Support to the Commission services in the project cycle has always been a key ETF service, although its nature has changed over time from project management to more conceptual input at strategic stages of the project cycle and through the provision of complementary policy advice. In 2008, the project will have three main components: • Direct support to Commission services • Preparatory and complementary policy advice and capacity building activities • Country intelligence.
Support to the Commission services will focus on the identification, formulation, preparation and impact assessment of DCI and Tacis interventions. The services will be provided directly to staff in the Delegations in Almaty, Bishkek and Dushanbe and to the centralised services in AidCo in relation to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In 2007, the Commission changed its priorities in favour of education and training as a key input to democratisation and improved competitiveness. Therefore new projects are now being implemented or are planned in all five Central Asian countries. The Commission has now started to look at future interventions within the logic of the sector wide approach.
In addition to the Commission’s direct support to education and training sector reform, human resources development is also a way of reducing poverty. The ETF has previously provided assistance in this area in particular in Tajikistan and discussions are also ongoing to provide support in Tajikistan in the future.
In view of the fact that the Commission and a number of other donors (including in particular the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, Germany and Switzerland) will be supporting education and training sector modernisation in all five countries, the ETF will organise a Forum for exchanging approaches and challenges experienced in education and training sector reform. The Forum will gather key decision makers from the five countries and key representatives of the main projects and donors. So far the countries have each struggled with similar problems and constraints in isolation without learning much from each other. There has also been very limited exchange between different EU project teams implementing education and training modernisation projects in the region. The Forum will combine the country focus of TVET reform with a regional perspective.
In Turkmenistan the Commission (DG Relex) asked the ETF to provide interim support for the elaboration of a new concept for a modernised education and training system. The start of this support has been delayed. However, it is expected that it will focus on supporting initial reflections in Turkmenistan on how to ensure that the national education and training system offers qualifications and degrees which are comparable internationally.
This project also includes the collection and maintenance of up to date intelligence on human resources related issues in Central Asia, the monitoring of the implementation of ETF country plans in Central Asia and overall regional coordination.
Outside Central Asia, the ETF has been asked to provide support to TVET reform in Iraq within the framework of an EU funded project implemented by UNESCO. The ETF will support the project through provision of expertise inputs in policy workshops and discussions. The support will focus on four areas: • Labour market information (Observatory function) • Apprenticeship schemes • Teacher and trainer training and networks • Quality assurance mechanisms.