Report of the external evaluation team : the basic skills training project (Jamaica), AID project no. 532-0082

The project has achieved a great deal. The Human Employment and Resource Training (H.E.A.R.T.) academies are showpieces, and the Ministry of Education (MOE) has been greatly assisted by equipment and the renovation of facilities. Instructors have been upgraded, although not all have remained in the system or even in the country. Competency-based education modules have been devised and partially implemented. Proficiency tests for trade areas, evaluations, and coordinating activities have all been delayed, although some are planned or underway. The most important accomplishment of the project, however, has been to galvanize public attention (and public resources) for skills upgrading. Still, over the long term, meeting operating costs will be a major concern. Planned outputs relating to coordination, evaluation, and management/cost data have not been achieved. The project design was based upon questionable assumptions and expectations. The importance attached to the role of coordination, as opposed to, for example, instructor salaries, was debatable, as was the short (5-year) timeframe for a project of this size and complexity. Project implementation, divided among three agencies (the MOE, the Ministry of Youth and Community Development, and as coordinator and monitor, H.E.A.R.T), suffered from unclear lines of authority, and it was unrealistic to believe that a coordinating authority could be imposed on the existing training bureaucracy. Thus H.E.A.R.T.'s shift in emphasis away from management and toward direct operation of the academies was only to be expected. The project's final impact in terms of facilitating skills upgrading, increased employment, and improved management prospects cannot be reliably determined due to lack of data. Data are also inadequate to separate adminsitrative costs from the costs of the academies, although it is seen that recurrent costs per trainee in the academies are over four times higher than MOE technical high schools. Future projects should include: (1) a phased, experimental approach - the highly specialized and supply-side focus of this project led Jamaica along a particular, fairly costly path for skills development; (2) greater consideration of the absorptive capacity of participating agencies; (3) a large knowledge-development component - including controlled experimentation; (4) increased participation by the private sector; (5) separate funding for participating agencies; and (6) greater use of subcontracting among public agencies. A 1-year extension, largely for administrative reasons, is recommended.