Conceptualising regional skills ecosystems: Reflections on four African cases. (22nd November 2021)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Conceptualising regional skills ecosystems: Reflections on four African cases. (22nd November 2021)
- Main Title:
- Conceptualising regional skills ecosystems: Reflections on four African cases
- Authors:
- Wedekind, Volker
Russon, Jo‐Anna
Ramsarup, Presha
Monk, David
Metelerkamp, Luke
McGrath, Simon - Abstract:
- Abstract: In this article we address the debate on regional skills formation systems in Africa. We draw on the social ecosystems model (SEM) developed by Hodgson and Spours to analyse data from four case studies that reflect the complexities of African economies, rural and urban, formal and informal. The SEM model helps us focus on the three dimensions of a strong skills ecosystem: collaboration between a range of actors, key institutions and system leaders within the region (the horizontal); top‐down policies, regulations, and funding streams that enable or constrain the regional skills ecosystem (the vertical); and the points where these two interact, often through mediation activities. In the case of the last of these three, our cases point to the importance of nurturing organisations which can provide SEM leadership, particularly in more fragile ecosystems. Yet, in none of the cases, are public vocational institutions playing the strong anchor role envisaged in the model. The significance of the paper lies in three ways it develops the SEM in relation to regional skills ecosystems. First, we problematise the notion of a facilitatory state and place it within wider national and global webs of power. Second, we insist that the local or regional is always embedded in and networked into myriad national and international levels. This requires a more complex understanding of how social skills ecosystems operate. Third, the notion of an anchor institution requires furtherAbstract: In this article we address the debate on regional skills formation systems in Africa. We draw on the social ecosystems model (SEM) developed by Hodgson and Spours to analyse data from four case studies that reflect the complexities of African economies, rural and urban, formal and informal. The SEM model helps us focus on the three dimensions of a strong skills ecosystem: collaboration between a range of actors, key institutions and system leaders within the region (the horizontal); top‐down policies, regulations, and funding streams that enable or constrain the regional skills ecosystem (the vertical); and the points where these two interact, often through mediation activities. In the case of the last of these three, our cases point to the importance of nurturing organisations which can provide SEM leadership, particularly in more fragile ecosystems. Yet, in none of the cases, are public vocational institutions playing the strong anchor role envisaged in the model. The significance of the paper lies in three ways it develops the SEM in relation to regional skills ecosystems. First, we problematise the notion of a facilitatory state and place it within wider national and global webs of power. Second, we insist that the local or regional is always embedded in and networked into myriad national and international levels. This requires a more complex understanding of how social skills ecosystems operate. Third, the notion of an anchor institution requires further elaboration. In most social ecosystems these institutions need to be built or strengthened and a clearer understanding is required of the processes of institutionalisation and what mechanisms make it possible to build this capacity and sustain it over time. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- International journal of training and development. Volume 25:Number 4(2021)
- Journal:
- International journal of training and development
- Issue:
- Volume 25:Number 4(2021)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 25, Issue 4 (2021)
- Year:
- 2021
- Volume:
- 25
- Issue:
- 4
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2021-0025-0004-0000
- Page Start:
- 347
- Page End:
- 362
- Publication Date:
- 2021-11-22
- Subjects:
- Employees -- Training of -- Periodicals
658 - Journal URLs:
- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1468-2419 ↗
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ ↗
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servlet/useragent?func=showIssues&code=ijtd ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1111/ijtd.12251 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 1360-3736
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - 4542.695870
British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 24517.xml