Capacity development
This page showcases the insights gained from EU-SPS capacity building actions.
Go to:
- Overview video of capacity development
- Whole-of-government approach
- Individual capacity: pre-service training
- Individual capacity: in-service training
- Individual capacity: social workforce strengthening
- Informal worker inclusion
Overview of capacity development (5 min)
Whole-of-government approach
Access to social protection is a human right. Governments have the ultimate responsibility to ensure equal access, though they do not need to produce all the services alone.
It is understood that eradication of poverty and reduction of inequalities is not possible with social sector actions alone. Social values must be embedded in all policies and the actions of each ministry and agency. Essential values include equality, non-discrimination, participation, inclusion and accountability of duty bearers. We may call this the 'whole-of-government' approach.
The partner countries of EU-SPS initiative have identified fragmentation of the social protection system as one of the core challenges that lead to poor coverage, inadequacy of services and unsustainability. In response, some partner countries have applied the whole-of-government approach. Each country grounds and adapts its actions in their own history and governance systems.
The whole-of-government approach is an important enabler of achieving universal social protection by 2030 (USP 2030). Increasing the amount of countries offering USP relates to the Sustainable Development Goal 1.3. Progress in this front is promoted under the co-leadership of the World Bank and the International Labour Organisation.
Read more about Universal Social Protection 2030
Individual capacity
Pre-service training
Individual capacity in Zambia, Tanzania and Kyrgyzstan was approached through ‘pre-service’ MA, BA and professional proficiency curricula on social protection. Special focus in Kyrgyzstan was on disability inclusion. In Ethiopia the focus was on the training of local level social workers in vocational training institutions.
Mutale Wakanuma from the institute for Social Policy points out that domestic education is essential to capacity: “For you to have enough human resource to be able to run competently you need to train quite a number of staff a number of individuals to deliver social protection. So if you are sending out big numbers it becomes much more expensive to do that and very unsustainable in the long run.”
Testimonies: curriculum development in Zambia and Tanzania (pdf 1.43MB)
In-service training
The EU-SPS has supported in-service capacity development initiatives in African countries and Vietnam.
The TRANSFORM programme is a social protection leadership curriculum. It is designed to treat social protection as a system, consisting of the collaboration between government departments and different levels of implementation. The EU-SPS trained African Master Trainers who will go on to run TRANSFORM training events for in-service professionals. The curriculum has also proven useful to stakeholder civil society organizations. The programme has thus far been run in English, but translations into Portuguese, French and Arabic are in the works. TRANSFORM is also available as an e-course at socialprotection.org.
Testimonies: TRANSFORM Master Trainers (pdf 1.36 MB)
TRANSFORM website
TRANSFORM concept
TRANSFORM for CSOs
TRANSFORM Master Trainer experiences
TRANFROM mini-lectures
As part of individual capacity development, the EU-SPS also helped Vietnam tailor and domesticate an in-service social protection training programme that used to be managed by overseas consultants.
Social workforce strengthening
The EU-SPS/Finland supported the Government of Ethiopia in developing its social service workforce. The main results were:
- The national labour and social workforce assessment report was prepared with stakeholders
- The national consultative workshop outlined new occupations for social work
- Occupation standards were developed for selected social work jobs
Findings indicate that social workers have a key role in informing them about the public services and benefits they have a right to. Social workers also counsel and encourage clients to claim their rights. Professional local level social workers – working in teams with the health and agriculture/food security officers – are needed to create a reliable social protection system at the most local level.
Guidance note: "Social workforce capacity development for local government in Ethiopia" (pdf 1.46MB)
Informal worker inclusion
Cambodia: informal social protection
99% of Cambodian construction sector workers are informally employed and 70% are only seasonally employed and often return to their rural homes. Currently only formal sector workers whose employees are registered with National Social Security Fund (NSSF) are entitled to various social protections.
In brief, the EU-SPS/ILO recommendations are to:
- Imporve coordination between Ministries so firms can be registered with the NSSF
- Review the NSSF registration procedure
- Strengthen NSSD communication
- Measure contributions rather than registrations
- Re-establish shared contributions
- Impose a levy on the construction sector
- Impose higher contribution rates on the main contractor if the sub-contractors are not registered with the NSSF
Cambodia: expanding pension coverage
Cambodia will experience some of the fastest population ageing in the world in the coming decades. Currently it only secures a pension for public sector workers, while the informal private sector is left without pension insurance.
Based on an ILO Actuarial Review, the EU-SPS recommendation is to develop a three-tiered private sector. At its base, there would be a non-contributory minimum pension financed from government revenues. A contributory defined benefit scheme would be designed in a way that fits the context of high informality and fragemented careers, and also increasingly lowers the fiscal burden of the non-contributory tier. There would also be an optional defined contribution scheme.
Guidance note: "Designing a private sector pension system in Cambodia" (pdf 1.27 MB)
Brief overiview of Spirework
Informal worker inclusion as a priority policy area
Implementing SPIREWORK in Zambia
Informal worker inclusion in 7 countries
Below are 7 videos discussing informal worker inclusion in social protection in different countries.
