Seychelles Human Resource Development Strategy |19 December 2016
New strategy to guide HR development
Seychelles is working on a new strategy to ensure the better matching of human resource with opportunities for Seychellois to achieve success in the labour market, both at home and overseas.
The government, through the Agency for National Human Resource Development (ANHRD), in conjunction with the African Development Bank, is currently funding the development of the Seychelles Human Resource Development Strategy (HRDS).
The department of Human Resource Development is working with the ANHRD, with the assistance of an international consultancy firm to prepare the national HRDS. The strategy has the overall goal of creating a well-trained, globally competitive workforce that supports sustainability and ensure that the country has competent and sustainable human resources that can be at the heart of responding to individual, organisational and national needs.
From November to December 2016 the consultants from PROMAN Consultancy, contracted to work on the strategy, has been conducting an enterprise survey to identify the national human resource requirements. The team has also met various groups of people from the private and the public sector and also government officials in a series of meetings. The results from the survey and discussions will help identify key occupations in high demand and areas of skill shortages.
Subsequently, a Human Resource Development Policy will be developed that provides vision, mission, goals and principles, and guidelines for human resource development.
A HRDS will be developed to target key challenges supported by an implementation plan.
To build capacity in supply, the project will develop a train-the-trainer programme as well as a post-graduate module in human resource development.
The Seychelles 2020 Vision and earlier national development initiatives have called for an integrated approach to sustainable development. To ensure that all priority sectors are provided with the necessary human resources, it is necessary to have a HRDS. The Seychelles economic and social progress will be increasingly dependent on a highly skilled and adaptable workforce. While considerable progress has been made to develop human resources since independence, there are still significant challenges. The HRDS is an attempt to ensure the better matching of human resource with opportunities for Seychellois to achieve success in the labour market, both at home and overseas.
The HRDS will provide benefits for Seychellois at different levels. At the national level, an increase in the level of human capacity will provide many economic and social benefits. Improving skills provides further opportunities for growth and sustainable development.
At the regional level, a more skilled workforce will allow Seychelles to be more economically competitive in the African region. It is anticipated that Seychelles could both attract people from neighbouring countries for further education and training, as well as send Seychellois abroad to compete successfully in the regional and international labour market.
At the individual level, feelings of well-being and a robust sense of self-worth are linked to success in the labour market. Providing more access to education and training needs to be matched by Seychellois taking the opportunities to develop marketable skills. The HRDS will provide this access and promote key concepts such as life-long learning, equity and equality of opportunities for different groups of disadvantaged people.
The outcomes of the HRDS will lead to the development of national and sector specific targets and allow the government to plan more effectively for human resource development in both the short and longer term.
A Concept Note will be produced by the end of January 2017 for circulation and several workshops and individual consultations will be held from January to June 2017. This will provide the basis for the formulation of the HRDS, which is expected to be completed by the end of June 2017.