SkYE Talk: Issues Unpacked Awarding a training grant to a qualifications body: the case of the SSDA/NQD Issue 04
Introduction The Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) Programme in the Caribbean aimed to develop market-relevant skills among young people and a more productive, better trained and inclusive workforce across four countries, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). Through the SkYE Training Fund, the programme awarded grants to organisations delivering training leading to nationally, regionally or internationally recognized certificates. This case study examines a grant awarded to the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) / National Qualifications Directorate (NQD)1 in SVG. It draws on interviews with staff at training institutions and the SSDA/NQD to consider benefits and challenges of awarding a training grant to a National Training Agency. It finds that alignment with the agency’s role in the eco-system improved the efficiency of the grant, but that results-based financing needs to be carefully designed to avoid undermining the quality of training.
The SSDA is the National Training Agency (NTA) for TVET in SVG. It consists of a Board and a secretariat, the National Qualification Department (NQD). 1
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