Strengthen statistical and analytical capacities on the training-employment link in Mali
In order to strengthen the capacity of its research officers, the National Employment and Training Observatory (ONEF) of Mali signed a partnership agreement in 2018 with IIEP-UNESCO Dakar. The objective was to design and conduct a satisfaction survey of employers of graduates of Vocational Training Centers.
The support took place from September 2018 to August 2019, with the support of the Luxembourg Agency for International Development (LuxDev) and the participation of the UNESCO Regional Office for West Africa (Sahel)
The methodological collaboration of the experts made it possible to introduce two new elements compared to the methodology adopted by ONEF in its first satisfaction survey:
- Measuring satisfaction in relation to expressed expectations: ONEF researchers were helped to better identify the explicit or implicit expectations of employers at the time of recruitment of graduates;
- Break down satisfaction levels according to expectation levels: in Mali, competence is defined as a combination of knowledge, attitudes and skills. Satisfaction was measured and weighted against the high and medium expectations expressed by employers for each of these three components.
The results of this support made it possible to develop two methodological tools for the ONEF-Mali team:
- Methodological guide for the employer satisfaction survey of vocational training graduates
- Monitoring the external effectiveness of vocational training systems in Mali: Key indicators and monitoring system
- Satisfactory results were obtained thanks to the commitment of ONEF's research staff and all the stakeholders who contributed to the finalization of these methodological tools and, subsequently, to their use in conducting the satisfaction survey.
According to Mr. Boubacar DIALLO, Director General of ONEF-Mali, "the implementation of this partnership has considerably improved ONEF's know-how, as evidenced by the quality of the study results obtained following the capacity building of the study managers. The studies thus conducted by ONEF serve to assist the authorities in their decision-making and facilitate the management of the vocational training system in Mali".
Following this successful first phase, a continuation of the partnership is planned in 2020 to support ONEF technicians in conducting a satisfaction survey of the beneficiaries of a vocational training system. This will allow ONEF to broaden its scope of intervention in the context of conducting studies.
ONEF-Mali should also be able to share its expertise with its peers, members of the African Network of Employment and Training Observatories (RAOEF), which it chairs.