Council of Education and Labor market (ROA) established

The Secretary Office SER/ROA/GOA is   responsible for supporting the ROA

On 9 October 2019 the Prime Minister Mr. Eugene Rhuggenaath installed the Education and Labor Market Council, in the presence of the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Mrs. Marilyn Alcalá-Wallé.

The establishment of the Education and Labor Market Council (hereinafter: ROA) has been set up in accordance with Article 70(2) of the National Ordinance of the 22^nd of May 2008 laying down regulations concerning secondary vocational education and training (National Ordinance on Secondary Vocational Education and Training) (P.B. 2008, no. 37), and is laid down in the National Decree of the 9^th of April 2019, no. 19/0753, establishing the Council of Education and Labor Market (National Decree of the Council of Education and Labor Market) (P.B. 2019, no. 20), which entered into force on the 9^th of April 2019.

The relevant national decree contains provisions on the establishment and tasks of an ROA. The ROA’s task is to advise the Minister of OWCS and, through the minister’s intervention, give advice to other ministers on developments in the field of education and the labor market. Specific duties include advising the minister on the recognition of courses, the final attainment levels for the education courses that qualify for a license, and the requirements for the subjects that are part of the examination to obtain a vocational and middle management diploma. The ROA also advises on the ministerial regulation with general effect referred to in Section 18(2) of the National Ordinance on Secondary Vocational Education and Training. This regulation relates to the hearing of the ROA concerning the establishment and maintenance of a coherent and differentiated set of final attainment levels, subdivided into partial qualifications, for training courses that are relevant to the sectors or professional categories concerned.

The ROA consists of seven members, i.e. representatives from industry, trade unions, education and government. Appointed are: Ms. Bionda Fonseca and Mr. Ramond Jamanika (employers’ representatives); Mr. Edward St. Jacobs and Mr. Kenneth Valpoort (employees’ representatives); Mr. Ruud Thuis (Educational or Labor Market Policy expert, appointed by the Minister), Mrs. Melrose Cornelia-Ortela and Mrs. Feiijdi Narvaez-Ayubi (Public and special education representatives).

Section 11, first article, of the aforementioned national decree stipulates that the SER/ROA/GOA Secretariat Office is responsible for supporting the Council. The exact form of the support will have to be determined.

In its advice of August 14^th, 2018 with ref. no. 106/2018-SER, the SER advised on an initiative draft ordinance regulating the institution, organization, composition and authorities of an Education and Labor Market Council on Curaçao. The newly to be established  Education and Labor Market Council is explicitly distinguished from the ROA with regard to secondary vocational education (ROA-SBO) in the Explanatory Memorandum to the draft initiative. The former is a ‘permanent and independent advisory body that provides advice across the board with regard to education and training in general and is based on an integral approach to education and training, which is also related to economic development’. The request for advice concerns a permanent ROA advisory body.

In its advice, the SER discusses the need for both an ROA at SBO level (as currently installed) and a separate Advisory Board for the Future of Work and Education (TWE), the latter advising on educational policy for all phases and levels of education, aimed at the development of competences for a future labor market and the organization of education, so that this fits in as well as possible. On the basis of its analysis, the SER concludes that a separate advisory board in the field of education and the labor market is not only useful and necessary, but is even urgently needed in view of the challenges of the Future of Work. From a socio economic point of view, the SER considers it eminently important that the current or future workforce is prepared for the future of work.

The advice can be found on the website of the SER: (www.ser.cw).

With the establishment of an ROA at SBO level, at least a first step has been taken towards achieving a better connection between secondary vocational education and the labor market.

In the picture:
Prime Minister Eugène Rhuggenaath, Mr. Ruud Thuis, Mr. Kenneth Valpoort, Ms. Suzanne Larmonie, Mr. Raymond Jamanika, Minister Marilyn Alcalá-Wallé, Mrs. Feiijdi Narvaez-Ayubi, Mr. Edward St. Jacobs and Ms. Bionda Fonseca.