The Pilot Project on Skill Development, Certification, Upgrading and Recognition
This pilot project, the initiative of the UAE Ministry of Labour, is based on the premise that skills development, certification and recognition of migrant workers coordinated between the countries of destination (COD) and the countries of origin (COO) will resolve the issue of skills mismatch, reduce vulnerability of migrant workers and enhance the development outcomes of temporary migration for all stakeholders.
The project aims to monitor and document the outcomes of COD-COO coordinated skills development, certification and recognition of migrant workers throughout the employment cycle; gauge the effects of such interventions on migrant workers’ welfare, income potential, human capital formation and successful reintegration in COOs; and, inform policy initiatives in the areas of labour admission and labour mobility. It covers India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as COOs and Kuwait and the UAE as CODs and focuses on four target occupations which have the highest expected rates of future recruitment: construction worker (general), general mason, carpenter and steel fixer. The project will target 3,600 workers in three phases:
- Pilot workers will be selected by employers to be trained, tested and deployed to the target CODs;
- UAE will issue a skills passport, develop the standard level of competency and workers will be tested against it and certified for upgraded skills;
- CODs will work with COOs to align occupational standards in four selected occupations of the construction sector.
The project has achieved several milestones including, the pilot recruitment commencement in Chennai, India; completion of the survey methodology; accreditation of partner training centres in India, with the same process in progress in Pakistan and Sri Lanka; incorporation of quality control and review into the assessment of the testing component of the project by an Indian-based assessment company in order to improve reliability and validity of the testing materials; approval of the final version of level 1 testing materials for the pilot project; and, the designing of a Skill Passport to be approved by the UAE National Qualification Authority.
Source: "UAE Ministry of Labour's pilot project on skill development, certification, upgrading and recognition", presentation delivered by a representative of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue Permanent Office at the 3rd SOM in November 2015.
