Workshop schools for employment and entrepreneurship

Background

The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation - AECID (Spain) has one of the most promising models in the field of Comprehensive Development Cooperation for vocational technical education, aimed at employability and social inclusion. These 'Workshop Schools' have a remarkably high level of success and recognition, fostering ownership and continuity in more than 25 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, where the model has been implemented over the last 30 years.

At the same time, the Municipalidad de Peñalolén (Municipality of Peñalolén, Chile), through its Corporación Municipal de Desarrollo Económico (Municipal Economic Development Corporation - YUNUS), has developed an entrepreneurship model linked to technical and professional education, known as the 'Programa ruta del emprendedor' (the Entrepreneur's Roadmap), which appropriately complements and expands the range of options for students that are already offered through AECID's ‘Escuelas taller’ (Workshop Schools).

In their efforts to develop lines of work that contribute to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Intendencia Departamental de Cerro Largo (Departmental Government of Cerro Largo, Uruguay) and the Agencia de Desarrollo e Integración de la Región Itaipú (Itaipú Development and Integration Agency, Paraguay), which includes Alto Paraná, have identified vocational training and entrepreneurship as one of the key strategies for a post-crisis recovery, especially when oriented towards women and youth, showing particular interest in the Peñalolén and AECID models.

It is worth noting that Peñalolén, Cerro Largo and Alto Paraná have previously worked together on several International Development Cooperation programmes; for example, with 'Mirada Ciudadana', a Triangular Cooperation project within the framework of the first phase of the ADELANTE Programme, which has led to an inspiring dynamic of collaboration between sub-national entities from different countries.

Thanks to the joint work between these entities, it was possible to identify the 'Escuelas taller' model and have the AECID join this collaborative framework, as well as other leading entities that were called upon to provide significant added value to the Partnership: the Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation (as an institutional framework and an international leader in Triangular Cooperation), the Gobernación de Alto Paraná (land management), and Mirada Ciudadana (experience in the joint management of Triangular Cooperation projects between local governments).

Entities and roles

Beneficiary entities

Intendencia Departamental de Cerro Largo

Uruguay

Agencia de desarrollo e integración de la Región Itaipú

Paraguay

Universidad Internacional Tres Fronteras

Paraguay

First provider entities

Municipalidad de Peñalolén

Chile

Corporación Municipal de Desarrollo Económico YUNUS

Chile

Second provider entities

Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo

Spain

Collaborating entities

Gobernación Alto Paraná, Paraguay

Mirada Ciudadana - Municipio de Río Branco, Uruguay

Agencia Uruguaya de Cooperacion Internacional (AUCI), Uruguay

Development challenges

Thanks to this Triangular Cooperation Initiative, Cerro Largo and Alto Paraná (through the Agencia de Desarrollo e Integración de la Región Itaipú) were able to harness all the knowledge, experience and relational capital of the AECID and the Municipalidad de Peñalolén / Corporación Municipal de Desarrollo Económico - YUNUS, with the aim of generating and applying models of vocational technical education geared towards labour market insertion, social inclusion and entrepreneurship, in order to contribute to the challenge of developing lines of work aimed at women and young people to help recover from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to this joint work, a new model was generated, aptly named 'Workshop Schools for Employment and Entrepreneurship' and which has been adapted to the local contexts of Paraguay and Uruguay.

The creation and application of a new model, arising from the complementarity between the two previous models and their adaptation in the field of recovery policies, will enrich the entities aiming to create these new schools in their respective regions (through the learning process and the direct benefits the schools will provide), as well as the original entities (since they will be able to update and improve their sectoral strategies and intervention models, thanks to all of the insights gained).

There is also a common benefit for all those involved. All participants have become protagonists of a new model which, if it proves to be successful in the medium term, can be replicated in other municipalities in the countries involved as well as in third countries, with the participation of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and the Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation (as a collaborating entity) representing a key part of this scaling-up at the regional level.

This Triangular Cooperation Initiative strengthened the capacities of the member entities of the Partnership to generate and apply a new model of support for technical and vocational education and entrepreneurship, as part of the response to the socio-economic effects of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This allowed them to harness the knowledge and expertise of two successful and complementary models, with the aim of making them available to the international community.

Triangular approach

There is broad consensus that vocational technical education, combined with support for entrepreneurship, is one of the keys strategies towards a socio-economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

For this reason, this Initiative aimed to harness the knowledge and experience of the leading European and Latin American entities on these issues, building capacities to create and apply a mixed model that specifically responds to the needs within the areas of intervention, with the purpose of replicating these experiences in similar contexts in the region.

The experience of the Partnership entities in their previous joint work helped ensure the quality of knowledge triangulation; a complex process that requires a great deal of commitment and dedication from all those involved.

The regional dimension of the AUCI and the supra-regional dimension of the AECID offer the possibility of a broader scope beyond the Initiative, in the event that both the creation process and the resulting model are of the expected quality.

Sectoral approach - Contribution to the 2030 Agenda

Primary SDG

Goal 8.6 By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training

Goal 8.9 By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

Secondary SDG

ADELANTE SDG

Goal 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

Territorial approach

Intervention methodology

The methodology of the Initiative reflected the logic of the provision - combination - use - application - and feedback of this successful and internationally renowned expertise. There is a permanent emphasis on the involvement, awareness-raising, training and ownership of the municipal teams most closely linked to this Initiative, as well as all of the authorities involved in this area at the municipal and regional level.

The first planned activity was a consultancy that aimed to define the point of convergence between the broad experience of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Municipality of Peñalolén / Corporación Municipal de Desarrollo Económico - YUNUS and the needs of the Intendencia Departamental de Cerro Largo and the Gobernación de Alto Paraná. It was complemented by an analysis of internal capacities and a context analysis at the regional and national levels. This consultancy resulted in an initial proposal for a model, as well as the basic guidelines for the knowledge transfer process.

This activity was extended over time, and in some ways can be seen as cutting across the entire implementation of the Initiative, while also serving as an accompaniment to the entire process and support for the ownership of the models by Cerro Largo and Alto Paraná.

Subsequently, three workshops were held to coordinate the knowledge transfer process: a) in-depth study of the models of AECID and the Municipio de Peñalolén / Corporación Municipal de Desarrollo Económico - YUNUS, as well as an analysis of the needs, capacities and context of the Intendencia Departamental de Cerro Largo and the Gobernación de Alto Paraná; b) in-depth study of the model proposed and developed by the consultancy; and c) a roadmap to apply the knowledge gained, with an emphasis on training for the most closely affiliated municipal teams.

Broad and robust participation was encouraged in each of the workshops by all the Partnership entities, with other key actors joining the process on an ad hoc basis.

In terms of applying the model throughout the life cycle of the Initiative and the corresponding implementation of the new 'Employment and Entrepreneurship Workshop Schools', two studies were carried out on competitiveness and the labour market; one focused on Cerro Largo and the other on Alto Paraná, which provided valuable data to inform the training options and define the most appropriate entrepreneurship model for each of the two new schools.

To conclude the Initiative, a face-to-face seminar was held in Uruguay, featuring all of the Partnership entities and professionals involved in the Initiative to jointly analyse the transfer and implementation process carried out. During the seminar, the exercise was systematised and standardised, with the ultimate goal of making it available to other local governments in Uruguay and Paraguay and throughout the region.

Direct beneficiaries (individuals)

According to Rule 9 of the Guidelines for Applicants: all persons participating in the activities of the Initiative.

This Initiative had 97 direct beneficiaries from two well-defined groups: on the one hand, professionals from the Partnership entities involved in all the planned activities and in creating the new model (approximately 59), and on the other hand, representatives from the educational, productive and social sectors of Cerro Largo and Alto Paraná (approximately 38), who were involved in specific consultation (studies), training and dissemination (seminar) activities, in order to foster their commitment to the process and to the future 'Employment and Entrepreneurship Workshop Schools'.

The first group, which includes those directly involved and who played a leading role in each of the planned activities, was composed of 33 public officials from the Intendencia Departamental de Cerro Largo and the Gobernación de Alto Paraná, together with 16 public officials from the Agencia de Desarrollo e Integración de la Región Itaipú (including 6 officials from UNITER), joined by 10 public officials from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and the Municipio de Peñalolén / Corporación Municipal de Desarrollo Económico -YUNUS.

Budget

EU contribution: 67,647.84 €

Co-financing - Triangular Cooperation Partnership: 21,194.81 €

Total budget: 88,842.65 €

The information gathered in this IMPACT section is the result of the first 'joint ex post analysis exercise' of the Initiative which, as foreseen in the policy framework of the ADELANTE Window, took place one year after the end of the implementation period.

For more information on these exercises, please consult the ADELANTE Window 2021 Impact Report.

Continuity of the Partnership

STARTING POINT: Existing South-South relationship that was strengthened with the incorporation of European Union partners as Second providers.

The Partnership, as such, has not been consolidated and has not been maintained over time.

However, some of the Partnership member entities have continued their bilateral collaboration in the core areas of the Initiative.

Application of generated knowledge

The knowledge generated has been partially applied by all Beneficiary entities, more in terms of concrete actions than at the policy level.

The model developed during implementation of the Initiative has not been applied.

During its implementation, the Initiative involved final beneficiary groups (young entrepreneurs).

The Beneficiary entities have continued to work closely with these groups, even extending the scope, who have benefited and have applied the knowledge generated during the Initiative.

Large-scale training in several municipalities on entrepreneurship, with a special focus on vulnerable groups.

Impact

Applying this knowledge has enabled the Beneficiary entities to successfully tackle the development challenge that gave rise to the Initiative with the necessary quality and guarantees.

FACTORS THAT HAVE ENABLED THE IMPACT:

The relevance of the knowledge generated as a response to the challenges of the Beneficiary entities and the final beneficiary groups.

FACTORS THAT HAVE HINDERED IMPACT:

The change in focal points in some of the Partnership member entities.

Not having foreseen the leverage of financial resources to implement the model.

Future perspectives

Maintain bilateral relations between the different Partnership member entities. Continue to make progress in applying knowledge by the Beneficiary entities, at least in terms of the actions taken.

Continue to make progress in the transfer of knowledge to the Beneficiary groups, monitoring and evaluating the impact in their respective areas of intervention.

Continue to seek national public funding and international funding for the implementation of the model developed during the Initiative’s implementation, which is still relevant, benefiting from the connection with the ADELANTE Window as a guarantee of quality.

NEW EX POST EXERCISE:

Yes (2024)

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