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1. Formulation and implementation of education and training policies. The Committee notes the information provided in the Government’s report received in September 2008. The Committee noted in its comments on the application of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), that a state programme for the application of an employment strategy in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2007–10 was adopted and a set of priorities for job creation was also established in the context of the Decent Work Country Programme for the period 2006–09, which lays down a national employment strategy. In its report on Convention No. 142, the Government indicates that this state programme for the application of the Employment Strategy provides, among other things, for a set of measures aimed at upgrading the quality of the labour force and preparing competitive personnel for the labour market. In this regard, the Committee notes that the state programme provides for: (i) a determination of the labour market needs through conducting an examination of the current labour market situation and projecting forward; (ii) an improvement of the vocational education system in order to prepare competitive personnel for the labour market; (iii) the continuation of on-the-job training, improvement of a non-stop vocational training system, and the introduction of advanced methods of education; (iv) the introduction of institutional changes in the field of vocational training, in conformity with the requirements of employers; and (v) an examination of the possibilities for attracting investment in the development of human capital. The Committee notes that 107 vocational and technical institutions were in operation in Azerbaijan in 2007, where 24,455 students were enrolled. The number of students enrolled in 2007 was 2.7 percentage points more than in 2006, and 12.8 percentage points higher than that in 2002. The Government also indicates that Regional Vocational Training Centres were established in 2007 to provide assistance to unemployed persons and jobseekers in Baku and Gueokchai. These centres organized more than 80 training programmes, including 15 modules that take into account the actual requirements of the labour market for skilled personnel. The Committee would appreciate receiving information on how the education and training measures implemented in the framework of the state programme for the application of the employment strategy have contributed to the operation of open, flexible and complementary systems of general, technical and vocational education (Articles 2 and 4 of the Convention). In this respect, the Government is also requested to include information on the efforts made to achieve more effective coordination between policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training and their link with employment and the public employment services (Article 1(1) to (2) of the Convention).

2. Extension and development of the system of vocational training. The Committee notes that the State Programme on the Development of Vocational and Technical Education (2007–12) seeks to ensure the comprehensive satisfaction of the requirements for the dynamic development of the national economy through professional and qualified personnel, as well as the organization and delivery of vocational and technical education services which correspond to their needs. In this regard, it is envisaged that the State Programme for the Development of the Vocational and Technical Education will: (a) strengthen the material and technical base in the system of vocational and technical education; (b) form new economic relations and improve management in the system of vocational and technical education; (c) renew the contents of the vocational and technical education to ensure that it corresponds with the current needs of the labour market; (d) improve the personnel training procedure for the system of vocational and technical education; and (e) enhance the social status of vocational and technical education. The Committee also notes that the Decent Work Country Programme provided, inter alia, for the development of programmes entitled “Start and Improve Your Business” and the application of vocational training systems in newly established educational centres. The Committee notes that a UNDP project “Development of the National Social Protection System” established “Methodic manuals on the organization of the vocational guidance methods” and the “Systems of the multimedia test programmes” to determine the professional skills of unemployed persons and jobseekers. The Committee also notes that a project entitled “Social Protection Development”, developed in the framework of cooperation between the Ministry of Labour and the World Bank, provides for the preparation of proposals concerning the improvement of the vocational training system and retraining of unemployed persons and persons looking for employment, detection of the working specialities which are most in demand, and study of the possibility of applying modular training systems to those specialities. The Committee asks the Government to include in its next report information on any progress made as the result of the assistance received from the ILO and other international organizations to develop the vocational and technical education systems and the steps taken with a view to extending the systems of vocational training to cover fields of economic activity not previously within their scope and to ensure that they are adapted to the changing requirements of individuals throughout their lives, as well as those of the economy and of the different branches of economic activity.

3. Article 5. Cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Committee notes that, during the reporting period, seminars were held in Baku, Gyandja, Sumgait, Mingyachevir and Lenkoran to discuss the role of the social partners in ensuring employment. The seminars were attended by representatives of nearly 350 large enterprises, institutions, organizations and companies. The participants discussed issues relating to the existing employment legislation and the obligations of parties, as well as the future cooperation of social partners in this field. The Committee invites the Government to continue reporting on the measures adopted to ensure the collaboration of employers and workers and, where applicable, other interested bodies, in the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and vocational training policies and programmes at national and local level so as to fully take into account their experiences and views.