DEVPOLES to stengthen decent work structrues and build system stakeholder capacities in Guatemala 

Our organization is thrilled to launch an ambitious new project that will support vulnerable communities in Guatemala. 

Foto credits: Envato elements.

Statement of the challenge

Financed by the European Union and managed by the Ministry of Economy, this project is a key component of the Decent Work Programme, which is dedicated to promoting decent employment opportunities for all Guatemalans.

Our project has two main objectives:

1. To establish public-private partnerships that will provide training and support for vulnerable groups such as young people, people with disabilities, women, and indigenous communities. We will begin by conducting a comprehensive diagnosis of the supply and demand for vocational training in the country, and then use this information to create tailored training programs that address the specific needs of these groups. This will bridge the gap between supply and demand and ensure that the training provided is relevant and impactful.
   
   
2. To strengthen the business development services of the Ministry of Economy to better support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. This will include the development of a cutting-edge mobile app to streamline the registration process for companies interested in receiving support, a powerful management tool with advanced geographic mapping capabilities, and state-of-the-art data-driven dashboards that will allow for better tracking and evaluation of program results. This will enable us to provide more efficient and effective support to MSMEs, and ultimately drive national economic growth and social cohesion.. 

Our project also includes the organization of Regional Thematic Fairs for products of MSMEs, which will include sectors such as gastronomy, tourism, seafood, manufacturing,  woodwork, and handicrafts. These fairs will provide an opportunity for MSMEs to showcase their products and services, and also prepare them to position their production on a national level. Additionally, we will be organizing the First National MSME Encounter, which will be a four-day event with specialized themes for each day. The event will provide a platform for MSMEs to make connections, link to larger producers and service providers to improve their businesses, receive targeted training, listen to informative talks, access services from institutions, and participate in business roundtables. The organization of this event will include a strategy for dissemination and promotion, as well as an evaluation of the event by the participants.

We understand that this project is ambitious and will take a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve our goals, but we are confident that by working together with public and private partners, under the guidance of the Ministry of Economy and the European Union, we can make a real impact in the lives of vulnerable communities. We are committed to sustainable and transformational change, and we are excited to begin this journey together with EY Costa Rica, Arbetsförmedlingen, and Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung - HRNS.

We will keep our stakeholders informed of the progress of this project on our website and social media, and we look forward to contributing towards a brighter future for all Guatemalans.

DEVPOLES strengthens probation services in Guyana

The Government of Guyana, through the Ministry for Legal Affairs and the Inter-American Development Bank, entrusted DEVPOLES to lead capacity building efforts for the country’s probation system. 

Foto credits: DEVPOLES backstopping team

Statement of the challenge

In Guyana, judges and magistrates have the option of both probation and community service orders as alternatives to imprisonment. However, these measures are scarcely used because magistrates lack the proper incentives to make use of these options, as confidence in the effectiveness of probation services to provide efficient supervision of offenders is low. This has in turn produced an overuse of pre-trial detention and an over reliance on custodial sentences 

Progress so far

DevPoles has completed the organizational assessment, mapped "as is" processes, administered a psychometric tests of all probation officers, determined areas for improvement in KSAs, developed results-oriented job descriptions as well as a performance apprisal programme.

SO far, our team has aleady trained two batches of officers in:

- Probation legal considerations

- Situational awareness  

- Defence tactics and lawful use of force 

- First aid for probations officers 

By delivering these services, the project led by DEVPOLES will contribute towards reducing recidivism and inmate population by improving the social integration of people in conflict with the law.

How can higher education institutions boost their economic and social impacts and contribute towards the SDGs?

DEVPOLES is leading the production of the study in close cooperation with the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the University of Barcelona, under the supervision of the IDB and the patronage of Universia Foundation-Santander. The ultimate purpose is to improve the understanding of the economic and social value of universities in selected countries from the double perspective of fostering an understanding among policymakers and the public about the value of university work for the countries and regions in which they operate, as well as generating recommendations for possible strategies to better align and update university curricula and activities with the characteristics and impacts of the ongoing technological revolution.

Foto credits: UNNOBA.

The IDB, in partnership with Universia-Santander, in October 2017 initiated a strategic process of dialogue and collaboration with public and private higher education institutions in Latin America under the premise that accelerated technological change is impacting different university areas and creating risks and opportunities for universities in the region. Some changes that have been identified include, but are not limited to: the generation of unforeseen competition, changes in research and academic careers, changes in the expertise needs of the business and public sectors, changes in the aspirations of young people, changes in training platforms, and changes in curricular content.

As a result, the institutions participating in the dialogue identified a serious gap in their adaptation to these changes and continued the discussion defining the detection of trends, strategies and possible lines of action.

Following the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic since March of 2020, the “social distancing” measures that have been taken to mitigate the spread of the pandemic have also generated a strong economic contraction that, in turn, has forced the digitalization of the productive sectors. Higher education institutions have been directly affected and obliged to modify their modes of provision and move towards tele-education. In the case of the Latin America, the scope of the response of many universities to optimize their teleworking and distance education capacities and maintain their cash flow has been limited, especially in the case of small and medium-sized higher education institutions.

This study is playing its key part in supporting universities in Latin America and the Caribbean to better understand how to accelerate and improve their insertion in the changing economic and technological environment brought about by the ongoing technological revolution.