Public Disclosure Authorized AFRICA Congo, Republic of Education Global Practice IBRD/IDA Investment Project Financing FY 2014 Seq No: 8 ARCHIVED on 17-Jun-2017 ISR27973 Implementing Agencies: Ministry of Technical and Professional Education, Government of Republic of Congo Public Disclosure Authorized Key Dates Key Project Dates Bank Approval Date:17-Sep-2013 Planned Mid Term Review Date:01-Feb-2017 Original Closing Date:30-Sep-2018 Project Development Objectives Effectiveness Date:30-Oct-2014 Actual Mid-Term Review Date:21-Feb-2017 Revised Closing Date:30-Sep-2018 Public Disclosure Authorized Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) The objective of the Project is to improve job and entrepreneurship skills for vulnerable urban youth in order to improve their labor market insertion and earnings. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project Objective? No PHRPDODEL Components Name Component 1: Skills training, job insertion and entrepreneurship support for vulnerable youth and micro-entrepreneurs:(cost $24.30 M) Public Disclosure Authorized Component 2: Strengthen the technical, planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation capacity of METPFQE:(Cost $7.70 M) Overall Ratings Name Previous Rating Current Rating Progress towards achievement of PDO Moderately Unsatisfactory Moderately Unsatisfactory Overall Implementation Progress (IP) Moderately Unsatisfactory Moderately Unsatisfactory Overall Risk Rating Substantial High Implementation Status and Key Decisions 6/17/2017 Page 1 of 9
The mid-term review (MTR) of the Skills Development for Employability Project (PDCE) took place in February/March 2017. The MTR included a large diversity of stakeholders. In addition to government agencies, the MTR included representatives from the private sector, training providers, apprentices, master craftsmen, trainees, enterprises who have accepted interns and/or hired a trainee that has completed the program, development partners, etc. During the MTR, implementation progress all projects activities and implementation arrangements were reviewed, overall progress towards achieving the Project Development Objective (POD) was assessed, and strengths and weaknesses (described below) have been discussed. Recommendations were made to revisit the project scope and design, as well as implementation arrangements. Component 1: Skills training, job insertion and entrepreneurship support for vulnerable youth and micro-entrepreneurs. The PDCE aims at providing skills to 15,000 vulnerable youth through three programs (subcomponents) (1) Skills training, job insertion and entrepreneurship support for 8,000 vulnerable youth; (2) skills training for 1,000 micro-entrepreneurs; and (3) Apprenticeship and functional literacy training for 6,000 out-of-school adolescent youth. The results to date are the following: (1) 328 youth have completed the qualifying training program, (2) 479 youth have completed the training to micro-entrepreneurs program, and (3) 692 youth have completed the apprenticeship program. This means that two years into project implementation, only 10% of the targets set during project appraisal have been met. Component 2: Strengthen the technical, planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation capacity of METPFQE. The project also supports the strengthening of the capacity of METPFQE to better plan, coordinate and support the TVET system in the country with the objective of improving its efficiency and quality, while also increasing access in line with present and future labor market demands. Progress under Component 2 is slow but steady: (i) the Life Skills and Functional Literacy are about to be complete (no further training program will start unless these programs are in place), (ii) the Independent Verification Agency has provided two relatively informative reports; (iii) the first report on the Global Value Chain Study on Forestry and Agro-business has been shared with the Bank, and is of poor quality; (iv) a Rapid Labor Market Assessment has been launched (with implementation support from the Social Protection GP); and (v) other studies have been delayed pending further discussions. Project management (which is part of this Component, is discussed separately below). The PDCE is a US$32 million project, of which US$22 million are to be financed by Congo (counterpart funds), and US$10 are to be financed by IDA. A first tranche of US$6 million counterpart funding was released as a condition for project effectiveness, however two further tranches due in April 2015 and April 2016 have not been released. The Government has indicated to the Bank that no additional counterpart funding should be expected at this stage. Therefore, the scope of the project will be scaled down to fit within the US$15 million total allocated funding. To date, 21% of the credit has been disbursed. Project Restructuring The Government of Congo has indicated its intention to send to the Bank a request for project restructuring, to take into account the reduced amount of financing available from the government s counterpart funds, but also to simplify the next phase of project implementation and maximize impact. The challenges that the project has faced during its first two years of implementation have been identified, and remedial actions in the project design and implementation arrangements have been agreed upon during the MTR. The actions would be implemented through the restructuring of the project, which would include: Change of targets for Component 1, and revision of the implementation arrangements of each subcomponent, as appropriate. Revision of the Results Framework. Revision of the Project management arrangements described in the Financing Agreement, to reflect what is actually being implemented. Payments to beneficiaries through the Banque Postale. Amendment of Annex 2, Section IV, Paragraph 2 of the Financial Agreement (Disbursement schedule): reallocation of funds between disbursement categories, and revision of the financing percentages to 90% by IDA. Amendment of Annex 2, Section I-F of the Financing Agreement (Counterpart Funds). Extension of the Credit closing date to December 31, 2020. As a result, it is expected that: 2,500 additional youths will benefit from the Skills training, job insertion and entrepreneurship support (Qualifying training) subcomponent. The total number of youths trained under this subcomponent would therefore 2,900 by the end of the project. 2,000 additional out-of-school youths will benefit from the Apprenticeship and functional literacy training for out-of-school adolescent youth 6/17/2017 Page 2 of 9
( Apprenticeship program ) subcomponent. The total number of apprentices trained under this subcomponent would therefore reach 2,700 by the end of the project. The usefulness of the training provided to the first cohorts of micro-entrepreneurs is not clear. All stakeholders have indicated that in the absence of a financing mechanism to support the trained micro-entrepreneurs, seeing a significant impact on their business was difficult. This subcomponent would there be stopped under the restructured project. Risks Systematic Operations Risk-rating Tool Risk Category Rating at Approval Previous Rating Current Rating Political and Governance -- High High Macroeconomic -- High High Sector Strategies and Policies -- Substantial Substantial Technical Design of Project or Program -- Substantial Substantial Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Sustainability -- Substantial High Fiduciary -- Substantial High Environment and Social -- Low Low Stakeholders -- Moderate Moderate Other -- Substantial Substantial Overall -- Substantial High Results Project Development Objective Indicators Youth who complete the training supported by the project (%) (Percentage, Custom) Value 0.00 93.00 93.00 70.00 6/17/2017 Page 3 of 9
Value 0.00 30.00 30.00 50.00 Training providers reaching performance benchmarks (%) (Percentage, Custom) Value 0.00 69.00 69.00 60.00 Increase in trained youth who are employed or self-employed one year after completing training (%) (Percentage, Custom) Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 Increase in average earnings of youth after completing training (%) (Percentage, Custom) Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 Date 17-Sep-2013 03-Jun-2016 25-May-2017 17-Sep-2018 Overall Comments Intermediate Results Indicators 6/17/2017 Page 4 of 9
Direct project beneficiaries (Number, Custom) Value 0.00 1,490.00 1,499.00 15,000.00 Female beneficiaries (Percentage, Custom Supplement) Value 0.00 46.00 46.00 50.00 Youth enrolled in school-based skills training supported by the project (Phase 1) (Number, Custom) Value 0.00 331.00 331.00 8,000.00 Value 0.00 14.00 14.00 50.00 6/17/2017 Page 5 of 9
Youth enrolled in entrepreneurship/job insertion support (Phase 2&3) (Number, Custom) Value 0.00 320.00 328.00 6,400.00 Value 0.00 15.00 15.00 50.00 Micro-entrepreneurs enrolled in pilot skills training program (Number, Custom) Value 0.00 470.00 470.00 1,000.00 Date 17-Sep-2013 09-Dec-2016 09-Dec-2016 17-Sep-2018 Value 0.00 37.00 37.00 50.00 6/17/2017 Page 6 of 9
Adolescent youth enrolled in apprenticeships (Number, Custom) Value 0.00 692.00 692.00 6,000.00 Value 0.00 59.00 59.00 50.00 Market Assessment Study completed (Yes/No, Custom) Value N N N Y Date 17-Sep-2013 09-Dec-2016 25-May-2017 17-Sep-2014 Beneficiary surveys of impact evaluation completed (baseline, mid-line, end-line) (Yes/No, Custom) Value N Y Y Y 6/17/2017 Page 7 of 9
Data base of TVET provision established (baseline) (Yes/No, Custom) Value N N N Y Date 17-Sep-2013 09-Dec-2016 25-May-2017 17-Sep-2014 Global Value Chain Study completed (Yes/No, Custom) Value N N N Y Date 17-Sep-2013 09-Dec-2016 25-May-2017 17-Sep-2014 Skills development strategy document prepared (Yes/No, Custom) Value N N N Y Date 17-Sep-2013 09-Dec-2016 25-May-2017 17-Sep-2016 Overall Comments Data on Financial Performance Disbursements (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed Disbursed P128628 IDA-53020 Effective XDR 6.70 6.70 0.00 1.38 5.32 21% Key Dates (by loan) 6/17/2017 Page 8 of 9
Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Orig. Closing Date Rev. Closing Date P128628 IDA-53020 Effective 17-Sep-2013 11-Oct-2013 30-Oct-2014 30-Sep-2018 30-Sep-2018 Cumulative Disbursements Restructuring History There has been no restructuring to date. Related Project(s) P164234-Congo - Skills Development for Employability AF 6/17/2017 Page 9 of 9