Development and implementation of education and training policies, education and pre-employment training, development of competencies, training for decent work and social inclusion were lead headings expanded at the International Labour Organization (ILO), seminar conducted last week, to highlight discrimination against vulnerable groups.

Country Director, ILO, Tine Staermose inaugurating the discussions said the vocational training policy for vulnerable groups is of concern to the ILO and positive incursion to contribute substantially to alleviate such problems is within its mandate.

Promoting equal opportunities is within ILO’s R195 Human Resources Development Recommendation 2004. She said its contents included among others, identifying special needs; people stricken with disabilities, ethnic minority groups, older workers, those socially excluded, and also workers in the informal economy.

Considerable efforts have already been made to strengthen Tertiary Vocational Education Training, TVET, systems. Nevertheless it is generally of common assumption there is yet more that needs be done. Opportunities for skills development is yet limited.

Director General, Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission, Dr. T. A. Piyasiri said The National Quality Framework of the education commission is identification of these vulnerable groups and implement lead policies to realize objectives that are already determined. He said it is now opportune that such initiatives be actively considered and implemented.

However, he was hazy on its implementation.

He did not indicate active involvement of the private sector or that needed funds would be forthcoming.

When questioned by the press he was evasive on the funding base; as much as he was on people who would see the already formulated report and those who have clout to implement its contents (Which was some twelve months in its drafting).

He also made the point that NGOs would also be exposed to its contents and they too would be invited to participate.

The press, asked if this was possible, considering NGOs are already a ‘dirty’ word in the government’s compendium of applicable vocabulary. This too did not provoke positive reply.

He conceded funds are needed but did not quite identify how such funds would be raised and what these sources would be.

ILO Consultant and Process Manager, K. A. K. Gajaweera presented results of his study based on some findings contained in his presentation paper.

He said there are six vulnerable groups he focused on. Vulnerable women-single parent, disabled people, disadvantaged youth, poor, in this category he placed plantation workers, which it turned out was not quite accurate, internally displaced persons, IDPs in the North and East and also those affected by the tsunami and rehabilitated fighter carders of the LTTE, and migrant workers.

Ms Mehamali Aluwihare from the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC), said substantial work had been done by the estate sector for youth training and general upliftment in their standing, which is not less than similar positions outside the plantations.

As for identification of differently-abled persons, she said the private sector had taken positive steps to place these persons in meaningful employment. Such persons are now doing normal work alongside normal people.

Open discussion sessions were chaired Senior Skills & Training Policy Specialist ILO, Sub Regional Office, Dr. Akiko Sakamoto.

There was active audience participation particularly from line Ministries and also from some Labour Unions, particularly from the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC).

Summing up discussions did not indicate an identified time-frame for implementation.

Hope was that this document too would not gather dust on some government department.