October 1, 2016 – March 1, 2018
Project PI:
Rao R. Bhavani
Project Co-PI:
Joost Monks, NORRAG
Peliwe Lolwana, University of Witwatersrand
Funding Agency:
NORRAG
Project Summary:
AMMACHI Labs engaged in a multidimensional scoping study with the REAL Center of Witwatersrand University in South Africa, facilitated by NORRAG of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Switzerland, to better understand the dynamics of skill development among unreached populations and the role ICT plays. The study’s focus on the subsistent informal sector and the construction industry emerged through a series of round table discussions among the collaborating partners,to identify India and South Africa’s most pressing skill development needs and unreached population.
The scoping study strove to: 1) Pinpoint knowledge gaps between policy and practice, in the provision of vocational training for construction trades among the subsistent informal within India and South Africa 2)Investigate the interplay between TVET and ICT policies and practice, with a focus on the subsistent informal sector and construction trades in the two countries. Over the course of the 18 monthlong exploratory study AMMACHI Labs engaged in cross-country field visits in South Africa and India, project coordination meetings and forum events held in the partnering countries, to refine the focus of the study based on findings from the field and share preliminary insights with relevant TVET stakeholders. AMMACHI Labs and the study’s collaborators spoke with national level policy makers to share insights gathered and learn about emergent policy initiatives that specifically addressthe needs of the target population. The scoping study also served as a platform to identify and exchange best practices and lessons learned with training providers that integrate ICT in construction trade training and target vulnerable communities.
The study’s findings published in a final report, reflect a greater understanding of the structural issues impacting effective skill development among the subsistent informal sectors in South Africa and India, respectively. Based on this informed understanding, the study provides recommendations for policies and practices that more acutely reflect the skill development needs of the informal sector as well as areas for further research regarding ICT-integrated TVET.