Plugging into ICT: Secondary
education, IT skills, and
employability
Shubha Jayaram
Results for Development Institute
Global Youth Economic Opportunities
Summit
October 7, 2014
Results for Development Institute
What is R4D?
 Results for Development Institute (R4D)
is a Washington-DC based non-profit
organization.
 R4D works with leaders, globally and
at the country level, to provide analysis
and design and test solutions to some of
the world’s biggest development
challenges
 Major supporters include Rockefeller
Foundation, Gates, DFID, Hewlett, and
USAID
R4D targets four areas in
the fight against global
poverty:
Global
Market
Heath
dynamics
Global
Education
Market
Dynamics
Governance
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R4D’s education portfolio at a glance
INNOVATIONS IN
EDUCATION
SKILLS FOR
EMPLOYABILITY
EARLY
LEARNING
OUT-OF-SCHOOL
CHILDREN
INNOVATIVE
FINANCING
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Innovative Secondary Education for
Skills Enhancement (ISESE) Project: Overview
Supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, R4D explored the skills required for employability
and innovative models of skills delivery to youth in partnership with 5 regional institutions
ISESE focus
countries
The National University
of Educational Planning
and Administration
(NUEPA), India
Council for the
Development of Social
Science Research in
Africa (CODESRIA),
Senegal
Thailand Development
Research Institute
(TDRI), Thailand
Institute of
Statistical, Social
and Economic
Research (ISSER),
Ghana
Dalberg Global Development
Advisors conducted a deep dive
study on Kenya, Senegal, India and
Cambodia.
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Methodology
79 enterprises surveyed in sub-Saharan Africa
220 enterprises surveyed in Cambodia, 190,024 in Thailand,
and 21 in Vietnam. A mix of sectors were surveyed, with a focus on
manufacturing industry.*
 78 industry leaders met in focus groups in 5 cities
across Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
 Educators and NGOs surveyed to capture innovative
models
 Online competition held in partnership with Ashoka
scanned for new ideas in operation.
* The data for Cambodia is from the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business
Associations in 2008, and that from Thailand is from the Labor Demand of Establishment
Survey carried out by the National Statistical Office in 2008.
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Focus areas
Research findings focused on three
key areas:
 Skills for employability and
innovative models of delivery
 In-depth case studies for closing
the skills gap
 Training models for employment
in the digital economy

Download reports at www.r4d.org
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What are skill needs in the digital economy?
ICT skills alone are not sufficient for employment: broader,
non-cognitive or ‘soft’ skills also needed.
General requirements for ICT Employment
Non cognitive skills such as teamwork,
communication skills and time
management.
Cognitive skills such as English
language and literacy skills.
Technical requirements vary by ICT job
Basic computer skills
such as inputting data
and using a mouse.
Specialized capabilities
such as database and
graphics knowledge and
graphics design.
Programming
knowledge, website
management and
network administration.
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What are characteristics of effective programs?
Study of 20 programs revealed some common
characteristics.
Demand driven
• Highly responsive to industry needs and courses are designed with input
from employers
Holistic training in both ICT and non-cognitive skills
• Incorporate skills relevant to the broader digital economy, providing
flexible, rather than restrictive, technical training
Multi-stakeholder partnerships
• Tend to be Public Private Partnerships, with financing and training
provided by the public and private sectors respectively
Post-training support and job placement
• Provide youth with internship and employment-matching services
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How to foster the growth and expansion of ICT training
models?
Demanddriven, holistic
training
initiatives
• Focus on increasing general capability in
transferable, life long skills
• For those in labor market, need to increase eskills and physical access to digital tools
Multistakeholder
partnerships
• Private sector is a source of investment,
innovation, and employment, and PPPs allow
for greater scale and impact
• PPP examples are found in several countries
where they are used for both specific job
training programs and large-scale sector
training initiatives
• Many partnerships have payment incentives
that maximize post-training placement rates
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Sample list of programs profiled include…
 “Education de Base” or the Basic Education project (Senegal)
 Education for Employment (Middle East and North Africa)
 Himayat (India)
 IT Training Program for People with Disabilities (Vietnam)
 Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (Nigeria)
 Women in Technology (Middle East and North Africa)
For more information, please email Shubha Jayaram at sjayaram@r4d.org or
visit www.r4d.org
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And now for a specific example…
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Discussion questions
 How can we further foster and support demand-driven training
initiatives that allow youth the opportunity to participate in the digital
economy?
 How can we better target marginalized populations (e.g. rural
populations, girls, disabled youth, those in the informal economy)?
 How can we increase the co-operation and dialogue between
different stakeholders?
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