The approach of the IESC team, including subcontractor the Center for Training and Consultancy, is to engage a broad stakeholder base to leverage private and public investment into skills training programs and increase high-value employment opportunities for Georgian citizens. The program engages with local and foreign business associations, national and international investment organizations, corporations, Chambers of Commerce, and critical public sector stakeholders to closely monitor and respond to ongoing and planned changes in labor market needs. The program also works closely with the Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Health, Labor and Social Affairs and agencies like the National Skills Agency to monitor labor market and skills supply developments.

Central to achievement of results under the program is an innovative approach to competitive grants, which allow the program to respond to gaps in the supply of skilled workers to meet high-growth industry needs, as well as address the needs of priority populations such as youth, women, rural populations, ethnic minorities, and students with disabilities. The grants are performance- and milestone-based and mobilize cost-share from grantees and other investors, while utilizing a pay-for-results incentive, as appropriate, to reward innovation, job placement, and support of women and rural citizens. The cost-share requirement ensures grantee buy-in, while accreditation and certification efforts ensure the sustainability of programs. At the sector level, the program will leave behind a network of training providers with scalable and replicable partnership models for private sector engagement in skills development.

Goals

• Incentivize private sector engagement in skills development
• Establish short- and long-term skills training programs demanded by the private sector
• Increase access to training opportunities for rural and priority populations