Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142) - Azerbaijan (Ratification: 1992)

Article 1 of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of education and training policies. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and training programmes and their results, as well as on the establishment and activities of the Human Resources Development Agency. In its report, the Government refers to the adoption of relevant legislation during the reporting period. The Committee takes particular note of the Law on Vocational Education, which came into force on 24 April 2018, as well as of the adoption of the National Strategy for the Development of Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Government also refers to the creation of one-stop regional centres offering information as well as vocational training, and the adoption of the National Employment Strategy 2018–2030, which was developed with technical assistance from the ILO and follows the lines of the Decent Work Country Programme 2016–2020. The Government reports that, from 2013 to August 2018, 20,459 people continued to use vocational training services, out of which 12,435 used regional centres. The Committee notes that, in its 2019 country report on Azerbaijan, the European Training Foundation (ETF) estimates that Azerbaijan spends only 3 per cent of its public budget on education. The Government does not provide information concerning the Human Resources Development Agency. The Committee therefore reiterates its request that the Government provide information on the establishment and activities of the Human Resources Development Agency in relation to the matters covered by the Convention. It further requests the Government to provide information on the implementation of the 2018 Law on Vocational Education, including statistical data disaggregated by age, sex and region, on the impact of the legislation on access to opportunities for vocational guidance and training as well as lifelong learning (Paragraph 1 of the Human Resources Development Recommendation, 2004 (No. 195)). In addition, the Government is invited to provide information on the manner in which it is ensured that vocational guidance and training measures are closely linked to present and future employment needs.

Article 2. Development of the vocational training system. The Government indicates that the Law on Education seeks to increase employability by providing education, particularly basic specialist vocational education. To this end, the Vocational Development Agency was established in 2016. In addition, the Government implemented a certain number of national programmes to promote socio-economic development, sustainability and youth employment. In particular, the Social Protection Development Programme introduced improvements to the vocational guidance system of the State Employment Service. The Government reports that, as a result of the implementation of the Presidential Order of 7 April 2016 concerning Additional Measures to Promote Self-Employment, 1,500 households received training. The Committee notes that, according to the 2013 UNESCO–UNEVOC report entitled “World TVET Database Azerbaijan”, the insufficient allocation of funds for the technical and vocational education and training system (TVET) and the lack of necessary and modern technological equipment and study materials in TVET institutions are some of the challenges identified in relation to developing a system of vocational education in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Furthermore, the 2019 ETF report indicates that vocational education and training in Azerbaijan is still at a school-based level. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated detailed information concerning general, technical and vocational education, educational and vocational guidance and vocational training. In addition, noting the challenges referenced in the reports of the European Training Foundation and UNESCO–UNEVOC, the Committee invites the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to ensure both the enhancement and the sustainability of the TVET system in Azerbaijan.

Articles 3 and 4. Extension and development of the vocational training system and lifelong learning. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on progress made with the assistance of the ILO and other international organizations in relation to vocational and technical education systems, as well as on the possible extension of vocational training systems to additional sectors. The Committee also requested the Government to provide information on measures taken to ensure that the systems of vocational training are adapted to the changing requirements of people and the economy. The Government refers to several measures, as well to many projects conducted in collaboration with the ILO and other international organizations, like the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and the European Union (especially in respect of the European Neighbourhood Policy), in particular concerning the training of young people and jobseekers. Between 2016 and the first half of 2018, assistance and courses were provided to 452 young people, including 133 women, 80 per cent of whom subsequently secured employment. For example, in the context of the TVET, within the framework of the ILO Project “Partnership for Youth Employment in the CIS”, the public employment service (PES) held a number of courses for PES officials, social partners’ representatives and the research community in relation to the inclusion of people in vulnerable situations in the labour market. The Committee notes that the Government does not provide specific information on how the system of vocational training is adapted to the needs of people and the economy. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information and statistics on the results of the assistance received from the ILO and other international organizations to develop the vocational and technical education system. Please also indicate the measures being taken with a view to extending the system of vocational training to cover fields of economic activity not previously within their scope and to ensure that they are adapted to the changing requirements of individuals throughout their life, as well as to those of the economy and of the different branches of economic activity.

Article 5. Cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on cooperation with employers’ and workers’ organizations in relation to the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and training policies. In its response, the Government refers to the Labour Code, the Law on Employment and the tripartite General Collective Agreement of 7 February 2018 as measures regulating the role of employers’ and workers’ representatives for agreements concerning training and measures to promote employment. The Government also refers to the Tripartite Commission on Social and Economic Affairs established on 30 October 2016. The Committee notes that the Government does not provide specific information on the cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations in respect of the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and training policies. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the manner in which the cooperation of employers’ and workers’ organizations and, where applicable, other interested bodies, is ensured in the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and vocational training policies and programmes.