Within the framework of the SESRIC project titled “Fostering Information Technology (IT) Solutions to Improve the Effectiveness of Public Employment Services (PES) in the OIC Member Countries”, which is funded by the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) under the 9th Call for Project Proposals of COMCEC Project Funding, the Centre, in collaboration with the project partners namely, Malaysian Social Security Organisation (SOCSO), Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia and Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR), organised a Workshop on “The Role of Digital Solutions for Effective Delivery of Public Employment Services in the OIC Countries” on 14-15 September 2022 through an online video conferencing platform.

The workshop brought together 97 experts and senior officials from the national public employment services (PES) institutions/ authorities and relevant national institutions in 22 OIC Member Countries. The workshop included country experiences and best practices of the PES institutions/ authorities, as well as keynote presentations from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES).

The workshop, which was also organised within the framework of the OIC-PESNET and SESRIC Public Employment Services Capacity Building Programme (PES-CaB), aimed to highlight the critical importance of technology adoption in improving the effectiveness of PES and provided a platform to discuss common challenges and deliberate on possible solutions in this domain. The workshop also provided an opportunity for participants to share experiences and best practices on the topic and have a better understanding of the capacity development needs and priorities of the PES Institutions in the OIC Member Countries.

The workshop commenced with the opening remarks of Mr. Onur ÇAĞLAR, Director of Training and Technical Cooperation at SESRIC. Mr. ÇAĞLAR started his speech by thanking the COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO) for their guidance and support for the project, as well as the implementing partners of the project, namely SOCSO, Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia and İŞKUR, for their invaluable contribution and support since the formulation stage of the project. In addition, in his speech, Mr. ÇAĞLAR highlighted that digital and information technologies (IT) represent an important opportunity to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the provision of services in this domain. It is an essential support tool to stimulate and promote the use of these services by job seekers and employers, he added. Before concluding his remarks, he also thanked the participants from the national PES institutions/ authorities of the OIC Member Countries for their commitment and dedication towards enriching their knowledge and expertise in this important field.

In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Muchamad YUSUF, Chief of Labour Market Center at the Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, pointed out that OIC Countries should strive to implement fully operational public employment services, in particular by adopting IT in PES. However, he stated that various types of challenges make this process difficult. He also pointed out that there is a need for knowledge transfer, capacity building, expert guidance, research, as well as an exchange of best practices to improve the PES systems in the OIC Member Countries. In his closing remarks, Mr. YUSUF expressed his hope that the OIC countries will continue to further enhance public employment services in the years to come.

In his speech at the opening session, Mr. Eser EROL, Team Leader of International Relations and Employment Expert at the Foreign Relations and Projects Department of the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR), stressed that İŞKUR attaches great importance to the elimination of skills mismatches and the development of its services, especially by adopting IT solutions and strengthening their matching activities with their consultancy services. Mr. EROL concluded his remarks by thanking SESRIC and the implementing partners of the project for their continuous efforts towards enhancing the cooperation among PES Institutions in the OIC Member Countries.

In his statement, Mr. Mehmet Celalettin AKTAŞ, Head of COMCEC Programmes and Projects Department at the COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO), briefed the participants on their activities and financial support mechanism towards the capacity-building projects of the OIC Member Countries. Mr. AKTAŞ also expressed that country experiences in IT solutions and technology adoption for providing effective public employment services will be very useful for all to obtain and adapt relevant tools and practices according to local needs in different OIC Countries.

The COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO) introduced in 2013 the COMCEC Project Funding (CPF), a financing mechanism that funds projects submitted by the Member Countries and relevant OIC Institutions to realise the strategic objectives and outcomes of the COMCEC Strategy. The funding is provided in the form of a grant through the Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye, which is one of the main bodies in the COMCEC Project Funding scheme. Since the initiation of the CPF, SESRIC has implemented seven projects under various cooperation areas and in accordance with sectoral themes determined by the CCO. For more details about SESRIC projects funded by the COMCEC, please visit: https://www.sesric.org/tcd-activities-projects-funded.php

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