Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2018, published 108th ILC session (2019)

Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142) - Nicaragua (Ratification: 1977)

Articles 1 to 5 of the Convention. Implementation of policies and programmes of vocational guidance and training. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government, in response to its previous comments, regarding the various vocational training programmes implemented by the National Technological Institute (INATEC) in 43 centres throughout the different regions of the country, with a view to promoting access to the labour market or entrepreneurship in sectors such as commerce, services, agriculture and forestry, industry and construction. The Government refers to, inter alia, the “Zero Usury” programme, which aims to train women workers in the informal economy in the sound management of their undertakings. The Government adds that 438,723 women were trained in the framework of this programme between 2014 and 2017. Furthermore, a training programme has been implemented for persons with disabilities, older persons and detainees with a view to ensuring their labour market integration and promoting their entrepreneurship. The Government also refers to the implementation of the “Love” programme, designed to provide vocational training courses to at-risk young persons, unemployed young persons, single mothers and women heads of households; and the “Zero Hunger” programme, which grants training to women beneficiaries of the “Food Production Voucher” scheme (provision of animals and the necessary materials to build a smallholding) in rural areas with the objective of converting production units into comprehensive and self-sufficient smallholdings. The Government reports the adoption in 2016 of the “Productive Small Family Businesses” programme, which provides training courses to owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve the quality of their products and their marketing procedures. The Committee also notes the statistical information provided by the Government regarding the number of men and women enrolled in and having graduated from the various training programmes between 2012 and 2017. Regarding the impact of such programmes on the labour market access of participants, the Government indicates that the INATEC does not have statistical data on the number of programme graduates who enter the labour market as it is not responsible for the monitoring of their labour market integration. In this respect, the Committee recalls that Paragraph 16 of the Human Resources Development Recommendation, 2004 (No. 195), provides that “Members should evaluate the impact of their education, training and lifelong learning policies on the progress made towards achieving broader human development goals, such as the creation of decent jobs and poverty eradication.” The Committee requests the Government to continue providing detailed information on the measures adopted or envisaged with a view to guaranteeing access to vocational training and guidance for vulnerable groups of workers such as women, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, inhabitants of rural areas and workers in the informal economy. The Committee also requests the Government to continue providing updated information, including statistics disaggregated by age and sex, on the impact of the policies and programmes implemented in relation to vocational guidance and training. Furthermore, the Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures adopted or envisaged with a view to gathering statistical information on the results achieved in terms of the labour market insertion of participants in vocational training activities. Lastly, the Committee requests the Government to provide specific and detailed information on the manner in which the social partners and representatives of the private sector have been consulted in relation to the formulation, implementation and monitoring of vocational guidance and training programmes.