Build4Skills, TVET, and Infrastructure—An Innovative Initiative

Abstract

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched the joint Build4Skills initiative which targeted at integrating TVET components into infrastructure projects. Build4Skills will ensure that trainees learn in workplace-based settings, enhance certification standards and the recognition of prior learning, and include a digital tool for labor market monitoring and analysis. The unique partnership of BMZ and ADB within the framework of B4S can serve as a promising model of inter-organizational cooperation for other sectors of development cooperation. With the valuable insights gained from the pilot in Mongolia, the Build4Skills initiative could be rolled out, adapted to the context of other partner countries facing similar challenges in the construction sector, thus attracting the attention of more donors and increasing the interest of the private sector in taking part in this innovative approach.