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With reference to its direct request of 1998, the Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report received in May 2003. In this report, the Government considered it appropriate to include certain information also contained in the report due in 2003 in accordance with article 19 of the Constitution of the ILO. The Committee once again refers to the comments that it has been making on the Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88), and particularly the observation of 2003 relating to the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), the application of which is closely related to that of Convention No. 142.

1. Articles 1, 2 and 4 of the Convention. The Government indicates that El Salvador’s population is extremely young, for which reason special vocational training and integration programmes are principally carried out for poor young persons, and efforts are made to develop effective and modern employment mediation services, with support for local employment and self-employment initiatives. The employment mediation project has been coordinated with private enterprises. Taking into account the difficulties experienced by young persons entering the labour market and by the underemployed in finding productive employment, the Committee trusts that the Government will continue to indicate in future reports the manner in which it ensures effective coordination and links between policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training, on the one hand, and employment and public employment services, on the other. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would also provide up-to-date information in its next report on systems of general, technical and vocational education, educational and vocational guidance and vocational training.

2. Article 3. The Committee trusts that the Government will provide data on any extension of the vocational guidance system which has been undertaken during the period covered by the next report. Please also include the information requested in the report form in relation to paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article of the Convention.

3. Article 5. Please continue providing information on the cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations and other interested bodies (such as non-governmental organizations or other intergovernmental organizations) in the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and vocational training policies and programmes.

4. The Government refers to the activities of INSAFORP, and particularly the Employment Mediation System (SIE), a project financed jointly with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and implemented by the Foundation for Integral Education of El Salvador (FEDISAL). This project commenced in October 2002, has the objective of contributing to improving the functioning of the labour market and covers the whole country. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report, including extracts from reports, studies and surveys, including statistics on the results achieved by the SIE and other programmes which have been implemented.