Making the connection between VET and the EU's trade agreements with ETF partner countries is far from apparent. The specific role of skilled manpower to economic development rarely addressed in policy documents addressing export promotion.
A recent ETF review of skills concerns for SMEs in Georgia, as part of the wider regional SBA assessment in the EU's Eastern Partnership (publication due in early 2020), goes someway to highlight the linkage between skills development and the Deep & Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCTFA) between Georgia and the EU. The DCFTA allows for improved market access between the EU and Georgia. This has implications particularly for quality and availability of skilled manpower in designated sectors.
The VET/DCFTA study highlights a number of challenges, including:
- little awareness amongst the VET community of the DCTFA provisions, and by implication, relevance to VET developments;
- weak linkages between VET providers and exporting businesses.
The study makes some useful recommendations, particularly regarding developing awareness and understanding amongst VET students of the importance and opportunities of DCFTA for Georgian SMEs. However, a more developed comment quality, relevance and application of VET to Georgia's key exporting sectors could have reinforced the paper.
One recommendation in the paper, nonetheless, deserves applause: the active involvement of successful exporters and entrepreneurs in VET programmes. Bravo!
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