On the other hand, currently employers are indirectly involved in the training process by hiring unskilled labor. The alternative costs of hiring unskilled labor are minimal wage, payroll tax, and social contributions paid by employer for the period during which this person works with low productivity. In other words, monthly cost of having an apprentice is 8600 AMD, which is paid by business in form income tax and social insurance payments (under assumption that the apprentice provides an output commensurate with the minimal wage). Other incurred costs are those associated with time which more skilled people spend on coaching instead of getting involved in their principal activities.



    1. General Provisions for the NTF


As an organizational model for the Fund we suggest the model Armenian Deposit Guarantee Fund (ADGF) that has small staff (6 persons) responsible for resource management. Administrative expenses of the ADGF were 19.6 mln AMD in 2008, and for this exercise the administrative budget of the NTF is assumed 20 mln AMD.
  1. Supply-Side Analysis


This section examines how much money can be raised through current legislation and existing income potential.

According to the information released by tax authorities, the top 120 companies of Armenia had turnover (gross income) of at least 4.8 bln AMD in 2008. Article 23 of the Law “On Profit Tax” stipulates that charity donations might be deducted for gross income in the extent up to 0.25 percent of gross income.

Under assumption that ¼ of the top 120 companies will donate 0.25 percent of their gross income to the NTF, the budget of the latter will be 360 mln AMD:
30 companies 14 of 120 companies×4.8bln AMD×0.25%=360mln AMD
Since we assume that administrative budget of the NTF is 20 mln AMD, the total budget of 360 mln AMD means that potential funding will be enough to provide training for 2000 persons, which is 46 percent higher than number of trainings of unemployed reflected in the Law “On Budget for 2009”. This estimation is based on the assumption that unit cost of training will be 170000 AMD – the amount equal to the unit cost of training of unemployed by the Employment Service.
360mln AMD total budget of NTF-20mln AMD (administrative costs)170000 (unit training cost)=2000 trainings
Another option to secure funding for the NTF is partial (10 percent) contribution by trainees. The mentioned co-financing will contribute 34 mln AMD for the NTF and reduce the burden for participating companies from 0.25 to 0.23 percent of their gross income:
360mln AMD total budget of NTF-34mln AMD (trainees' contribution) 30 companies 14 of 120 companies×4.8bln AMD=0.23%

  1. Demand-Side Analysis


In this section we discuss how much money is needed to deliver vocational trainings in amount comparable with the figure of the Employment Service (1370 trainings) at a maximal cost charged by state colleges for 3-months trainings (150000 AMD). In this scenario administrative expenses of the NTF will increase the unit cost of training by 14.6 thousands AMD:
20 mln AMD (administrative budget)1370 (trainings)=14600 AMD (administrative expenses per training)
According to the information released by the State Tax Service, the first 1000 large taxpayers paid 100.5 bln AMD as direct taxes (personal income tax and corporate profit tax) in 2008. We assume that among individual companies direct taxes are divided into personal income tax and corporate profit tax in the same proportion as actual receipts of the state budget from these taxes in 2008. According to the Report on Budget Execution for 2008, actual receipts from income tax and profit tax were 53.7 and 86.2 bln AMD respectively. Based on this information we assume that 61.6 percent of direct taxes paid by the first 1000 large taxpayers is attributed to the profit tax.

For the purpose of this study we estimate an amount of gross income on the basis of actually paid profit tax. Since the rate of the profit tax is 20 percent we assume that taxable profit is five times higher than actually paid profit tax. In its turn, this estimation of the taxable profit is used as a proxy for gross income. We would like to emphasize that from the point of view resource-building for the Fund this approach is conservative since gross income includes reductions provided by the Law. So, by considering taxable profit and gross income to be the same we come up with minimal estimation of potential of the private sector for creation of the income part of the budget of the Fund.

Taking into account that the estimation of the resources necessary for establishment of the Fund is 225.5 mln AMD, within the reductions stipulated by the Law of RA “On Profit Tax” in order to raise enough resources it is necessary that gross income of the companies contributing to the Fund is 90.0 bln AMD (or, which is the same, profit tax is 18 bln AMD). The amount of this size was paid as profit tax by the first 40 large taxpayers (without K-Telecom (VivaCell) and Armenia Telephone Company (Beeline)) in 2008. The K-Telecom and the Armenia Telephone Company are excluded from calculation because due to specifications of the industry where they operate and corporate rules on trainings they are not interested in financing VET system.

The break-even point analysis provided below exhibits critical amount of principal beneficiaries and/or unit cost of trainings that may make the establishment of the Fund financially unfeasible.



Number of beneficiaries

Under the mentioned assumptions the model is quite stable for changes of quantitative variable (number of principal beneficiaries). Particularly, in order to be below break-even point the number of people trained under the programs financed by the Fund should be 981 per year, which 28.4 less as compared to the anticipated level. This figure captures the minimal amount of the people trained, below which the unit operating costs of the Fund will increase total costs to the level higher than 170000 AMD.



Unit cost

Since the cost of a training provided by the Employment Service is 170000 AMD stability of a price component (under assumption of training of 1370 people) of suggested model is 3.8 percent. We would like to mention that the unit cost of the training delivered by the Employment Service does not include operating costs, while our assumptions for the Fund model include all costs.



Budget Costs

  • Since the transfers to the Fund can be reduced from the gross income direct losses of the state budget on profit tax will be 45 mln AMD, which is only 0.01 percent of all the taxes planned for FY 2009.

Budget benefits

  • Further development of the VET system is a commitment of the Government that is also set forth in the documents shaping long-term public policy (e.g. Sustainable Development policy). From this point of view, the model suggested might be considered as a specific example of public-private partnership when effective re-allocation of private resources contributes to the Government to meet its obligations.

  • Taking into account that the major part of the Fund’s resources will be directed to financing of trainings implemented by VAT-payer private organizations, 16.67 percent (34.3 mln AMD) will return back to the state budget in form of value-added tax.

  • If the initiative of Fund establishment succeeds the state budget may also benefit from wider employment opportunities. Particularly, if half of the trained people get job within 6 months after training then the budget additional revenues in form of income tax and social insurance payments will be 38.9 mln AMD. Besides, 3.4 mln AMD will be returned to the budget in the form of the income tax and social contributions of the staff of the Fund.


ANNEX 4 - SUMMARY OF STAKEHOLDERS MEETINGS
Between 27 April and 30 June 2009 the Team Leader and the Experts had 31 meetings in total with different participants, presented below in the form of a table:

The Institutions

Number of meetings

Representatives of state governance, ministries

7

Chamber if Commerce and Industry and Union of Employers

5

College Principals (Directors)

4

NGOs

4

Trade Unions

3

Employment services

5

Private Sector Trainers/Colleges

2

Center for Professional Orientation

1

Total

31

During those 31 meetings only two respondents had reservations regarding the Fund, the rest considered the need for the creation of the Fund as important or very important.

The half of the respondents considered the Fund needs to be totally independent from the government, 1/3 finds it more appropriate to have semi-independent status but finds it imperative to have a government representative on the Fund Board.

The representatives of the following institutions/organizations have been suggested included on the Fund Board by the respondents:



  • Ministry of Education and Science,

  • Ministry of Finance,

  • Ministry of Economy,

  • Ministry of Social Affairs,

  • Chamber of Commerce and Industry,

  • Union of Employers,

  • Trade Unions,

  • Employment Services,

  • Colleges,

  • Association of Colleges,

  • Employers,

  • Center for Professional Orientation.

Below is presented the priority order, mentioned by the respondents:
Employers,

NGOs,


Trade Unions,

Chamber of Commerce and Industry,

Colleges,

Ministry of Education and Science,

Ministry of Social Affairs,

Employment Center and others.

1/3 of the respondents find tax exemption as a must for the establishment and development of the Fund. The same number of respondents finds it impossible, grounding it with the reluctance of the government to provide tax advantages for the Fund.

Many find it real to have Contractual payments or payments for specific programs and cases.

The majority of the respondents think that preparation of specialists in response to the needs of the labour market and employers can become a payment motivation. Only in this case they are ready to make payments to the Fund.

The substitution of 0.25% of benevolence provided by the RA Law by 0.5 % is seen as a real option.

The respondents also mention the financial support by the European institutions being a crucial furtherance in the initial stage of the Fund activities.

As for the structure and composition of the Fund, 8 respondents suggested the National Center for VET Development. They think that NCVETD can implement the Fund Policy, and the Fund Board can work in the same model with NGOs added. They suggest the smaller frame of the same model: 3+3+3+3 as opposed to NCVETD 7+7+7.

The preliminary conclusion is that the idea of the creation of the National Training Fund in the Republic of Armenia has matured and will be supported by the stakeholders and other organizations/institutions.

ANNEX 5 - NTF MODELS FROM A SAMPLE OF OTHER COUNTRIES

Annex 5.1 – Botswana

Annex 5.2 – Czech Republic

Annex 5.3 – Ireland

Annex 5.4 – Italy

Annex 5.5 – Kyrgyzstan

Annex 5.6 – South Africa
ANNEX 5.1 – VOCATIONAL TRAINING FUND: BOTSWANA


  1. Background

A Vocational Training Fund (VTF) has been established under the Vocational Training Act of 1998.The objective of this fund is to generate sufficient funds to support skills training by employers and increase skills base at the work place.

The specific goals of the VTF are to:


  1. Motivate enterprises to train their staff

  2. Achieve a more equal share between enterprises in financing training activities

  3. Help to bring together supply and demand for training

  4. Create new opportunities in the training market

  5. Support the goal of cost-sharing in skills development in Botswana

2. Board of Directors

The Act stipulates that:



  • The Minister shall, after consultation with the organizations representing employers, employees and institutions of vocational training, appoint a person of experience and expertise in matters related to vocational training, as chairperson of the Board.

  • The members of the Board shall appoint from among their number, a vice-chairperson.

  • The Chief Executive Officer shall be the Secretary of the Board and, as a Secretary shall be entitled to attend and take part in the proceedings of every meeting of the Board but shall not vote.

Section 10 (1) of the Act empowers the Board to regulate its own procedure. The Board is mandated to meet at least three times in each year for purposes of discharging its functions. Currently the Board has four scheduled meetings in June, September, December and March of each financial year. However should the need arise a special Board meeting can be held.

The Board is composed of members consisting of:

Chairman (appointed by the Minister);

4 representatives of employers

4 representatives of trade unions

2 representatives of NGO's involved in vocational training

3 persons appointed by the Minister as having particular expertise in vocational training

6 persons representing the Government (from Ministries)




  1. Board Committees

The Board of Directors (BoD) has the following three (3) sub-committees.



TENDER COMMITTEE

This subcommittee and its broad terms of reference are as follows:



  • Approve the release or otherwise of tender documents prepared to tenderers where formal tender procedures are involved.

  • Approve the final selection and award of contracts to successful tenderers up to the value of P999,999.00 or recommend to the Board for values in excess of P999,999.00.

  • Approve the appointment of consultants on projects where the total cost of the consultancy is estimated to be not more than P999,999.00 or recommend to the Board the appointment of consultants for projects where the total cost of the consultancy is estimated to exceed P999,999.00.

  • Approve Selective Tender Procedures (refer Section 16 of the Tender Regulations and Procurement Procedures), and the list of pre-qualified firms here the estimated contract value does not exceed P999,999.00.

  • Recommend to the Board the approval of Selective Tender Procedures and he list of pre-qualified firms where the estimated contract value exceeds P999,999.00.

  • Authorize, in special cases, the waiver of Tender Procedures for values up to P999,999.00 and to recommend to the Board for waiver for values in excess of P999,999.00.

  • Authorize the sale of the Authority’s property (except for land or buildings) up to the value of P999,999.00 on the recommendation of the Board of Survey.

There are 6 members.

HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

This subcommittee is mandated to carry out the following:



  • Make recommendations to the Board on the staffing establishment, appointment of staff, and recruitment processes.

  • Oversee the development and implementation of the annual human resource development plan.

  • Consider recommendations from the Chief Executive Officer on staff promotions, transfers, and dismissals, above the level of Band 2 and make recommendations to the Board.

  • Ensure the development and upgrading, as necessary, of an effective performance management system, and monitor its implementation.

  • Be involved in the interviewing and the decision on recruitment of candidates for posts of the level of Band 2 and above.

  • Review salaries, bonus systems, welfare and other conditions of service from time to time, and make recommendations to the Board.

  • Consider and make recommendations on other changes to HR policies, systems, and procedures.

  • Recommend to the Board the appointment of a committee of three directors to be responsible for the annual performance appraisal of the Chief Executive Officer.

  • Be responsible for organizing the annual appraisal of the Board’s performance in co-operation with the Chief Executive Officer.

There are 5 members.

FINANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE

The sub committee has the following broad terms of reference:



  • Consider and recommend the Authority’s accounting policies in relation to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs) such as International Accounting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC).

  • Recommend to the Board the appointment of external auditors and also review and approve the Auditors’ engagement letter.

  • Consider and recommend the draft budget estimates, final budget and revised budget to the Board for approval at the appropriate times.

  • Consider and recommend the draft annual financial statements, auditors’ pinion and management letter to the Board for approval.

  • Review the systems established by the Authority to ensure compliance with policies, budgets, strategic plan and/or plan of operation, procedures, laws and regulations, which may have significant impact on operations and reports.

  • Consider and review the selection of banks and bank accounts to be used by the Authority for approval by the Board.

  • Consider and recommend the Authority’s employee loan schemes to the Board for approval whether they are BOTA guaranteed or non-guarantee




  1. Management Structure

There is a full time Chief Executive Officer, who is accountable to the Board of Directors. He is supported by staff organised into 4 departments:-



  • Department of Planning & Research;

  • Department of Quality assurance;

  • Department of Finance & Administration;

  • Department of Structured Work-based Learning.




  1. Funding

Employers are legally obliged to pay 0.2% of their turnover into the Vocational Training Fund via the Value Added Tax (VAT) administration system. The VAT authorities are legally obliged to forward all these funds into the National Training Fund.


Each company that pays the levy is entitled to claim grants from the Fund for training their staff. Such training must be for a duration of not than less than10 hours and must be approved training under the National Vocational Qualifications System. Training carried out outside the country will also be recognized provided it meets national standards.
Companies can claim all the costs of their training annually regardless of how much levy they have paid. Those companies that spend heavily on training their staff will thus be somewhat subsidized by the fund and those who spend very little or nothing on staff training will lose their levy.

ANNEX 5.2 – NATIONAL TRAINING FUND – CZECH REPUBLIC


  1. Background

The National Training Fund (NTF) was established in 1994, within the EU PHARE programme for


Human Resources Development. It was set up by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs as an independent foundation, with representatives of the major partners from the field of human resources development on its board of directors. In the years 1994-97, the NTF budget was exclusively covered by PHARE. At present, the NTF is actively seeking further resources.


2. Operating Experiences

The NTF is managed by a director and a board of directors (chairman plus 12 members representing 5 Ministries, chambers of commerce, trade unions, industries and NGOs).


The aim of the Fund is to contribute to the social and economic change by supporting human
resources development and the improvement of management quality in companies and organisations; to contribute to the implementation of lifelong learning by supporting the development of all forms of adult and continuing education; to support the process of European integration.

Within the past four years of its existence, the NTF has focused on the following main objectives:



  • systematic improvement of skills of the existing managers, systematic enlargement of managerial education;

  • supply and access, systematic creation of a new culture in human resources development;

  • for users of educational services and for other partners, the NTF is building up a database, of which the first output will be a catalogue called The Guide of Management Training in the Czech Republic;

  • The NTF has also supported the establishment of The Information Centre for the Development of Management.

In the short period of its existence, the National Training Fund has become an outstanding central


point, in which demands and priorities from the main partners responsible for human resources development in the Czech Republic are considered and implemented. It plays an important role in the process of assimilating the Czech Republic into the European Union and in the development of a learning society. NTF is a co-organiser of the Czech Adult Learners Week (together with the Association of Institutions of AE and the Czech Society for AE).

ANNEX 5.3 – NATIONAL TRAINING FUND – IRELAND
Background
The National Training Fund was established under the National Training Fund Act, 2000, as a dedicated fund to finance a range of schemes aimed at:

  • raising the skills of those in employment,

  • providing training to those who wish to acquire skills for the purposes of taking up employment,

  • providing information in relation to existing, or likely future, skills requirements in the economy.

The Fund is resourced by a mandatory levy on employers of 0.7% of reckonable earning in respect of “mainstream” employees. This represents approximately 75% of all insured employees.

The Fund supports a range of training schemes operated by the Public Employment Service and Economic Regeneration Agencies. The Fund also support new initiatives in the area of lifelong learning.

The Fund is operated by the Government (Model A in section 13.1of the Draft Feasibility Study contained in the body of this document)

      1. Operation of the Training Fund


The Fund has come under increasing criticism from employers for its high levy rate (7%) and the large budget surplus it has accumulated (189 million EUR). There is concern also that the Fund might reduce its funding for upgrading the skills of existing employees in favour of spending more on re-training the growing numbers of unemployed.
ANNEX 5.4 – ITALY

NATIONAL TRAINING FUND – ITALY
1 Background
Until 2000 the National Institute for Social Insurance had the sole control of the funding of VET for post school-age students. Enterprises compulsorily paid 0.3% of their total payroll (full time workers only) to the National Institute. An Act in 2000 allowed the social partners to establish their own sectoral training funding arrangements: this involves the National Institute transferring the 0.3% levy collected from the sector to a fund administered by the social partners (Employers and Trade Unions).

  1. Establishment of Sectoral Funds

Funds have been set up in a number of sectors including agriculture, manufacturing industry, and SMEs. The procedure necessary to set up sectoral training funds has two steps:

  1. a first stage involving the most representative organisations at national level of employers and workers. These must conclude an agreement which sets the objectives of the fund and establishes the rules and regulations; and

  2. once set up by agreement, the fund must receive official recognition from the Ministry of Labour in order to start operating. After receiving authorisation from the Ministry, the National Institute for Social Insurance will make the due payments into the new fund.

The funds are under the direct control of the Ministry of Labour. They can be used to finance vocational training projects at company, sectoral and territorial level. The fund will cover 100% of the cost of projects in depressed areas and 50% in other areas. National funds can also act at regional or local level through agreement between the social partners.

3. The operation of the funds

Each fund has adopted its own set of rules and regulations which governs its functioning. The common objective of the funds is to promote and finance vocational training programmes at company level - for individual enterprises or for groups where there has been an agreement between the social partners to that effect - and at territorial, sectoral and regional levels. The funds may also finance vocational training programmes which involve workers in enterprises operating in more than one region or that are distributed on a national scale.

The resources of each fund go to the employees of the participating, fee-paying enterprises. Each fund must place the resources received from the National Institute into separately managed accounts: one to finance the running of the fund itself (fixed at an annual percentage which differs from fund to fund, but which is not more than 8% of the total resources); and one for the financing of the vocational training projects. A director, nominated by the board of directors, is responsible for the functioning of the funds.

The applications for funding of vocational training projects must be sent directly to the head office of the fund or through the the relevant employers' or trade union organisations. The projects are evaluated by a technical team set up at the fund, which must check that all the necessary requirements have been respected. The team must also take into consideration the priorities established by the fund and judge whether or not projects should be funded. Once accepted, a project must be approved by the board of directors, which will then grant the requested payment.

The cost of the projects financed for each region must be proportional to the payments into the fund from the enterprises in the region in question. However, each fund, while taking into consideration this stipulation, has the possibility to distribute its resources more equally on a national scale. They must take into consideration the economic situation in Italy, which varies greatly from region to region. The Centre and North, which are heavily industrialised and particularly interested in continuing vocational training, contrast considerably with the South, which has a low productive level and relatively little interest in training programmes. The risk is that only the enterprises located in rich regions with a strong interest in vocational training might make use of the resources available. To avoid this eventuality and encourage enterprises from the South to take a more positive approach to vocational training, the funds have established that a percentage of their total resources can be used to reduce this disparity between regions. This percentage varies, depending on the individual fund, from 5% to 20%.



ANNEX 5.5 –REGIONAL TRAINING FUNDS – KYRGZSTAN

        1. BACKGROUND




        1. The Financing and governance of vocational education and training in Kyrgyzstan is a core issue. Although the central Government has realised the need for reforming the Vocational Education and Training System, it lacks strategies to approach the problems of financing and resolve the lacking relevance of training contents for the requirements of a market economy. The system as such and the vocational schools as providers of education are financially as well as institutionally struggling to fulfil their functions to provide the country with the required professional labour force. Very limited and non-timely financing as well as outdated curricula and deteriorating infrastructure result in a decreasing reputation of vocational education which again leads to decreasing student numbers.



What is Local Training Governance?
        1. Four functions of education


Education has according to the New Public Management theory four main economic functions:

  1. Financier: defines policies and makes respective resources available. Typical financiers include Governments, participants through fees, other users through voluntary or compulsory contributions, donors or sponsors. The financing function is linked to quality control.

  2. Owner: define what they want in relation to the price, e.g. training contents, delivery patterns, course duration. Typical owners include Government departments, employers, user groups, in development cooperation also projects.

  3. Provider: deliver training to the users. Typical providers include vocational schools, on-the-job training venues or apprenticeship companies.

  4. Users: appropriate the benefits of training. Apart from participants themselves also their livelihood coalitions and employers benefit from training.

In the Kyrgyz VET, formally the State is the financier, owner and provider of vocational education and training. However, the State increasingly struggles to fulfil all these functions up to the satisfaction of the users. A pure market model, within which all three functions are private, usually only works in urban areas and for trainings with low capital investment such as computer, business administration or language training.

Local Training Governance (LTG) seeks to find a compromise between the state and market model by assigning ownership roles to local governance bodies and the financer role to a wide spectrum of financiers. In other words, Local Training Governance can also be described as a “local training fund”.

 

Who is involved in Local Training Governance?

        1. Local ownership


A NGO has been created to administer a Local Training Governance in 2 regions. It has been registered as a fund according to Kyrgyz legislation under the name of KOJO. Potential members are all sections of the local community who have an interest in vocational education (such as school representatives, farmers and parents, representatives of the local administration) but also the Government as well as the financiers of the fund (such as enterprises, local and national sponsors as well as international donors). The functions of the KOJO are to:

  • Raise funds for achieving full financing of the training course by contracting financers;

  • Decide on training fees;

  • Contract the vocational schools to provide the training;

  • Monitor the training delivery;

  • Disburse contributions according to the conditions of the financing contracts;

  • Promotion of the training offer.

 

How is Local Training Governance financed?
        1. Multi-source financing


Several members of the KOJO have not only an ownership but also a financier function (e.g. enterprises, local and national sponsors, donors, Government). Furthermore, the KOJO will require the vocational schools to raise fees from the participants.

During the first years of the Local Training Governance, international donors will contribute the lion’s share of the training delivery costs. However, there will be always more than a single financier involved in one LTG arrangement and financiers will work along a pre-defined financing plan with decreasing grant contribution. A financing plan for one school could look as follows:



 

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Year 7

Donors & intern. companies

86 %

80 %

60 %

50 %

30 %-

10 %-



Training fees

5 %

5 %

10 %

10 %

15 %

15 %

20 %

Local/national sponsors

4 %

5 %

10 %

10 %

20 %

25 %

25 %

Local enterprises

5 %

10 %

15 %

20 %

20 %

30 %

30 %

Government





5 %

10 %

15 %

20 %

25 %

 

Where is “Local Training Governance” applied?
        1. Pilot Project of Helvetas Kyrgyzstan


As of 2006, AVEP, the Agricultural Vocational Education Project started a pilot project on Local Training Governance in the Issyk-Kul and Chui oblasts. Vocational schools in these oblasts can apply for piloting Local Training Governance by setting up the KOJO and fulfilling minimum conditions for training provision. The LTG-approach will be used for supporting the vocational schools to introduce a modularised training course for young rural adults to become farmer entrepreneurs. The course development is based on the existing 3-years course implemented since 2000. The course will have a duration of 1,5 years and contain a winter course in basic farm management, a summer farm practice with a combined business planning exercise and a winter course with modules tailor-made for the training needs of the participants.
        1. Vision


Once Local Training Governance is established in several schools, the locally established KOJOs shall form a national association in order to resume ownership at the central level for course, curriculum and teaching material development as well as for training of trainers and lobbying.

The vocational schools as training providers shall gain a tool for promoting and co-financing not only farmers training but also other training to the rural community.

 

ANNEX 5.6 – SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FUNDS – SOUTH AFRICA
Introduction
The Skills Development Act aims to develop and improve the skills of the South African workforce. It is supported by the Skills Development Levies Act which requires employers to pay 1% of their payroll to skills development. This applies to all employers excluding:-


  • Employers with very few workers;

  • Public sector bodies and those largely funded by Parliament;

  • Religious and charitable organisations.

80% of payments by employers is allocated to Sector Education & Training Authorities and 20% is paid into the National Skills Fund.


Sector Education & Training Authorities (SETAs)
SETAs (there are 27 covering all employment sectors) are required by Law to develop and implement skills plans for their economic sector. They do this by means of:-

  • Starting Learner-ships (a type of apprenticeship);

  • Approving workplace skills plans submitted by employers;

  • Allocating funds to employers, trainers and workers;

  • Oversight of education and training in their economic sector.

SETAs must promote Learner-ships by:-



  • Finding workplaces where learners can do practical work;

  • Supporting people who create learning material;

  • Helping to design learner-ship agreements;

  • Registering learner-ship agreements.

SETAs membership consists of:-



  • Trade Unions;

  • Employers Associations;

  • Relevant Government bodies;

  • Interested professional bodies;

  • Bargaining Councils in the sector.

SETAs funds come from 5 sources:-



  • Skills development levies paid by employers;

  • The National Skills Fund;

  • Grants and donations;

  • Investments they have made;

  • Services they are paid to perform.


National Skills Fund
The National Skills Fund supports projects that are not particular to one one of the 27 SETAs. Examples are:-

  • Significant national skill shortages across SETA boundaries;

  • Strategic projects;

  • Social development initiatives;

  • Innovation & research;

  • Bursaries for students who study areas of scarce skills.

ANNEX 6 – AVERAGE COST AND NUMBER OF PEOPLE TRAINED PER YEAR
TABLE: VET Provision in Armenia


Provider

No. Trained annually

Cost per student

Craftsmanship Schools

2000

100,000 AMD

VET College Graduates

6500

250,000 – 300,000 AMD

Employment Services

1300

70,000-220,000 AMD

Short term courses in Colleges

1000

60,000-180,000 AMD

Trade Unions

1000

Paid by Trade Unions

Large Enterprises

Unknown




NGOs

1000

30,000-100,000 AMD


ANNEX 7- SPECIFIC TERMS OF REFERENCE
EUROPEAID/ 119860/C/SV/multi
LOT N° 9: Education, Employment and Social

REQUEST N° 203 505
SPECIFIC TERMS OF REFERENCE


Armenia - ENP AP 2007, Sector Support Programme for Support to Poverty Reduction Strategy through Reforms in Vocational Education Training (VET)
Feasibility Study on

Establishment of Training Fund for VET Skills Development


  1. BACKGROUND

The Country Strategy Paper for the period 2007-2013 identifies assistance for reforming and upgrading the education system in compliance with EU standards and best practices as a top priority for strengthening democratic development, social stability and economic competitiveness. In 2008 the revised PRSP (PRSP II) enhanced the importance of VET in the education agenda, and high level political support for improved funding for the sub-sector was agreed. The EU has been assisting Armenia in supporting Poverty Reduction Strategy through TACIS AP 2006 Sector Policy Support Programme (SPSP) which included two components, namely education (VET) and social affairs (Childcare). This was a new experience for the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) and had an objective to strengthen the sub-sector institutional capacity to steer and monitor VET reform, and link it with budgeting and resources management. It should be mentioned that the MoES was initially one of the four pilot Ministries introducing programme budgeting.


Support to VET is being continued under ENP AP 2007 which mentions reform measures in the field of vocational education as one of its priorities. This programme is coherent with the sector policy support programme funded under above mentioned AP 2006 and builds on the activities of the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) in 2007 aimed at strengthening the reform of VET sub-sector. The objective of the current SPSP in VET is to bring its structure and content into compliance with the demand of the labour market. Assistance is provided in form of budgetary support with a total amount of € 15 mln. The €15 mln is disbursed through 3 instalments of an equal amount. Instalments are payable to the Armenian State budget subject to fulfilment of policy conditions and indicators spelled out in Annex 1 (Policy Conditions Matrix) attached to this ToRs. The first fixed tranche of €5 mln, subject to fulfilment of two pre-conditions and signature of Financing Agreement, was paid to the state budget in June 2008. Second variable tranche was paid in February 2009, although reduced due to partial fulfilment of some of the conditions.
Armenia developed and approved a VET strategy and law in 2004. There are two key official documents laying down the sub-sector policy: 1) Strategy of Preliminary and Middle specialised VET, 2) VET Modernisation priorities paper and Action Plan (for period 2005-2008). The former is a general statement on basic objectives for reform, including (i) ensuring preparation of qualified specialists, (ii) ensuring the formation of modern individuals and citizens, (iii) ensuring life-long learning. The latter is a more specific policy document and the closest to a sector programme. The paper prioritizes the introduction of competence-based VET standards, modernisation of quality assurance mechanisms and certification, creation of a state non-commercial technical support and quality assurance institute, improvements in cost-efficiency and educational outcomes, and optimisation of VET financing. Employers' contributions to VET financing is widely used in various countries. Models differ in their scope and application; however the most common one is contributions made by employers to a National Fund which then are used for VET sector development/modernization. The purpose of this ToRs is to explore possibilities of establishment of such a structure in Armenia in terms of applicable policy and legislature.


  1. DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

2.1 Global objective

The general objective of the assignment is to support the Ministry of Education and Science in identification and formulation of policy options/legal requirements for establishment of a National Training Fund to support VET skills development in Armenia.



2.2 Specific objective(s)

(a) Conduct feasibility analysis of skills development financing by means of national training funds made up of contributions from various stakeholders, such as employers and employees

(b) Review current policy and legislation and identify policy options/ legislative requirements for establishment of a National VET Fund.

2.3 Requested services, including suggested methodology

The Consultant should adopt a strategic and comprehensive, integrated and participatory approach to the drafting of the legislation/policy options for establishment of a National Training Fund. The legislation/policy options drafted should seek to establish integrity, relevance and compliance with the policy/legal requirements of Armenia and at the same time represent international best practice in the area of national funds.


The Consultant, in collaboration with the Resident TA, will conduct consultations with key stakeholders at the commencement of the consultancy in Armenia. Regular status meetings will be scheduled with the Consultant and the Resident TA. The Consultant is required to carry out the following activities in order to satisfy the objectives stated above:


  • Undertake review and analysis of available policies/legislation relevant to establishment of National Training Fund

  • Elaborate policy proposals / recommendations for establishment and effective operation of National Training Fund.

  • Based on the policy proposals and in consultation with the Resident TA Team, prepare various drafts of the legislative requirements for the smooth operations of the National Training Fund.

  • Prepare the final draft of the legislation for the National Training Fund.

2.4 Required outputs

During the period of the consultancy the Consultant will be expected to produce the following:



  • A Consultation report summarizing the information obtained from the consultations with key stakeholders as well as review and analysis of current policies/legislation relevant to establishment of the Training Fund

  • Policy proposals/recommendations for establishment and operation of National Training Fund

  • A proposal for primary and secondary legislation for the Training Fund

  • Final draft of the Law on Establishment of Training Fund

Policy options as well as proposals of draft legislation on Establishment of National VET Training Fund have to be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Science and EC by 31 May, 2009. Translation of relevant documents into Armenian shall be foreseen by the Consultant.


  1. EXPERTS PROFILE

Experts

Category

Man days

E1 – VET Policy expert /Team Leader

II

30

E2 - VET Financing Expert

III

60

E3 – VET Legislation Expert

III

60

Include report writing
Expert 1- VET Policy/Team Leader

  • Appropriate academic qualifications in a field related to education

  • Excellent communication and facilitation skills

  • Good knowledge of English

Specific Professional Experience

  • Experience in policy formulation in education

  • Experience in issues related to the reform of vocational education and training

  • Proven work experience in fields related to education, socio-economic development and employment policies

  • Training, coaching and capacity building experience

  • Experience in Armenia will be considered an advantage

Expert 2 – VET Financing Expert

  • Appropriate academic qualifications in economics or finance

  • Excellent communication and facilitation skills

  • Good knowledge of English

  • Armenian and/or Russian would be an advantage

Specific Professional Experience

  • Understanding of mechanisms of education (VET) financing

  • Knowledge of budget formulation and execution procedures

  • Knowledge of public sector/public funds management

Expert 3 – VET Legislation Expert

  • Appropriate academic qualifications

  • Excellent communication and facilitation skills

  • Good knowledge of English

  • Armenian and/or Russian would be an advantage

Specific Professional Experience



  • Experience in technical review and drafting of primary and secondary legislation

  • Experience in VET policy and legislation development

  • Well developed research skills and the ability to conduct sound comprehensive legal research

  • Ability to effectively communicate and express legal propositions clearly both orally and in writing

  1. LOCATION AND DURATION

Indicative starting period of the assignment is end March – beginning April 2009. The Team Leader will provide a total of 30 working days, whereas Experts 2 and 3 - a total of 60 working days each over a total period of 12 calendar months.
Main location of the assignment will be Yerevan. However, if needed, missions can be organised during the duration of the assignment all over the country.



  1. REPORTING

The Contractor shall submit reports in English (1 copy each) to the EC Delegation, National Co-ordinating Unit in the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Education and Science. Submission procedure for the reports is as follows:


  • An overall work plan - First week of assignment, which shall contain: 1) detailed work approach covering the list of tasks that have been agreed with the key players; 2) timelines and milestones for each item of the assignment

  • A Consultation report (see 2.4 Required Outputs, bullet points 1, 2 and 3) – by 31 May, 2009 identifying findings and critical areas to be addressed, laying out the review of policy and legislation along with clear recommendations for drafting the Law and sub-legal Acts for the implementation of the National Training Fund.

  • Final report – will have to be produced at the end of the assignment summarizing the analysis of policy and legal options as well as containing final draft of the Law on Establishment of National VET Training Fund. All relevant technical papers/reports/documents prepared from the start until the end of the assignment will be annexed to the final report.

Approval of the reports is a sole responsibility of the EC Delegation.
6. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

6.1. Maximum budget
The maximum budget available for this assignment is € 152,000.
The budget includes the fees of the experts, international travel costs and per diem. The fees of the experts cover all administrative expenses. The per diem includes intra-city travels so that they are not eligible once more under reimbursable. Inter-city travels are to be foreseen under “Local Travel”. Incurred communication costs, reports production costs shall be covered by the framework contractor. With regard to office rent, translation and interpretation costs, a provision should be made under “reimbursable”.
6.2. Tax and VAT arrangements

On the ground of the specific Council Regulations governing the concerned EC external aid programme, VAT and any other local taxes and duties are excluded from the Community financing (Grant of Facilities – Annex 1).



Note: This report has been funded by the European Union for the benefit of the Government of Armenia, specifically the Ministry of Education and Science. The views expressed in the report are those of the contractor (Cambridge Education Consortium) and not necessary those of the European Union nor the Government of Armenia

1The VET system comprises State-run institutions; some Trade Unions and major employers; NGOs; private sector training companies – all of whom organise and deliver vocational courses (see Annex 6)

2The Armenian Government acknowledges most the these weaknesses. It expressed its intention to tackle them in decision N51 taken on 18 December 2008 by accepting the Paper “Concept on development of preliminary professional (craftsmanship) and middle professional (vocational) education in the Republic of Armenia “ .

3A number of otherwise supportive stakeholders commented that employers would NOT contribute to a NTF unless its finances were transparent and fair AND it could be demonstrated the funds were being used to improve the levels of skills in demand in the labour market. The Study Team totally agrees with these prerequisites and believes the recommendations in this Study Report will achieve them.

4In drafting these recommendations the Study Team has been persuaded that the Government is opposed to tax breaks as they would form a precedent and impede action against money laundering. However the recommendations take advantage of the law “On Profit Tax” Article 23, which permits enterprises to offset donations (up to a limit of 0.25%of the total tax bill) to registered charities (the NTF would be a registered charity) .

5Information provided by State Tax Service

6Law “On Profit Tax”, article 23

7For the purposes of this table we have used a cost per training place of 170,000 AMD, which is the basic unit cost of training one unemployed person at present.

8Assuming training cost = 170,000 AMD: the basic unit cost of one training place for unemployed trainees

9Using unit training costs of 170,000 AMD as per unemployed training place at present



  1. CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

Demeter House, Station Road, Cambridge CB1 2RS - Tel: +44 (0) 1223 463812 Fax: + 44 (0) 1223 463905



Email: lot9@camb-ed.com www.camb-ed.com




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