Operationalize WBL with implementation partners to offer WBL opportunities to the refugee and host communities.

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Activities, stakeholders and guidelines

Operationalize WBL with implementation partners to offer WBL opportunities to the refugee and host communities.

Practical tips and guidelines on key activities and stakeholders involved

Click on one activity below to see detailed guidelines

Stakeholders involved
Sector experts,
TVET institutions,
Training providers,
Government representatives (local),
In-company trainers and supervisors
Guidelines
Where they exist, national TVET or training authorities should lead the development and delivery of training curriculum, in addition to assessing and certifying apprentices. In Kenya, for instance, the National Industrial Training Authority took the lead. In Uganda, the Ugandan Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (UHTTI) did so, in coordination with the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT). For more about Uganda, see case study.
In Uganda, PROSPECTS developed a manual and related training for workplace supervisors in each of the selected hotels, as they were responsible for the apprentices and their learning outcomes.
PROSPECTS Uganda also supported the development and production of teaching materials and aids for TVET instructors and facilitators, including training in the use of the ILO handbook, Promoting Social Cohesion and Peaceful Coexistence in Fragile Contexts Through TVET. Trained facilitators included refugees from refugee youth-led organizations (RYLOs) who were supporting the rollout of TVET in the Nakivale settlement.

Stakeholders involved
Sector experts,
National industry training authority (or equivalent),
TVET institutions,
Training providers,
Government representatives (local)
Local government (district or governorate level),
In-company trainers and supervisors in workplaces
Guidelines
It is easier to refer people who have skills profiles or certifications into WBL. In Uganda, a lack of candidates with nationally recognized certification and skills profiles necessitated several rounds of interviews in the apprentice selection process.
The process of selecting apprentices can be rigorous and time-consuming, but this is necessary to ensure employers and apprentices both experience positive outcomes.
Apprentices need foundational skill sets and motivation to pursue a career in their chosen profession.

Stakeholders involved
Sector experts,
National industry training authority (or equivalent),
TVET institutions,
Training providers,
Government representatives (local)
Local government (district or governorate level),
In-company trainers and supervisors in workplaces
Guidelines
Recognize that WBL can be expensive, especially when trainees require stipends, transport and equipment.
Explore cost-sharing arrangements with training institutions, government agencies, and other organizations.
Consider embedding training in larger training institutions to help with scholarships and spread costs between other courses, where students are able to pay their own way.
Locate WBL opportunities close to refugee-hosting areas to minimise transportation barriers.

Stakeholders involved
Sector experts,
National industry training authority (or equivalent),
TVET institutions,
Training providers,
Government representatives (local)
Local government (district or governorate level),
In-company trainers and supervisors in workplaces
Guidelines
Keep a record of employment figures that indicate successful transitions into employment after WBL. For instance, among the first cohort of graduates from the pilot in Uganda’s hotel sector, 70 per cent secured employment or went on to pursue entrepreneurship in the sector. Endeavor to communicate and make the most of partnerships with trusted organizations and community leaders, including RYLOs and employer organizations.
Measuring and documenting the impacts of WBL on businesses, in terms of sales, hiring, or other efficiencies, can help develop a case for businesses to host trainees and apprentices.

Stakeholders involved
Social partners,
Private sector,
Community based organizations,
Refugee- and youth-led organizations,
Government representatives (national),
Certification bodies,
Training providers,
(I)NGOs,
Humanitarian partners
Guidelines
Partner with refugee-led organizations (RLOs) and other community-based organizations (CBOs) that are already embedded in refugee communities. These organizations can help with outreach, mobilization, and adapting programme content. They can also provide valuable insight into the needs and challenges of the community.
Collaborate with local INGO chapters that have experience and established relationships in refugee-hosting areas. This can help expand the reach and credibility of the WBL programme.
Employ various channels to reach refugees, including community meetings, social media, and word-of-mouth through community leaders.
Account for differences in readiness, skills, and financial resources of WBL participants.
Outreach and communication on both the employer and candidate sides need to highlight employment and productivity gains, while also addressing common misconceptions about the work readiness of refugees and the availability of employment opportunities for both communities.
Emphasize that WBL is not a job but a structured learning process that can lead to employment and improved skills.
Ensure local businesses hosting WBL understand that participants’ primary purpose is to learn.
Communicate WBL requirements (duration, hours per week, etc) and selection criteria with applicants upfront.
Manage employer expectations and build capacities to oversee WBL. The PROSPECTS programme teams had to present the concept of WBL in a structured manner, so that employers could see a benefit from hosting WBL trainees, understand how WBL differed from regular employment and appreciate the need to establish learning objectives for apprentices.
Clarify any work permit or social security requirements associated with the WBL programme.

Stakeholders involved
Private sector,
Social partners,
In-company trainers,
Master crafts persons and workplace supervisors
Guidelines
Ensure that the practical component of apprenticeships or apprenticeship-like arrangements provides sufficient opportunity to work towards pre-determined learning outcomes. Apprenticeships should have specific learning outcomes that align with the theoretical training received. This is a good practice for all WBL that occurs in a workplace, but is required for formal apprenticeships.
Throughout the course of formal apprenticeships, apprentices should maintain a logbook of what they have learned, which can be checked on a weekly basis by a workplace supervisor.
Invest in building the capacities of company supervisors to be able to accompany trainees during their work placements. In Uganda, company supervisors underwent training, whereas in Egypt, the programme used staff from the implementing INGO to serve as enterprise supervisors. In both cases, the supervisor role helped ensure apprentices gained practical skills and could engage in a learning process. In Iraq, a life coach was also introduced to help apprentices gain soft skills during work placements. For apprentices coming from other regions and countries, a life skills coach also helped explain workplace customs that might differ, such as working hours, socialization between colleagues and work attire.
While micro, small and informal businesses might not be able to host a formal apprenticeship programme, they can offer opportunities for WBL that align with quality apprenticeships.
Exploring WBL opportunities with local craftspersons and in MSMEs can help bring practical training to areas where the private sector is thin.
Find out more about apprenticeships on ILO’s topic portal.

Stakeholders involved
National qualifications authorities,
TVET institutions,
Private sector,
Chamber of industry
Guidelines
WBL is part of TVET, so its operations should align with national recognition and certification systems. WBL may be followed by skills profiling, qualifications recognition and recognition of prior learning (RPL) , as this makes job-seekers’ existing knowledge and skills more visible to employers.
Focus on sectors and occupations where refugees are employed. In PROSPECTS countries, this included agriculture, construction, industrial sectors and crafts.
Since WBL, and in particular apprenticeships, attract young people who lack experience in work environments, country programmes found it useful to incorporate soft-skills training. Soft skills include communication, teamwork and time management, among others.
The choice of partners can also extend beyond national TVET providers and responsible line ministries to include local partners that could help develop and apply models that are fit for purpose and market-driven at the local level.
The practical component of WBL should have specific learning outcomes that align with the theoretical training received. These learning outcomes can be monitored carefully by such measures as having trainees maintain daily training logs, as was the practice in Uganda, or having routine company visits or in-company trainers.
Work with national TVET institutions to introduce practical, on-the-job training to complement classroom-based training. For example, in Lebanon, the programme had already invested in building the capacities of Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) trainers using a competency-based training approach. The programme encouraged farmers and agricultural employers in refugee-hosting areas to support an additional seven-week WBL component of a classroom training course delivered at an MoA technical school. In Ethiopia, the Jigjija Polytechnic College (JPTC) partnered with PROSPECTS to develop a dual vocational training model. The practical and theoretical training lasted for three months, followed by 45 days of work placements at enterprises in Jigjiga.

Stakeholders involved
National qualifications authorities,
TVET institutions,
Private sector,
Local businesses/employers,
Chamber of Industry Associations
Guidelines
Recognize that WBL can be expensive, especially when trainees require stipends, transport, and equipment.
Explore cost-sharing arrangements with training institutions, government agencies, and other organizations.
Consider embedding training in larger training institutions to help with scholarships and spread costs.

Stakeholders involved
Cooperatives,
Sector experts,
Social partners
Guidelines
Steering committees can be formed in various ways. For example, in Uganda, PROSPECTS established a National Apprenticeship Steering Committee and Sector Steering Committee to oversee progress under the National Apprenticeship Framework and related pilots in the hotel sector (see Uganda case study). In Iraq, working groups were set up per occupation to oversee the implementation of competency-based training and work-based learning.
Such governance structures should feature a feedback loop so that training can be adjusted in response to subtle changes in the development and application of skills at sectoral level. Such changes include technological developments and shifts in production, among other factors that shape how skills are effectively taught and deployed.
Promote government participation in this structure to ensure the WBL knowledge and practice are not lost as management personnel change. Without a link to national stakeholders, frameworks and standards, lessons learned from the pilot can fail to inform nation-wide policy and practice.

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Operationalize WBL with implementation partners to offer WBL opportunities to the refugee and host communities.

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