Which investments in skills work?
Helping people build the right skills and earn more is critical to economic growth in LMICs. While substantial research exists, clear answers to the questions that matter most are often missing. Which programs raise people’s income? Under what conditions? At what cost? Can they work on a larger scale? GAPS aims to answer these questions, taking into account real-world implementation challenges.
A proven approach, now applied to skills
GAPS follows the model of the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP), which has guided investment decisions in education. Similarly, GAPS will systematically review the evidence on skills and identify a short list of scalable, cost-effective skills development and employment support interventions that generate the highest impact per dollar spent in developing country contexts.
GAPS will examine four categories of intervention:
- Upskilling and reskilling: training provided by employers, courses workers choose for themselves, entrepreneurship training, adult literacy and numeracy programs that help people find a job or increase their income, and farmer field schools
- Formal training: technical and vocational education and training (TVET), apprenticeships, and school-to-work transition programs
- Ways for workers to prove their skills: certificates and other ways to show employers what workers can do
- Programs that combine training with other support: poverty graduation, cash plus, and matching programs, provided than they include a training or skills component
From evidence to action
To reach the people who can act on them—governments, organizations, and private firms—GAPS will share results through public reports, briefs, blog posts, and events.
Two groups guide its work. The GAPS Expert Panel, composed of academics and technical experts, oversees the research and shapes the initiative’s recommendations.
The GAPS Steering Committee, composed of implementers, private sector representatives, policymakers, donors, and multilateral staff from international organizations, helps ensure GAPS addresses real-world needs and influences decisionmakers worldwide.
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The Global Advisory Panel on Skills is part of CGD's Evidence Initiative. CGD’s Evidence Initiative includes various evidence advisory panels that aggregate and curate evidence and make recommendations for effective knowledge use and evidence-based decision-making. These include GAPS, the Global Education Evaluation Advisory Panel (GEEAP), and the Smart Buys Alliance (SBA).
