The government has taken initial steps to set up a special board in charge of analysing labour market information and coordinating capacity building for civil servants while also placing the smartest school graduates into jobs.

The Minister for Public Service and Labour, Judith Uwizeye, yesterday tabled a Bill in Parliament that establishes a new agency dubbed, "Capacity Development and Employment Services Board (CESB)” and determines its responsibilities, organisation and functioning.

On top of coordinating capacity building for public servants, Uwizeye said, one of the important services that the board will provide is to keep information about the country’s ‘smartest people’ and the labour market needs.

"One of the major challenges we have is that trainers are not well-connected to employers; there is no link between knowledge offered in schools and labour market demands. That gap is crucial and we thought about setting up the institution (CESB) to fill it,” Uwizeye told legislators.

With the objective of harmonising capacity building with employment, the CESB is expected to take over some of the responsibilities in the area of capacity building which are currently handled by the National Capacity Building Secretariat, the Ministry of Public Service and Labour, as well as the National Commission of Science and Technology.

Proposed major responsibilities of the CESB include the provision of policy advice and coordinating the implementation of the national capacity development strategy, the national human resource development strategy, as well as the national employment programme and interventions across sectors.

The agency will also support national capacity development and human resource development planning by providing analysis and forecasts vis-a-vis the set targets for national priority areas, support sectors to map skills gaps and coordinate strategies to address the skills deficit in the public and private sectors through specific skills profiling, skills assessments and skills development strategies.

Analysts at the board will also be in charge of tracking and capturing data on Rwandan students in the country and abroad and facilitate the placement of rare talents with skills needed in priority areas of work.

Labour market info system

The board will also develop and update the Labour Market Information System and establish, update and disseminate information on a national database of skills available and required to inform government decision makers and the private sector.

However, MPs were divided on the rationale of setting up the board, with some considering it important for the coordination of capacity building and employment promotion efforts, while others saw it as a duplication of roles since many of its responsibilities can be handled by existing institutions.

MP Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi said the board’s responsibilities will be paramount in honing skills of new employees joining public service.

"Many public servants start their jobs without prior capacity building training and the board may help by preparing them. Having such a special organ in place may also help reduce reliance on expatriates because the smartest among Rwandans will be followed up closely and hired,” he said.

Citing institutions like the National Capacity Building Secretariat, the Workforce Development Authority (WDA) and the National Commission of Science and Technology, MP Theobald Mporanyi said responsibilities that will be assumed by the CESB are already covered by the already existing institutions.

"I don’t see the need for the proposed board because many of the tasks described in the draft law could be allocated to existing institutions,” he said.

But the majority of the deputies approved the Bill, which means that debate on the draft law establishing CESB will proceed at the committee level in Parliament.

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