Study Milestones
Country Study (October 2017 - March 2018): The study commenced with an exploration and description of political structures, economic and industrial development, education systems, and Vocational Skills Development (VSD) programs in various countries. Based on this initial analysis, three key manufacturing industries were selected for each country, with the garment industry being included in all cases.
Workshop 1 (June 2018): This workshop established the groundwork for subsequent research activities and facilitated collaborative efforts. During this session, the company survey instrument was co-designed.
Company Survey (September 2018 - January 2019): Surveys were conducted across all partner countries to gather data on company growth and transformation, skill needs, and perspectives on VSD programs. A total of 847 companies participated, with data primarily collected through face-to-face meetings, except in South Africa, where an online survey was employed. The survey focused on quantitative assessments, mainly descriptive, to explore differences between countries and industries.
Workshop 2 (March 2019): Initial survey analysis covering 847 companies was shared during this workshop. To enhance understanding of causal relationships, a Theory of Change was developed. A workshop was held in Laos with representatives from industry, government, and training providers.
Company Case Study (August 2019 - December 2019): A deeper assessment was conducted on 16-18 companies per country through interviews with management and production staff. Agreement levels with statements were measured using a Likert scale approach, and more detailed quantitative company data were collected. Both qualitative and quantitative assessments were conducted.
TVET Stakeholder Interviews (July 2021 - October 2021): Interviews were conducted face-to-face with training providers, government representatives, and industry associations. A total of 98 training provider representatives, 36 government representatives, and 31 industry association representatives participated. The qualitative analysis of open-ended responses was performed alongside quantitative assessments of Likert scale data.
Training Provider Survey (July 2021 - October 2021): Training providers were surveyed to gather detailed information on the features, learners, and outcomes of two of their programs. Data for 167 programs were collected, with a focus on quantitative assessments, primarily descriptive in nature.
Workshop 3 (September 2022): Cross-country findings were analyzed to investigate variances. Stories for policy and knowledge generation were identified, and teams for agreed-upon publications were formed. Another large stakeholder workshop was held in Phnom Penh.
Workshop 4 and Research Conference (May 2023): Efforts focused on preparing publications and sharing findings at a large research conference in Johannesburg, co-organized with the University of the Witwatersrand and the International Labour Organization (ILO). Reflections on the research project's implementation and the lessons learned about evaluating impact were also discussed.
