Annex A. Engagement
The OECD Skills Strategy project in Tlaxcala, Mexico involved ongoing oversight and input from the National Project Team, which was composed of experts outlined in Table A A.1 below.
The OECD held three virtual missions to Tlaxcala between July 2020 and December 2020, during which it met with a broad range of stakeholders who represented secretariats, government agencies, education and training providers, municipalities, and many more (see Table A A.2) . The OECD would like to thank all participants for their invaluable contributions to the project. The missions included large interactive workshops, working groups and bilateral meetings. All workshops and meetings were held virtually given the restrictive measures and travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mission 1: Kick-off mission (7 July 2020)
The main objectives of this mission were to discuss Tlaxcala’s main policy priorities and the proposed priority areas for the project, identify potential areas to address within each of these priority areas, and evaluate options and timing for workshops and select key dates for these events. The mission included the following elements:
Opening remarks: The Governor of Tlaxcala expressed his support for the project and explained its relevance in tackling the skills challenges in Tlaxcala. A representative from the Permanent Delegation of Mexico to the OECD then welcomed all participants on behalf of the Delegation. Subsequently, all members of the Tlaxcala National Project Team and the OECD team were introduced.
Introduction to the Skills Strategy Framework: The Head of the OECD’s Centre for Skills introduced the 2020 OECD Skills Strategy Framework, and presented the project motivation and the importance of skills development for Mexico and Tlaxcala.
Presentation on priority areas: The OECD Project Lead for Tlaxcala presented an overview and general structure of the final deliverable of the project, an OECD Skills Strategy Tlaxcala report, and introduced the four proposed priority areas for the project: 1) strengthening the skills of youth; 2) fostering greater participation in adult learning; 3) using people’s skills more effectively to raise productivity; and 4) strengthening the governance of the skills system.
Discussion of priority areas: The presentation of each of these priority areas was followed by a brief discussion where the Tlaxcala team provided feedback on the sub-topics proposed under each priority area, resulting in an overview of the main topics to include within each priority, and thereby defining their scope.
Mission 2: Skills Strategy Assessment Workshop (19-20 October 2020)
For the second virtual mission of the Skills Strategy Tlaxcala project, the OECD held the Assessment Workshop. The main objectives of this mission were to collect insights about Tlaxcala’s performance and initiatives in the four identified priority areas, refine the topics to be developed within each priority area, and generate stakeholder support for the project. Several sessions were part of this workshop:
The plenary session (19 October 2020): This gathered approximately 130 participants and was opened by the Governor of Tlaxcala, who expressed his support for the project and explained its importance for tackling Tlaxcala’s skills challenges. The Governor was followed by the Ambassador of the Permanent Delegation of Mexico to the OECD, who welcomed all participants on behalf of the Delegation. Following these introductions, The Head of the OECD Centre for Skills introduced the framework of the OECD Skills Strategy 2019, and presented the project’s objectives and features and the importance of improving skills outcomes in Tlaxcala.
Presentation on priority areas (19 October 2020): The OECD Project Lead for Tlaxcala provided a detailed presentation of Tlaxcala’s performance in developing and using skills, leading to the project’s four identified priority areas: 1) strengthening the skills of youth; 2) fostering greater participation in adult learning; 3) using people’s skills more effectively to raise productivity; and 4) strengthening the governance of the skills system.
Question and answer (Q&A) session (19 October 2020): During this session participants freely asked questions about specific priority areas and reiterated the relevance of the project.
Thematic sessions (19/20 October 2020): All participants were invited to join four sequential thematic sessions, each focused on one of the four priority areas. The first session was held on 19 October, and three sessions followed on 20 October, with the average participation of 90 stakeholders in each session. Active discussion was sustained thanks to the presence of stakeholders from different levels of government, employer and business representatives, academics, and independent experts, among others.
Mission 3: Recommendations Workshop (14-15 December 2020)
The Recommendations Workshop was organised to present the diagnostic analysis of each of the priority areas, discuss recommendations to the identified challenges and collect information about potential recommendations from stakeholders. This mission included the following elements:
The plenary session (14 December 2020): This gathered approximately 130 participants and was opened by the President of the Supérate programme, who highlighted the relevance of the project in tacking Tlaxcala’s skills challenges. The First Secretary of the Permanent Delegation of Mexico to the OECD then welcomed all participants and stressed the importance of Mexico continuing to carry out OECD Skills Strategy projects at the subnational level.
Presentation on priority areas (14 December 2020): The OECD Project Lead for Tlaxcala presented the preliminary findings of the diagnostic phase in each of the project’s four identified priority areas: 1) strengthening the skills of youth; 2) fostering greater participation in adult learning; 3) using people’s skills more effectively to raise productivity; and 4) strengthening the governance of the skills system.
Thematic sessions (14-15 December 2020): All participants were invited to join four sequential thematic sessions, focused on each of the four priority areas. The first two sessions were held on 14 December, and two sessions followed on 15 December, with an average participation of 90 stakeholders in each session. Active discussions were sustained thanks to the presence of stakeholders from different levels of government, education and training providers, and independent experts, among others.