MSD addresses the underlying causes of poor performance in markets that matter to people living in poverty, in order to create lasting changes that have a large-scale impact. The ultimate rationale to apply the MSD approach in development cooperation is to stimulate systemic change in order to i) reach scale and ii) ensure the sustainability of a development intervention. 

To open the training, welcome remarks were delivered by Mr. Friedrich Huebler, Head of Office of UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and Ms. Virpi Stucki, Chief of UNIDO’s Skills Development and Fair Production Unit.

During his opening remarks, Mr. Friedrich Huebler highlighted that resilience is a requisite for sustainable development, and that helping institutions to overcome various disruptions is essential. “This means that we must all strive to improve our ability to not only withstand but recover from and adapt to adverse events”, said UNESCO-UNEVOC’s Head of Office.

Ms. Virpi Stucki mentioned the importance of having such training when so many crises are ongoing, such as climate change, food insecurity, and economic instability.

“We need to find a way to better be able to respond to crises and build the resilience of TVET systems, and the Market System Development approach is potentially a tool”. – Virpi Stucki

The virtual training had the participation of practitioners from Cambodia, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Lesotho, Nepal and Zambia. The training was conducted by MSD experts from Agora Global.

The content was presented through a mix of taught components, worked examples, and group exercises. In breakout groups, the participants discussed elements of the MSD approach, how various shocks (i.e., COVID-19, war, and changing market conditions) might impact the skills development system, and how MSD tools can be used to improve the resilience of TVET systems.