Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY ICR128452 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION AND RESULTS REPORT ON A CREDIT IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 10.2 MILLION (US$16 MILLION EQUIVALENT) AND A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 7.4 MILLION (US$11.3 MILLION EQUIVALENT) TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF MAURITANIA FOR THE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT PROJECT (P118974) June 29, 2018 Education Global Practice Africa Region CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (Exchange Rate Effective June 1, 2018) Currency Unit = Mauritanan Ouguiyas 35.53 MRO = US$1 US$1.42 = SDR 1 FISCAL YEAR July 1 - June 30 Regional Vice President: Makhtar Diop Country Director: Louise J. Cord Senior Global Practice Director: Jaime Saavedra Practice Manager: Meskerem Mulatu Task Team Leader(s): Kamel Braham, Mohamed Tolba ICR Main Contributor: Mouhamadou Moustapha Lo, M'Bahly M.-A. Kouadio IV ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AFD Agence Française de développement (French Development Agency) BEP Brevet d'études professionnelles (Professional Study Certificate) BID Islamic Development Bank (Banque Islamique de développement) BT Brevet Technique (Technical Certificate) BTS Brevet de technicien supérieur (Technical Professional Certificate) CAP Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle (Professional Qualification Certificate) CAS Country Assistance Strategy CEM Country Economic Memorandum CPAR Country Procurement Assessment Review CPF Country Partnership Framework CPS Country Partnership Strategy CSR Country Status Report DA Designated Account DFP Direction de la Formation Professionnelle (Directorate of Professional Training) DFTP Direction de la Formation Technique et Professionelle (Directorate for Technical and Vocational Education and Training) DP Development Partner DPEF Département des Projets Education et Formation (Department of Training and Education Projects) DPO Development Policy Operation EVD Ebola Virus Disease FA Financing Agreement FAP-FTP Fonds Autonome de Promotion de la Formation Technique et Professionnelle (Technical and Vocational Education Training Fund) FM Financial Management GDP Gross Domestic Product GPRSP Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IDA International Development Agency IDB Islamic Development Bank IFR Interim Financial Report INAP-FTP Institut National de Promotion de la Formation Technique et Professionnelle (National Institute for the Promotion of Vocational and Technical Training) ISR Implementation Status and Results Report M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MDEFPNT Ministère Délégué à l’Emploi, à la Formation Professionnelle et aux Nouvelles Technologies (Ministry of Employment, Vocational Training and New Technologies) MEFPTIC Ministry of Employment, Vocational Training and Information and Communication Technologies (Ministère de l'Emploi, de la Formation Professionnelle et des Technologies d'Information et de la Communication) MOS-E Ministère d’Etat à l’Education Nationale, à l’Enseignement Supérieur, et à la Recherche Scientifique (Ministry of State for National Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research) MOU Memorandum of Understanding NGO Non-Governmental Organization PA Project Account PAD Project Appraisal Document PNDSE Projet National du Développement du Système Educatif (Education Sector Development Program) PP Procurement Plan SCD Systematic Country Diagnostic SPIA School Program Implementation Agreement TA Technical Assistance TTL Task Team Leader TVET Technical and Vocational Education Training TABLE OF CONTENTS DATA SHEET .......................................................................................................................................1 I. PROJECT CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES ...................................................................5 A. CONTEXT AT APPRAISAL .........................................................................................................5 B. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING IMPLEMENTATION .............................................................. 12 II. OUTCOME ................................................................................................................................ 15 A. RELEVANCE OF PDOs ............................................................................................................ 15 B. ACHIEVEMENT OF PDOs (EFFICACY) ...................................................................................... 16 C. EFFICIENCY ........................................................................................................................... 21 D. JUSTIFICATION OF OVERALL OUTCOME RATING .................................................................... 23 E. OTHER OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS ......................................................................................... 23 III. KEY FACTORS THAT AFFECTED IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOME............................................. 25 A. KEY FACTORS DURING PREPARATION ................................................................................... 25 B. KEY FACTORS DURING IMPLEMENTATION ............................................................................. 26 IV. BANK PERFORMANCE, COMPLIANCE ISSUES, AND RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME ............... 27 A. QUALITY OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M&E) ............................................................ 27 B. ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND FIDUCIARY COMPLIANCE ..................................................... 29 C. BANK PERFORMANCE ........................................................................................................... 30 D. RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME ....................................................................................... 31 V. LESSONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................... 32 ANNEX 1. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND KEY OUTPUTS ........................................................................ 34 ANNEX 2. BANK LENDING AND IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT/SUPERVISION ...................................... 63 ANNEX 3. PROJECT COST BY COMPONENT ........................................................................................ 65 ANNEX 4. EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................... 66 ANNEX 5. BORROWER, CO-FINANCIER AND OTHER PARTNER/STAKEHOLDER COMMENTS ................. 75 ANNEX 6. ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS BY COMPONENT ............................................................. 84 ANNEX 7. TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN MAURITANIA .... 105 ANNEX 8. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ............................................................................................. 108 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) DATA SHEET BASIC INFORMATION Product Information Project ID Project Name P118974 MAURITANIA - Skills Development Support Project Country Financing Instrument Mauritania Investment Project Financing Original EA Category Revised EA Category Not Required (C) Partial Assessment (B) Related Projects Relationship Project Approval Product Line Additional Financing P144575-MR-Skills 30-Apr-2014 IBRD/IDA Development Project- AF Organizations Borrower Implementing Agency ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF MAURITANIA Directorate of Project Education and Training Project Development Objective (PDO) Original PDO The Development Objectives of the proposed operation are to improve the quality and efficiency of training institutions and createan enabling environment for a more market-driven Technical and Vocational Education Training System. Page 1 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) FINANCING Original Amount (US$) Revised Amount (US$) Actual Disbursed (US$) World Bank Financing 16,000,000 16,000,000 14,674,978 IDA-49210 11,300,000 11,300,000 8,475,491 IDA-H9650 Total 27,300,000 27,300,000 23,150,469 Non-World Bank Financing Borrower 1,600,000 1,600,000 1,600,000 Total 1,600,000 1,600,000 1,600,000 Total Project Cost 28,900,000 28,900,000 24,750,469 KEY DATES Approval Effectiveness MTR Review Original Closing Actual Closing 26-Apr-2011 12-Sep-2011 16-Mar-2015 30-Apr-2016 31-Dec-2017 RESTRUCTURING AND/OR ADDITIONAL FINANCING Date(s) Amount Disbursed (US$M) Key Revisions 30-Apr-2014 2.30 Additional Financing 24-Feb-2015 5.76 Change in Results Framework Change in Components and Cost Reallocation between Disbursement Categories Change of EA category Change in Institutional Arrangements Change in Procurement 03-Feb-2016 15.28 Change in Loan Closing Date(s) KEY RATINGS Outcome Bank Performance M&E Quality Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Substantial Page 2 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) RATINGS OF PROJECT PERFORMANCE IN ISRs Actual No. Date ISR Archived DO Rating IP Rating Disbursements (US$M) 01 18-Sep-2011 Satisfactory Satisfactory .10 02 07-Apr-2012 Satisfactory Satisfactory .54 03 02-Jan-2013 Satisfactory Satisfactory .96 04 08-Dec-2013 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 1.80 05 28-Jun-2014 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 3.41 06 12-Dec-2014 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 5.26 07 27-Jun-2015 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 11.54 08 03-Jan-2016 Satisfactory Satisfactory 14.65 09 10-Jul-2016 Satisfactory Satisfactory 18.61 10 23-Jan-2017 Moderately Satisfactory Satisfactory 20.67 11 08-Aug-2017 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 22.80 SECTORS AND THEMES Sectors Major Sector/Sector (%) Education 100 Public Administration - Education 25 Workforce Development and Vocational Education 75 Themes Major Theme/ Theme (Level 2)/ Theme (Level 3) (%) Private Sector Development 100 Jobs 100 Page 3 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) Social Development and Protection 6 Social Inclusion 5 Other Excluded Groups 5 Fragility, Conflict and Violence 1 Forced Displacement 1 Human Development and Gender 94 Gender 6 Education 88 Access to Education 22 Science and Technology 22 Teachers 22 Standards, Curriculum and Textbooks 22 ADM STAFF Role At Approval At ICR Regional Vice President: Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili Makhtar Diop Country Director: Mary Kathryn Hollifield Louise J. Cord Senior Global Practice Director: Ritva S. Reinikka Jaime Saavedra Chanduvi Practice Manager: Peter Nicolas Materu Meskerem Mulatu Kamel Braham, Mohamed Task Team Leader(s): Cherif Diallo Tolba ICR Contributing Author: Mouhamadou Moustapha Lo Page 4 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) I. PROJECT CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES A. CONTEXT AT APPRAISAL Context 1. Country context. At the time of appraisal, in early 2011, Mauritania had been experiencing relatively high economic growth. Between 2001 and 2004, the annual GDP growth rate was 4.8 percent before accelerating to 5.4 percent in 2005 and 11.4 percent in 2006. The country’s economy was and remains highly dependent on the exploitation of mineral resources, with a small and static manufacturing sector and a small and shrinking agriculture sector. The urgent need to support the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and increase competitiveness led to the the prioritization of private sector development in the government’s Second Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRSP II, 2006-2010). Similarly, the 2010 Country Economic Memorandum (CEM)1 highlighted the important role of private sector development in improving job opportunities for a growing youth population. The low skills of the workforce, the growing number of out-of-school and unskilled youth, and the high rate of unemployment, however, were considered major constraints to productivity and growth. At project appraisal, there were approximately 350,000 out- of-school youth and the rate of unemployment for workers under the age of 25 was particularly high at 53 percent. 2. Sector context. In the years prior to project appraisal, Mauritania’s education sector experienced a rapid expansion, putting the country on track to achieve the education Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to gender equality and primary school enrollment. The 2000-2010 Education Sector Development Program (Projet National du Développement du Système Educatif – PNDSE) sought to: (i) ensure six years of primary education (6-11) for all by 2020 with a primary completion rate of 100 percent (up from 58 percent; (ii) increase the transition rate from primary to secondary from 47.7 percent to 55 percent and the completion rate of lower secondary from 58 percent to 70 percent; and (iii) increase the percentage of students transitioning from lower secondary to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to 50 percent. 3. The TVET sector was confronting serious challenges in terms of its contribution to sustained economic growth and social development at the time of project appraisal. In addition to low enrollment in TVET (with only 4,983 students2 or 3 percent of total secondary education enrollment), the TVET system did not have the capacity to accommodate a significant share of school-leavers, estimated at 65,000 per annum. The TVET system was inefficient, the training provided inadequate to support economic diversification and improved productivity and there was limited short-term job insertion training and/or apprenticeship programs. Furthermore, an unemployment rate of 50 1 The Foundations of Growth and Competitiveness in Mauritania ” (Country Economic Memorandum, April 2010). 2 Twenty percent of whom were enrolled in private TVET institutions. Page 5 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) percent among TVET graduates suggested a mismatch between the training programs offered and skills demanded by employers. As a result of this mismatch, the private sector turned to workers from outside the country. 4. To support the TVET sector, the country had established, in 2002, an autonomous TVET fund (Fonds Autonome de Promotion de la Formation Technique et Professionnelle – FAP-FTP) which at the time of appraisal, focused primarily on re-training employed adults (90 percent of financed training activities). Training programs for unemployed youth were primarily implemented by non- governmental organizations (NGOs), and reached only about 600 students a year. 5. In 2009 the government identified TVET, youth employment and the training of a skilled labor force as priorities in its third GPRSP 2011-2015. The Government established the Ministry of Employment, Vocational Training and New Technologies (Ministère Délégué à l’Emploi, à la Formation Professionnelle et aux Nouvelles Technologies – MDEFPNT) and adopted a TVET Strategy (2010-2020). This strategy focused on: (i) establishing mechanisms to promote efficiency and improve the relevance of programs and the quality of graduates; (ii) strengthening financial and training management at public TVET institutions; (iii) broadening the mandate of FAP-FTP to address the training needs of unskilled youth; and (iv) strengthening participation by employers in dual training and apprenticeships for trainees. 6. Rationale for World Bank involvement. The Mauritania Skills Development Support Project (P118974) reflected the World Bank’s commitment to support Mauritania’s GPRSP II, particularly its third pillar: to develop human resources and improve access to basic services. In addition, it was aligned with the 2007 Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) which identified weak human resource development as one of the major constraints to economic growth in Mauritania. The CAS highlighted human capital improvement and employment creation as significant areas of intervention. The conditions necessary for achieving these goals included improving the quality and relevance of TVET. 7. This was the first World Bank-funded project to support the TVET sector in Mauritania. Its design was based on a comprehensive analysis of the sector undertaken in the context of the Education Country Status Report (March 2010), CEM (April 2010), the Investment Climate Survey (2006), and various other sector studies that highlighted the needed skills to boost the national economy. The findings and recommendations of these analyses guided the preparation of the project. The Bank was well placed to address the issues of quality, relevance, and institutional development given its global experience in the areas of skills development, employability and employment. The French Development Agency (Agence francaise de developpement – AFD), Islamic Development Bank (Banque Islamique de développement - BID) and Spanish Cooperation were the Page 6 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) main development partners (DPs) active in TVET in Mauritania3 and donor collaboration was coordinated through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2007 by all DPs. This project aimed to support activities and expenditures that were not covered in DPs’ ongoing programs at the time of appraisal as well as providing additional support to those areas which were seen as essential building blocks of a strengthened TVET system. Theory of Change (Results Chain) 8. The Project Appraisal Document (PAD) does not provide a results chain, as this was not a requirement at the time of project preparation. Therefore, the Results Chain below (figure 1) was created for this Implementation Completion and Results Report (ICR). It shows that the selection and design of activities included in the project, and their intended outputs were closely linked to the Project Development Objective (PDO). The Mauritania Skills Development Support Project aimed to provide support in several areas which would lead to improvements in the quality and efficiency of training institutions while creating an enabling environment for a more market-driven TVET system. 9. Specifically, the project aimed to address key challenges facing the sector through a series of academic and non-academic reforms in participating institutions. Academic reforms focused on revising curricula, improving transition rates, faculty development, strengthening research, and supporting industry linkages and employment-focused activities. Non-academic interventions focused on governance-oriented reforms to improve transparency and build mechanisms for accountability and sustainability. Some of these included: improved use of data for decision- making, merit-based promotion, and accreditation of programs. In addition, efforts also focused on strengthening the capacity of the MDEFPNT to create a more demand-driven TVET system and strengthening the capacity of the National Institute for the Promotion of Vocational and Technical Training (Institut National de Promotion de la Formation Technique et Professionnelle –INAP-FTP) to support such a system. The INAP-FTP could provide such support through improved monitoring and evaluation (M&E), development of a normative framework for the certification of skills, and short- term training programs for TVET teachers. 10. Key factors that played a role in facilitating behavior change through the project, cementing a shift from input-based management to a results-based management system, and building mechanisms for accountability and a TVET System more effectively aligned with labor market demand, included: a) Political commitment, particularly on the part of participating institutions (including the MDEFPNT, INAP-FTP and the Department of Training and Education Projects or Département des 3 Significant TVET interventions supported by DPs at appraisal were: a three-year project (2009-2012) for youth training and insertion and TA for teacher training and equipment of the public TVET institutions supported by AFD, a project to train out-of-school youth (who were mostly illiterate) supported by the BID, and financing of a center ( Centre de Formation et d’Insertion Professionnelle CFIF ) supported by the Spanish Cooperation. Page 7 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) Projets Education et Formation -- DPEF) to create an enabling environment for institutional and non- institutional reform (modular and competency-based curriculum development, teacher training, tutoring/mentoring, industry linkages, an ethos of results-based management, and system-wide M&E); b) The rewarding of merit through competitive selection of institutions to build a culture of excellence and accountability; c) Capacity enhancement and the effective exercise of autonomy to determine goals, gather, analyze and use data for decision-making; and d) Tailored technical assistance (TA) to guide the process of transformational change. 11. Longer-term (LT) outcomes expected beyond the closing date of the project were the training system’s ability to adapt to the specific qualitative and quantitative needs of productive sectors and the continued strengthening of linkages between the TVET sector and labor market demand. Page 8 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) Figure 1. Theory of Change: Mauritania Skills Development Support Project Page 9 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) Project Development Objectives (PDOs) 12. As stated in the Financing Agreement (FA) and the PAD, the PDO was to: improve the quality and efficiency of training institutions and create an enabling environment for a more market- driven TVET System. The PDO was comprised of three objectives: (i) to improve the quality of training institutions, (ii) to improve the efficiency of training institutions, and (iii) to create an enabling environment for a more market-driven TVET System. Key Expected Outcomes and Outcome Indicators 13. The first and second objectives were to improve the quality and efficiency of training institutions through the provision of equipment and staff training, and implementation of performance-based grants and demand-driven short-term training for out-of-school youth (15-24 years old). Outcome indicators to measure achievement of this PDO included: number of direct project beneficiaries (baseline: 2,458; target: 16,409) and portion of whom were female (baseline: 15 percent; target: 27 percent); reduced drop-out rate in participating TVET institutions (baseline: 9 percent, target: 3 percent); and number of youth enrolled in short-term training programs finding employment in field related to training within six months of completion of training/apprenticeship (baseline: 0 percent; target: 64 percent). 14. The third objective was to create an enabling environment for a more market-driven TVET system by updating the legal framework and institutional capacity building. The outcome indicator used to measure achievement of this objective was the establishment of a Regulatory framework which provides legal protection and status to private sector training institutions (baseline: No; target: Yes). Project Components Component 1: Strengthening and Diversifying Technical and Vocational Education Training (Improving the Institutional Environment for TVET) 15. This component aimed to support the objective of “improving the quality and efficiency of training institutions” through the strengthening and diversifying of TVET institutions in Mauritania. A performance-based funding approach was introduced by the project for TVET institutions to: (i) empower TVET institutions to conduct more efficient and effective resource management; (ii) facilitate the placement of graduates in the labor market, and (iii) consolidate links with productive sectors to better orient training towards labor market demand. Component 1 had the following two sub-components: Improving the quality, effectiveness and relevance of training provided in eligible TVET institution beneficiaries and Increasing the provision of apprenticeship and short-term training programs for skills development and improved productivity. Page 10 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) Sub-component 1.1. Improving the quality, effectiveness and relevance of training provided in eligible TVET institution beneficiaries 16. This sub-component aimed to improve the quality and relevance of training through the provision of goods, technical assistance and grants to project-supported TVET institutions. Beneficiary institutions were required to develop an improvement plan (“Projet d’établissement”) and to sign a Performance-Based Contract (PBC). Sub-component 1.2. Increasing the provision of apprenticeship and short-term training programs for skills development and improved productivity 17. Sub-component 1.2 aimed to increase the provision of apprenticeship and short-term training programs which targeted out-of-school youth (ages 14-25) and covered a wide-range of vocations such as construction, industry, fisheries, livestock farming, paramedical sector, tertiary trade, media, urban and rural crafts. It would support the following activities: (i) design and costing of apprenticeship or short-term training sub-projects; (ii) appraisal and selection of proposals for apprenticeship or short-term training sub-projects; (iii) provision of sub-grants for the financing of apprenticeship or short-term training sub-projects; and (iv) M&E of the results of apprenticeship or short-term training sub-projects. Component 2: Improving the institutional environment for technical and vocational training 18. In line with the PDO’s sub-objective for creating an enabling environment for a more market- driven TVET System, Component 2 supported the objective of the government’s TVET strategy to adapt the training system to the specific qualitative and quantitative needs of productive sectors, and to make the TVET sector demand-driven. Two sub-components supported this goal: Enhancing the capacity of the MDEFPNT to create a more demand-driven TVET system and Strengthening the capacity of the National Institute for the Support and Promotion of Vocational and Technical Training (INAP-FTP) to support the TVET system. Sub-component 2.1. Enhancing the capacity of the MDEFPNT to create a more demand-driven TVET system 19. Sub-component 2.1 aimed to support capacity-building activities within the MDEFPNT through the following activities: (i) updating the TVET regulatory framework; (ii) defining the strategic vision for the TVET sector and building capacity for strategic planning and budgeting; (iii) monitoring and evaluating the performance of the TVET sector; (iv) designing a plan to develop human resources and teacher training; (v) implementing a communication strategy to increase demand for TVET; and (vi) conducting a survey to identify bottlenecks for women in terms of access to training and labor market entry and proposing solutions. Page 11 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) Sub-component 2.2. Strengthening the capacity of the National Institute for the Support and Promotion of Vocational and Technical Training (INAP-FTP) to support the TVET system 20. Activities implemented under this sub-component aimed to: (i) supervise the expansion of mandate and diversification of the FAP-FTP; (ii) monitor and evaluate School Program Implementation Agreement (SPIAs); (iii) elaborate modular and competency-based curricula content for TVET institutions and pedagogical support; (iv) elaborate a normative framework for the certification of skills; (v) design short-term teacher training programs; (vi) strengthen the M&E system and financial management (FM) capacity of INAP-FTP; and (vii) provide TA to TVET institutions to carry out graduates employment tracer studies. B. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING IMPLEMENTATION Revised PDOs and Outcome Targets 21. The PDO remained unchanged through the life of the project. Revisions to the key performance indicators (KPIs) were made under two of the three restructurings (see annex 1 for more details). The project restructuring concurrent with the Additional Financing (AF) approved on April 30, 2014 did not impact the Theory of Change because it fit within the nature and scope of the original project design. The AF intended to scale up PBCs and short-term training programs, and to introduce an investment component (civil works), with a focus on key drivers of economic growth in Mauritania (e.g., agriculture, construction, mining and services). Targets were adjusted to reflect the AF and a new intermediate results indicator was introduced to track progress in the delivery of civil works. Revised PDO Indicators 22. Revisions to the KPIs were introduced in the AF which was approved on April 30, 2014, and target values were revised accordingly. Changes to the project indicators are presented in annex 1. Two PDO-level indicators were dropped as indicated in the AF Project Paper: - Students graduating from TVET institutions supported by the project : this was dropped as this information was captured by another PDO-level indicator (Students graduating from TVET institutions). - Student unit cost in TVET institution supported by the project: this was dropped as it was difficult to measure though it continued to be systematically tracked. Page 12 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) Revised Components 23. A third component (Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic (US$ 0.7 million)4 was added under the second project restructuring, approved on February 24, 2015, following a request from the government for assistance in mitigating risks associated with the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic affecting neighboring countries. This assistance also aimed to reduce risks associated with potential school closure, which could have had a profound effect on the PDO (e.g., closing of skills training institutions for a protracted period, curtailment of skills training programs, delayed graduation of students). The amount allocated to this component was based on funds that were no longer expected to be utilized by the project before its closing date. This was a strategic decision taken by senior management in response to the ongoing crisis. Three intermediate results indicators were introduced to track progress under Component 3: (i) Establishment of a functioning rapid-response team (EVD prevention); (ii) Presence of an isolation unit for EVD case investigation and management, and (iii) Percentage of Health facilities that have case definition/guidelines for EVD. Other Changes 24. The project was restructured three times. As described above, the first restructuring was concurrent with the AF approved by the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on April 30, 2014; and the second restructuring was approved on February 24, 2015, to include the third component. A third restructuring was approved on February 3, 2016 to extend the project’s closing date from June 30, 2016 to December 31, 2017. 25. AF and the First Restructuring (Level 1, approved by the Board) followed a request from the government to expand the scope of the project by increasing the number of beneficiaries through the scaling up of PBCs and short-term training focused on the key drivers of economic growth in Mauritania (e.g., agriculture, construction, mining and services). The Board approved an AF of US$11.3 million (IDA grant) on April 30, 2014, in light of the project’s “moderately satisfactory” performance and the alignment of the AF with the government’s strategy to increase TVET capacity. The AF became effective on March 30, 2015. The sources of the AF were derived from recommitted IDA funds cancelled from the Higher Education Project (P087180; Credit 3970-MR), closed on October 30, 2013; from the Multi-sector HIV/AIDS Control Project (P078368; Grant H570), closed on March 31, 2012; and from the Public-Sector Capacity Building Project (P082888; Credit 42180), closed on March 29, 2014. 26. The objective of the AF was to scale up PBCs and short-term training focusing on the key drivers of economic growth in Mauritania (e.g., agriculture, construction, mining and services). The AF also introduced the financing of: (i) the rehabilitation, moderate expansion and equipping of four of the 18 TVET centers under the Ministry of Employment, Vocational Training and Technologies of Information and Communication (Ministère de l'Emploi, de la Formation Page 13 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) Professionnelle et des Technologies d'Information et de la Communication - MEFPTIC)5; (ii) the scaling up, from eight to 14 centers, of PBCs with public TVET centers; (iii) an increase in the number of apprenticeship programs, to reach 6,500 beneficiaries (as opposed to 4,780 initially planned); (iv) the scaling up of the number of students graduating from TVET institutions supported by the project from 5,161 to 9,411; and (v) the implementation of a broad plan for human resources (HR) development in the TVET sector. Due to the addition of civil works to the project, the safeguards category was revised from Category C to Category B, and safeguards instruments were prepared and disclosed by the government in-country on March 20, 2014, and by the World Bank through its Infoshop on March 24, 2014. 27. Second Restructuring (Level 2, approved by the Country Director). A third component, “Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic”, was added to the project on February 24, 2015 as described above. 28. Third Restructuring (Level 2, approved by the Country Director): This restructuring approved on February 3, 2016 included an extension of the project closing date from June 30, 2016 to December 31, 2017 to allow for additional time to complete project activities associated with the AF (PBCs, short-term training programs, and civil works). Rationale for Changes and Their Implications for the Original Theory of Change 29. The changes introduced over the project life cycle did not negatively impact the project’s Theory of Change prepared for this ICR. First, the AF and first restructuring fit well into the nature and scope of the original project. The technical design and the assumptions for the economic analysis also remained the same. Second, the addition of the third component “Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic,” under the second restructuring, was also aligned with the Theory of Change as it helped mitigate risks associated with an eventual Ebola epidemic, as experienced in some neighboring countries in the region. If prevention measures had not been taken, an outbreak could have had devastating consequences – and could have seriously jeopardized the functioning of school and ultimately the achievement of the PDO. Third, the final restructuring extended the project’s closing date, which allowed planned project activities to be completed so that the PDO could be achieved in full, in line with the Project’s Theory of Change. 5 The government’s effort to expand supply and improve the quality of programs has combined an emphasis on both investment and reforms. There were 23 public TVET centers in 2015, 18 of which are under the oversight of the MEFPTIC. A further 30 private TVET centers offered a range of vocational courses, and enrollments in those centers represented 15 percent of total enrollment in TVET in 2012. The government’s objective was to increase the share of enrollment in private institutions to 25 percent by 2017. AfD and the German Cooperation funded the rehabilitation of other centers following a 2013 assessment of the status of infrastructure at existing TVET institutions which pointed to degradation due to a lack of maintenance. Page 14 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) II. OUTCOME A. RELEVANCE OF PDOs Assessment of Relevance of PDOs Rating: High 30. The project objectives were highly relevant as they were fully aligned with key strategic documents that highlighted both the challenges the country was facing and the priority actions to address them. The Project objectives were directly aligned with the third pillar of the GPRSP II – to develop human resources and improve access to basic services as well as with the CAS (FY07-FY12) which highlighted weak human resource development as one of the major constraints to economic growth. The CPS (2014-16) further highlighted the lack of skilled workers as a critical constraint with most having little or no education and few firms providing training to their employees. It also prioritized increasing the pool of skilled workers to support economic growth. Indeed, one of the specific outcomes of the CAS was to increase access to technical and vocational education and training – an area to which the project aimed to contribute. The objectives also responded to issues and challenges which had been identified in a number of analytical studies. The Project objectives were and remain consistent with the 2018-2023 CPF currently under preparation – particularly its second pillar (Building human capital for inclusive growth) – which supports increased and relevant skills development opportunities particularly for youth and women. The 2017 Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) had identified a lack of skills as a key constraint to sustaining and accelerating inclusive growth in Mauritania and recommended that education should be more relevant to labor market needs.6 31. Relevance of the project design. The project design was and remains highly relevant as the project approach and project-supported activities were tailored to address challenges facing the TVET sector in Mauritania, including: low skills among the workforce; a large and growing number of out-of-school unskilled and unemployed youth; low quality and inefficient TVET institutions; and insufficient market-relevant training and apprenticeship programs. The design also included targeted capacity-building activities and aimed to enhance access to services and create economic opportunities in smaller cities and towns outside of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou – approaches that were deemed important in the CLR for the CAS (FY07-FY12). The project’s results chain was generally sound as activities and objectives supported across each component were logically linked to the project’s overall objectives. 6 Further, the IFC and World Bank’s Mauritania Country Profile 2014: Enterprise Survey highlighted significant skills gaps as identified by firms, and low levels of skills acquisition on the part of unemployed youth and “school leavers” Page 15 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) 32. The project design, as described above, was informed by analytical work and lessons learned from previous operations. Some of the lessons learned and integrated into the project design included: (i) the importance of having a clear institutional framework to ensure the smooth implementation and coordination of actors in order to avoid implementation; (ii) the need to strengthen the capacity of the FAP-FTP to ensure that it became a credible funding entity that effectively engages training providers; (iii) the effectiveness of PBCs as a way to improve institutional performance; (iv) the importance of short-term training programs in preparing out-of-school youth for the job market; and (v) the advantages of using a competitive process for selecting training providers in order to improve the quality of services. The original design was ambitious in scope as it sought to support the legislative reorganization of the TVET subsector and promote the adoption of international standards of certification for TVET programs. 33. Relevance of the AF. Under the 2014 AF/restructuring, the original design remained largely the same and additional resources were primarily used to scale up existing activities. The civil works activities which were included under the AF were appropriate as they directly responded to important infrastructure needs identified in an assessment of the 18 TVET institutions carried out in October 2013. B. ACHIEVEMENT OF PDOs (EFFICACY) Assessment of Achievement of Each Objective/Outcome Overall Efficacy Rating: Substantial 34. The following assessment of the PDOs is organized around the three key objectives: (i) improving the quality of training institutions; (ii) improving the efficiency of training institutions7; and (iii) creating an enabling environment for a more market-driven TVET system. Objective 1: Improving the quality of training institutions 35. The objective of improving the quality of training institutions was achieved through the rehabilitation, expansion, and equipping of TVET centers, training of TVET teachers, management and technical staff, implementation of performance-based grants for TVET institutions, and provision of demand-driven short-term training to out-of-school youth. 36. During the project, most of the planned activities were completed; and the vast majority of targets for indicators focusing on improving the quality of training institutions were either met or exceeded. During the life of the project, four TVET institutions—one in Nouakchott and three in other smaller cities (Néma, Kaedi and Boghé)—benefitted from rehabilitation and expansion (of 7Since the quality and efficiency of training are highly correlated and interventions can often influence both at the same time, there is some overlap in the description of activities and achievements under these two objectives. Page 16 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) approximately 13,800 m2) which allowed for a marked increase in enrollment. In addition, 12 institutions were supported through grants as part of the PBC program. In this program, support was providd to institutions to review and adapt their curricula to increase its alignment with labor market needs and to purchase necessary equipment for their programs. Moreover, around 400 staff (teachers, as well as management and technical staff) were trained in in a number of sectors including agriculture, construction, mechanics, electrical, technical education and IT, among others. Finally, a total of 8,042 youth participated in short-term labor market relevant training (exceeding the end-of-project target of 6,500). 37. Through the PBCs, the supported TVET institutions developed and implemented improvement plans to optimize their resources, enhance the learning environment, generate additional revenue, and build partnerships with local firms. PBCs had an important impact through tutoring – as PBCs allowed TVET institutions to hire tutors to provide on-site training inside private companies and coaching to students to help them transition to the job market. Tutors helped to ensure the relevance of training to the local economy, particularly for short-term training programs funded by the project, for which TVET institutions competed for extra-income. For example, the high school in Boghé was able to reinforce its short-term programs through this grant, which are in great demand by employers. In collaboration with private companies the school developed an on-the job training program in which students spent an average of 24 of 38 weeks of training on site at a company. 38. Participation in these TVET programs is likely to positively impact an individual’s career trajectory. Indeed, the results of the ENRE-SI 20178 (National Reference Survey on Employment and the Informal Sector) conducted by the Mauritanian National Office of Statistics (ONS), demonstrated an increase in the overall insertion rate of TVET graduates from 61.5 percent in 2012 to 65.2 percent in 2017. Given that enrollment in TVET institutions participating in the project accounts for more than two-thirds of national TVET enrollment, this could be partially attributed to the project. 39. The PBC program has been instrumental in improving the quality of training institutions as described above and reflected in a number of quality-focused indicators notably graduation rates, program diversification and responsiveness to the job market. A November 2017 assessment of the impact of the PBCs concluded that in addition to an increase in the average graduation rate from 71 to 86 percent, the number of specialized programs increased from 78 to 118 programs in 2017. The short-term training programs also had an important impact on participants’ job prospects. A 2016 tracer study of beneficiaries who had enrolled in short-term training between 2012 and January 2016 (using a a sample of 5,400 trainees) found that 71 percent secured employment within six months following the completion of training (compared to an end-of- 8 National Baseline Survey on Employment and on the Private Sector in Mauritania in 2017 ( Enquête National de Référence sur l’Emploi et le Secteur Informel en Mauritanie en 2017), ONS, August 2017. Page 17 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) project target of 64 percent under the project). The distribution of beneficiary trainees by area shows that the highest insertion rate was recorded in the poorest regions of Tagant (96.4 percent), Guidimagha (95.4 percent), Assaba (94.7 percent), and Gorgol (88.6 percent), followed by Nouakchott (80.9 percent). The highest levels of insertion were also found to be in the following specialties: Dyeing, Metal Construction, Masonry, Auto Mechanics, Building Electricity, Wood Carpentry, Market gardening, and Sewing & confection. 40. The short-term training programs provided by the project were diverse and highly responsive to labor market demand – focusing on the audio-visual media9 and fisheries sectors, among others, where regulatory and institutional changes created new demand for jobs that could not be met by existing TVET institutions. For instance, the 2014 deregulation of news medias led to the creation of private television and radio stations, and the creation of online media outlets that required skilled workers in areas where TVET institutions did not have training capacity. Private training institutions filled this void, taking advantages of the project’s funding mechanism for short-term training. A similar pattern was observed in 2016 when the government restricted the work of foreigners in the fisheries sector, stimulating demand for the training of Mauritanians. The Naval Academy, a military-administered training institution was awarded contracts to provide short-term training to respond to this new demand. Often through these programs, as part of the partnerships, business would commit to recruiting 50 percent of trainees upon completion of the training. 41. While the dropout rate in participating TVET institutions did decrease from a baseline of 9 percent to 5.8 percent, it did not achieve the indicator target of 3 percent. The target may have been ambitious as drop-out rates have been historically higher in the TVET sector in Mauritania (11 percent in 2014), due to high opportunity costs associated with TVET study. In neighboring Senegal, for example, the drop-out rate in the TVET sector is 28.5 percent for the Professional Qualification Certificate (Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle - CAP), 29.5 percent for the Professional Study Certificate (Brevet d'études professionnelles - BEP), and 18.7 percent for the Technical Certificate (Brevet Technique - BT).10 Furthermore, it is important to highlight that there are a number of factors which drive high dropout rates in TVET institutions many of which are beyond the control of one project. 9 Five new television channels were created. The project took advantage of new demand generated by the expansion of the sector to support capacity building and the provision of qualified human resources. 10 Study on TVET reform 2016-2025, Ministry in charge of TVET, Senegal (Etude portant Réforme de l'enseignement technique et de la formation professionnelle 2016 – 2025, Ministère de la formation professionnelle de l’apprentissage et de l’artisanat, Sénégal). Page 18 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) Objective 2: improving the efficiency of training institutions 42. The second objective – to improve the efficiency of training institutions – would be achieved by increasing the cost-effectiveness of TVET traning, increasing student enrollment and rates of completion (graduation)/reducing drop out, while also reducing unit costs of TVET training. 43. During the life of the project, a number of the efforts described above to improve quality – were also designed to increase efficiency including the PBC program. Through participation in the PBC program, institutions were able to optimize their resources, generate additional revenue, and build mutually beneficial partnerships. During the course of the project, the number of annual graduates increased at the TVET institutions supported by the project and the unit cost of shor- term training was reduced. From 2011 to 2017, the cumulative number of graduates increased to 8,367. This was below the end-of-project target of 9,461. However, this was not due to a lower than expected performance since the average graduation rate in participating TVET institutions rose substantially from 71 percent to 86 percent, but rather to the reduction in the number of institutions covered by the project from 14 to 12. As previously mentioned, the School of Fisheries was placed under military administration and the School of Mines was merged into the newly created Polytechnique school. The School of Fisheries was expected to produce around 650 graduates over the project’s lifetime. The unit cost of short-term training also decreased to US$653 in 2016/2017– exceeding the end-of-project target of US$715. According to the final evaluation report, the decline in the cost of training did not adversely affect quality but was achieved primarily through the use of more efficient practices such as part-time trainers. At the same time, as described above the dropout rate was decreased (and this decline was steady over the latter years of the project). The student-teacher ratio was also maintained at a good level despite the increase in student enrollment. Objective 3: Create an enabling environment for a more market-driven Technical and Vocational Education Training System 44. The third objective – to create an enabling environment for a more market-driven TVET system – was to be achieved through the updating of the sub-sector’s legal framework and institutional capacity-building. The project provided TA to the MDEFPNT to prepare the draft legislation and undertake stakeholder consultation both within and outside of government institutions including private TVET institutions, civil society, NGOs, and DPs, among others, to ensure their commitment and support. The process was long and complex as stakeholders had competing interests. The draft law was completed under the Project and approved by the Council of Ministers in November 2017. The draft bill is under review by the National Assembly pending final adoption. A technical committee of the National Assembly has approved the bill and recommended its adoption. Complimentary decrees have been drafted and will be enacted following the adoption of the law by the National Assembly. The law will support, inter alia, the expansion of private TVET, the strengthening of funding mechanisms, the reinforcement and development of the apprenticeship system, support for inclusivity and equity in the TVET sector, Page 19 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) and the strengthening of control and supervision mechanisms. Together with the other interventions supported by the project, such as the PBCs and the short-term training courses, the new regulatory framework has created an enabling environment for a more market-driven TVET System. The government also provided support to the FAP-FTP providing financing to cover 25 percent of its budget. The enabling environment for a market-driven TVET system was also reflected in the increased collaboration between training providers and employers which worked collaboratively to develop, tailor and implement programs to respond to labor market needs and in the large percentage of students enrolled in private TVET training centers. 45. Project support also focused on strengthening institutional capacity in an effort to further ensure an enabling environment for more market-driven TVET system. The project provided technical and financial support to INAP-FTP to carry out tracer studies, curriculum development and to implement and to monitor and evaluate the implementation of PBCs. With this funding, INAP-FTP conducted three tracer studies in 2015, 2016 and 2017 – covering 26 TVET institutions. INAP-FTP also carried out a tracer study for the short-term training programs for out-of-school youth in 2016. The project supported the MDEFPNT in the production of an annual statistical yearbook which included updated information on key TVET indicators (achieving the end-of- project target). A human resource development plan was developed in 2014, followed by a training needs assessment and the provision of training to meet identified needs. Both Ministry and INAP-FTP staff benefitted from these programs. 46. Ebola Component: Following a request from the government for assistance in mitigating risks associated EVD in neighboring countries, senior Bank management made the decision to allocated funding (no longer expected to be utilized by the project prior to the closing date) to prevent and to limit any impact of EVD in Mauritania. Support from the project was used to establish a rapid-response team, set up an isolation unit for case investigation and management; and ensure health facilities had a case definition and guidelines for EVD treatment and prevention, provide training and sensitization campaigns. This assistance – preparing for EVD prevention and treatment – could have allowed the country to be responsive in the event of a crisis that could have drastically impacted access to social services which this project supported. Justification of Overall Efficacy Rating 47. The overall efficacy rating reflects level of achievement of the PDO. As described above, the majority of project activities were effectively implemented and, together, led to improvements in the quality and efficiency of training institutions while also creating an enabling environment for a more market-driven TVET system. In terms of indicators, the majority of indicator targets were met or exceeded as described above and, in further detail, in annex 1. 48. The combination of targeted support to institutions, capacity-building measures and performance-based financing greatly enhanced the capacity of the TVET system to provide higher quality and more relevant training to a larger number of students. The PBCs introduced a shift Page 20 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) within TVET centers – by providing incentives for a closer collaboration with the private sector and a stronger focus on results, such as graduation rates and employability, rather than on inputs. The short-term training model supported the development of effective partnerships between civil society organizations, professional groups, INAP-FTP and training institutions, and proved to be well-adapted to the highly informal Mauritanian economy. Moving forward, the government is intending to expand both models and the Bank will support the related policy measures through the First Competition and Skills Development Policy Operation (DPO) under preparation. 49. The introduction of a regulatory framework for the TVET system – combined with capacity- building of institutions – increases the likelihood that the environment will continue to foster collaboration between the public and private sectors in the design and provision of TVET training in Mauritania in the medium to long-term. This achievement is further supported by the enhancement of the information systems which will allow for improved analysis of labor markets needs in priority sectors to guide the design of more demand-oriented training programs. C. EFFICIENCY Efficiency Rating: Modest Assessment of Efficiency and Rating 50. The economic analysis conducted at appraisal focused on three types of benefits to assess the project’s efficiency: reduction in the number of unemployed youth, cost efficiency of TVET, and optimization of public resource allocation through the strengthening of the management of the TVET sector with a more demand-driven system. The ICR economic and financial analysis provides an overview of the assessment undertaken at the time of project appraisal and examines the efficiency gains observed over the life of the project. Annex 4 provides more detailed analysis of efficiency under the Project. 51. As described earlier, at appraisal, the TVET sector in Mauritania was confronting serious challenges undermining its potential contribution to sustained economic growth and social development. Internal and external inefficiencies were driven by: (i) a growing number of unemployed out-of-school youth without employable skills; (ii) low quality and efficiency resulting in a mismatch between training programs and demand from employers; and (iii) insufficiently developed short-term job insertion training and apprenticeship programs. 52. Internal efficiency. Under this project, several activities including rehabilitation of TVET institutions, enrollment of new students, and resource generation were supported to improve the quality, efficiency and the environment of the TVET system. Progress across key indicators demonstrates improvements in the utilization of the resources. Continuous progress was Page 21 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) observed on the majority of indicators related to internal efficiency between 2011 and project closing in 2017. 53. External efficiency of the project is captured by the pass rate on national exams, the employment rate of the graduates and financing methods for the TVET sectors. Substantial improvements were observed in the national pass rate which increased from 23 percent in 2008- 2009 to 80 percent in 2016-2017. Results from the tracer studies conducted as part of the project found that 71 percent of students that had enrolled in short-term training programs were employed in fields related to their training within six months of completing their training/apprenticeships (exceeding the end-of-project target of 64 percent). 54. Unit Cost Analysis. The cost of activities was kept under budget, except for the cost of training which was underestimated at appraisal and corrected under the AF/restructuring. At appraisal, the project planned to increase the cost efficiency of participating TVET institutions through the short-term training of 4,780 students (6,500 after AF/restructuring). The project achieved a significant decrease in the student unit cost in short-term training. Initially targeted at US$715 the training cost was as low as US$653 in 2016/2017. According to the final evaluation report, the decline in the cost of training did not adversely affect quality but was achieved primarily through the use of more efficient practices such as part-time trainers. Strong commitment on the part of training systems and beneficiaries pushed the Funding Allocation Committee (CAF) to customize the allocation of funds based on the costs of consumable learning materials which vary by sector. 55. Efficiency of Implementation. Despite the substantial gains described above, several factors challenged the efficiency of overall project implementation. The reallocation of the TVET administration to the MDEFPNT following the government restructuring in 2014 and the initial low capacity of the client delayed the implementation of project activities at the beginning of the project. Procurement delays and deficiencies in civil work activities also affected the efficiency of initial project implementation. However, these capacity and procurement bottlenecks were eventually resolved allowing the pace of project implementation to increase and project activities to be completed by the closing date. Efficiency was observed in the implementation of the “Projets d’Etablissement,” particularly in the use of resources. According to the Grant Impact Assessment Report conducted by an independent consultant in November 2017, planned activities were carried out with a budget implementation rate of 98 percent. This assessment demonstrated that the INAP-FTP strictly followed all the procedures for conditional disbursement and effectively managed the grant allocation per eligible TVET institutions which resulted in an overall execution rate of 99 percent. 56. To summarize, despite the internal and external efficiency gains observed under the project and detailed in annex 4, initial capacity constraints and procurement delays in civil works activities led to some inefficiencies in project implementation. On this basis, efficiency under the project is rated Modest. Page 22 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) D. JUSTIFICATION OF OVERALL OUTCOME RATING 57. In light of the ratings for Relevance of Objectives (High), Efficacy (Substantial) and Efficiency (Modest), the Overall Outcome Rating for the Project is Moderately Satisfactory. E. OTHER OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS Gender 58. The project sought to increase the number of unskilled female youth as a share of total enrollment in training programs and by the end of the project females accounted for 34 percent of enrollment (exceeding the initial target of 27 percent). In addition to this achievement, the project provided female-led NGOs and female employers the opportunity to benefit from short- term training, as both beneficiaries and service providers. Approximately 20 qualifying training sessions were organized for activities traditionally assigned to women. Increased diversification of the types of training programs available to women and the promotion of female participation in all areas of the labor force (beyond the “traditional female jobs”) would have been ideal, bu t such an undertaking would have required a larger investment and a multi-sector approach beyond the scope of this operation. Nonetheless, the project effectively supported the provision of training to unemployed/out-of-school youth (including women, youth and vulnerable groups) in a socially-acceptable context in Mauritania. These efforts were important in: (i) providing a means for women and vulnerable groups to support themselves and/or their families; (ii) reducing the number of at-risk youth; and (iii) providing a sense of purpose and empowerment (especially for women) as productive and valued members of the labor force and society. Institutional Strengthening 59. Regulatory framework. The project’s support of an overhaul of the TVET regulatory framework, including the drafting of a new law and implementation decrees, supported by stakeholder consultation, was an important contribution. The new TVET legal framework allowed for further development of private TVET institutions and new forms of vocational training approaches to be introduced, such as apprenticeships, as well as new tools to empower institutional oversight. Ministries that were responsible for managing their own TVET institutions (such as the Ministry in charge of Health and the Ministry in charge of Agriculture) were closely involved in improving the regulatory framework. The draft framework, approved by the Council of Ministers on November 21, 2017 is under review by the National Assembly and pending adoption. A technical committee of the National Assembly has approved the bill and recommended its adoption. A vote is scheduled for the current session which ends in July 2018. The new legal and regulatory framework will be a key element of TVET strategy for the years to come. Page 23 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) 60. Capacity building. Performance-based financing provided by the project incentivized TVET institutions to design and implement sub-projects and invest in equipment, staff training, and civil works to enhance the learning environment and improve efficiency as their enrollment capacities grew. An independent assessment of the PBC and grant financing mechanisms carried out in November 2017 demonstrated improvement in the implementation capacities of the MDEFPNT, at both the central and local levels. The government plans to strengthen both funding mechanisms and sustain them with funding from the national budget through a DPO that is currently under preparation. In addition, on the basis of an assessment of skills needs of MDEFPNT staff, the project implemented a training program which benefited over 500 staff including teachers and administrators of TVET institutions, as well as upper management staff from the central administration. Moreover, INAP-FTP’s capacity has been strengthened to monitor PBCs with TVET institutions, to conduct tracer studies and to develop competency-based curriculum content and pedagogical support for TVET institutions. INAP-FTP has received technical and financial support to carry out its role and responsibilities. All INAP-FTP staff and senior executives received assistance for capacity building and an international consultant was mobilized in the framework of program development and training supervision of the Human Resources Development Plan. Mobilizing Private Sector Financing 61. The project did not directly support increased financing from the private sector – although many private stakeholders (i.e., employers’ associations, private TVET institutions, and local NGOs) did benefit from the project as training providers and likely invested in upgrading their capacities. For example, the Mauritanian Bakeries & Pastries Federation (FMBP) provided training and job placement for over 200 unskilled youth and will probably continue to do so as “the need to train more youth in the emerging sector (such as bakery) is still there” as one of the FMBP’s leaders indicated to the ICR mission. Private TVET institutions are likely to continue investing as the new legal framework seeks to expand their contribution to the TVET sector through various incentives. Poverty Reduction and Shared Prosperity 62. An analysis of the distribution of trainees under the project shows that the highest insertion rates were found in the poorest regions of Tagant (96.4 percent), Guidimagha (95.4 percent), Assaba (94.7 percent), and Gorgol (88.6 percent), followed by Nouakchott (80.9 percent). Page 24 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) III. KEY FACTORS THAT AFFECTED IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOME A. KEY FACTORS DURING PREPARATION 63. Evidence-based design. As described above, the project’s design was based on the findings of several studies, including the 2010 CEM, the Investment Climate Survey (2006), the Education Country Status Report (March 2010); and other studies that highlighted the skills needed to boost the national economy. Project design also incorporated lessons learned from World Bank projects in Egypt, Yemen, the Dominican Republic, and Chile, and built on analytical work carried out by the World Bank and AFD in the TVET sector. 64. Realistic targets. Most PDO-level and Intermediate Results Indicators were appropriately selected and targets were realistic, with the exception of one PDO-level indicator (drop-out rates) and one intermediate results indicator (international certification) for which targets were too ambitious. The design of the AF in 2015 was based on the successes and achievements of the original project. While some actions were put in place to improve project performance, the technical design was assessed as sound, and remained mostly the same.11 65. Clear institutional framework and adequate M&E System. The project aimed to support a clear institutional framework to ensure smooth implementation and sound coordination between actors involved in project implementation (i.e., DPEF and INAP-FTP). Based on its experience and mandate, the DPEF was responsible for the fiduciary aspects of the project, while INAP-FTP was responsible for the monitoring of PBC implementation and short-term training programs, as well as overall project M&E. Both institutions were initially administered under the auspices of the Ministry of State for National Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOS-E), which had the mandate to draft and implement the government’s education policies, and coordinate all other ministries involved in the education sector. In 2014, however, MOS-E was divided into different ministries. The DPEF became then part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Development, while INAP-FTP was moved under the umbrella of the MDEFPNT. Since each entities’ role was clear in the project, these roles could be maintained despite the institutional changes. 66. Adequacy of risk and mitigation measures identification. Key risks and appropriate mitigation measures were adequately identified during preparation. Some of the key risks identified in the PAD included those related to fiduciary concerns, low implementation capacity, 11 At that time, the Original Project was relatively young, its implementation performance was rated Moderately Satisfactory and it has disbursed about 14 percent. Part of the explanation for the low disbursement is the non- utilization of the project preparation fund (PPF) as planned to develop preparatory work that would speed up project commencement, particularly technical specifications of equipment and identifying TA for TVET centers. Page 25 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) potential challenges associated with making improvements in the quality of TVET centers, as well as the potential difficulties in moving towards a more market-driven TVET System. Mitigation measures proposed were realistic and informed by lessons learned from education projects in Mauritania and other countries. B. KEY FACTORS DURING IMPLEMENTATION 67. Legislation and regulations. Regulatory changes had a positive impact on project implementation. For example, the liberalization of news media in 2014 forced short-term training programs provided under the project to adapt to new demand, particularly through partnerships with private TVET institutions. Similarly, a law in 2015 which made it mandatory for fishing vessels to recruit a quota of Mauritanian citizens, create a demand for this type of training among Mauritanian youth. The validation of the action plan of the inter-professional bakery in 2011 also created job opportunities, for which short-term training was needed. 68. Institutional changes. Two major institutional changes impacted project implementation. First, as mentioned above, as a result of a government restructuring, the DPEF became part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Development, while INAP-FTP remained the umbrella of the MDEFPNT. Second, in 2016, for efficiency purposes, the government merged four TVET institutions supported by the project into two and closed the School of Mines12 whose assets were then transferred to the newly created Polytechnic School. The Polytechnic School’s oversight was the joint responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Defense. The administration of the School of Fisheries was transferred from the Ministry of Fisheries to the Ministry of Defense. Therefore, although initially selected to be part of the Project, the School of Fisheries was then deemed ineligible for financing under the project, due to the World Bank OP 2.30. 13. As a result, only 10 TVET training centers (instead of 14) were able to implement PBCs (SPIA). However, as mentioned earlier, a reduction in the number of TVET training centers did not have a negative impact on the project given the diversification of programs provided and their responsiveness to labor market demand. 69. M&E arrangements. In the early stage of the implementation, issues related to M&E – including the lack of recent data on rate of insertion of graduates, the production of regular monitoring reports – were noted. To remedy this situation, a Technical Committee composed of the DPEF, INAP-FTP, and the Directorate of Professional Training (Direction de la Formation professionnelle - DFP) was established in September 2014 to closely monitor project 12 It has benefited from several Project supports and executed more than 80 percent of its CDP. 13 Under OP 2.30, Development Cooperation and Conflict, January 2001, the Bank does not finance humanitarian assistance or military expenditures, nor does it provide direct support for disarming combatants. See also OP 4.09, Pest Management, December 1998; and OP 4.76, Tobacco, October 1999, for conditions under which expenditures relating to the matters covered by these policy statements may be financed. The fishing school was annexed to the defense department, thereby making it ineligible for project funding. Page 26 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) implementation, and to initiate solutions to issues as they arose. As a result, M&E arrangements improved. The RF was updated as data became available. 70. High Task Team Leader (TTL) turnover. The project had four TTLs during its implementation. Initially there was no country-based Education Specialist to work with the client on a day-to-day basis. In August 2015 the Bank recruited a Senior Education Specialist, based in Nouakchott, which significantly contributed to improved project supervision. IV. BANK PERFORMANCE, COMPLIANCE ISSUES, AND RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME A. QUALITY OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M&E) M&E Design 71. The set of PDO-level and intermediate results indicators used for tracking progress towards the achievement of the three objectives were comprehensive and well designed, with each objective having at least one or two indicators that measured expected results and a set of intermediate results indicators that reflected progress in the implementation of project activities. Indicators were refined in one of the three restructurings that took place during implementation with some indicators were dropped and others added, and targets revised to reflect more reliable and accurate data (obtained from improved data collection) and the scaling up of activities under the AF. However, a minor shortcoming of the M&E design was the failure to adjust the targets of one PDO-level indicator (drop-out rate) and one intermediate results indicator (international certification) that were overly ambitious, given the country and sector context, and that dropout rates are often influenced by a number of factors beyond the project’s control. 72. The M&E system was designed using both survey and administrative data provided by the INAP-FTP, whose capacity to conduct surveys and collect accurate administrative data was strengthened under the project. The INAP-FTP was adequately staffed to collect the statistical data used to assess the achievement of the project's objectives. INAP-FTP had an M&E unit that was adequately staffed to collect and analyze statistical data and prepare reports though it did not have an automated system – meaning that data was collected manually, limiting the institution’s ability to produce analytical reports on a regular basis. As an integral part of the capacity building efforts under the project, TA was mobilized and a report was produced that served as the basis for equipment acquisition and staff training for the M&E system. The project supported the preparation of an M&E manual as well as the development and installation of a simplified automated M&E system for project-specific activities and indicators. Page 27 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) M&E Implementation 73. The selected set of indicators were tracked regularly, and updates were provided for every implementation support mission. Indicators were also complemented by information collected through tracer studies that the INAP-FTP conducted on a yearly basis during the final three years of the project. The INAP-FTP tasked the chief of its M&E unit with data collection, tracking and monitoring progress for the Project’s results framework. Other studies were conducted to assess the quality of project’s interventions in terms of support to PBCs and short- term training programs. Finally, INAP-FTP and the participating TVET institutions conducted annual tracer studies to verify the employment status of TVET graduates. DPEF, within the MDEFPNT, was responsible for producing regular progress reports for all education projects on the basis of their respective indicators (which were supplied by the different education ministries, including INAP-FTP for measures pertaining to the TVET sub-sector). 74. Minor shortcomings in M&E design were not addressed during implementation. The restructuring under the AF provided an opportunity to re-assess the capacity of the project to achieve its targets, but this opportunity was not taken. Indeed, at the time of AF, the project had not made progress in reducing the drop-out rate, which had risen above the baseline (10.3 percent against a baseline of 9 percent). The level of achievement during the AF period demonstrated risk related to the capacity of the project to achieve an ambitious result relating to drop-outs, but the project did not take appropriate measures to revise the targets or to re- assess their validity. M&E Utilization 75. The DPEF, INAP-FTP, and World Bank team regularly used M&E information to manage the project and track progress towards its objectives. For instance, during the AF/restructuring, indicators were amended and targets were revised to reflect the reliability and accuracy of data collection and to better reflect the scaling-up of activities financed under the AF. At the same time, targets associated with certification, for example, were not adjusted despite the challenges in implementing this activity. Expert-moderated workshops activities were introduced to address issues relating to achieving the target on international standards-based certification. Finally, the findings of the tracer studies by INAP-FTP and TVET institutions helped adjust/improve TVET institution curricula. Justification of Overall Rating of Quality of M&E Rating: Substantial 76. The Overall Rating of Quality of M&E is Substantial. The design, implementation and utilization of the M&E system allowed for the systematic tracking of progress under the project, providing relevant information for midstream corrections. As presented earlier, the Theory of Page 28 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) Change described the clear linkages between the project inputs, outputs and outcomes— highlighting the linkages between the project indicators and the PDO. The project gathered substantial data which was analyzed and utilized to improve project performance and provided sufficient evidence to assess the achievement of objectives. As a result of restructuring, M&E data collected in the RF provided sufficient and reliable evidence that the project was on track to achieve its outcomes. The minor shortcomings noted in the design and implementation of M&E did not ultimately hamper the evaluation of the project. Further, M&E elements embedded in project activities allowed the government to make informed decisions and introduce improvements. The performance of INAP-FTP as M&E Agency was satisfactory. B. ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND FIDUCIARY COMPLIANCE 77. Financial Management (FM). FM under the project was initially rated Moderately Satisfactory and was upgraded to Satisfactory during the MTR based on the regularity of reporting, reasonable internal controls, and the timely completion of external audits. The Finance Officer assigned to the project had the necessary qualifications to fulfill his/her responsibilities. Annual audit reports were received on time, revealed no irregularities, and were unqualified. Interim unaudited financial reports were submitted in a timely manner and in accordance with Bank procedures. In instances in which minor issues were identified, corrective actions were taken promptly. 78. Audit. Each year the project was subject to an independent external audit by a private audit firm with qualifications acceptable to the Bank, and four internal audits were undertaken. The project was consistently in compliance with audit covenants and no audit reports were issued on time. The auditors provided an unqualified opinion on the project financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2017 and no management recommendation letter was issued. The auditor stated in writing that there were no internal control deficiencies or accounting issues to report. The project underwent three external controls during its implementation: one from the court of auditors and two from General Inspectorate of the State. 79. Disbursement. The project was approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors on April 26, 2011. It was initially financed by an SDR 10.2 million (US$16.0 million equivalent, at the time of approval) IDA credit (Cr. no. 4921-MR), and Counterpart Funds equivalent to the amount of US$1.6 million. The credit became effective on September 12, 2011. On April 30, 2014, the World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved an AF (IDA Grant no. H9650) of SDR 7.4 million (US$11.3 million equivalent at the time of approval). The Grant became effective on March 30, 2015. The Credit was fully disbursed by July 2016. Because of exchange rate fluctuations, the actual disbursed amount in US dollars was US$14,806,218.00. Approximately, US$8.75 million equivalent was disbursed from the Grant (82.6 percent of the Grant). Unspent funds are to be returned to the Bank at its request after the designation of the account in which they should be repaid. The government contributed 10 percent of the total project costs (US$1.6 Page 29 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) million). National counterpart funds were mobilized and used in accordance with the provisions of the FA, and were disbursed quarterly and on time into the dedicated Project Account (PA). 80. Procurement. Procurement is rated moderately satisfactory as chronic procurement delays, particularly regarding civil works and the acquisition of imported equipment were experienced. A procurement specialist at the DPEF, with relevant qualifications and experience was specifically assigned to the project and a procurement unit was set up with 13 trained staff within the DPEF and to accelerate procurement processes. Procurement decisions from this unit were reviewed by the Public Procurement Control Commission and the Regulatory Authority at least once a year. Most procurement activities from the approved Procurement Plan (PP) were completed by the closing date. However, one procurement activity highlighted a deficiency both in procurement planning and project management. Computers and IT equipment (for an amount of US$160,000) were purchased in 2015 to be used by MDEFPNT to support an EMIS that had not been implemented. This equipment was deployed to other IT activities for pedagogical use. 81. Social (including Safeguards). Safeguards compliance was rated as Satisfactory throughout project implementation. The original project design did not trigger any social safeguards issues, including OP/BP 4.10 “Indigenous Peoples” and was designated “Category C” since it did not include any civil engineering or rehabilitation works. However, since civil works were to be financed under the AF, Bank safeguards policies (OP/BP 4.01) and OP/BP 4.11 were triggered. The project safeguards category was changed to “Category B,” and safeguards documents were prepared. The Environment and Social Management Plan and the Resettlement Action Plan were disclosed, and safeguards instruments were prepared and disclosed by the Government in country on March 20, 2014 and by the World Bank through its Infoshop on March 24, 2014. C. BANK PERFORMANCE Quality at Entry 82. The prepared project met the country’s needs and was strongly aligned with the government’s strategic agenda for the sub-sector. The project design was informed by lessons learned from previous Bank’s operations in Mauritania and from similar projects in other countries, and by analytical work carried out by the Bank and AFD in the TVET sector as well as studies commissioned by the MEFPTIC and extensive consultations with stakeholders. The PDO was relevant and remained so throughout project implementation. The results framework was comprehensive and indicators closely linked to project objectives. While targets were generally appropriate, a few indicators’ targets – including those related to drop-out rates and certification standards – were too ambitious. 83. The World Bank team held extensive consultations with government and non- governmental stakeholders. An informal steering committee comprised of the DPEF, INAP-FTP, Page 30 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) and DFTP was put in place for the project’s preparation. These consultations allowed the team to identify the specific needs of the TVET sector that were aligned with the government’s strategic agenda, and to set-up appropriate institutional arrangement for project’s implementation. Responsibility for implementation was shared between INAP-FTP and the DPEF to ensure technical input from the TVET Ministry and to establish the DPEF in its core competency, which is the fiduciary aspects of implementation. A Project Preparation Facility (PPF) in the amount of US$600,000 was granted to the Borrower to fund preparatory studies, including risk and capacity assessments. Risks were adequately assessed. Quality of Supervision 84. Implementation support missions were undertaken at least twice a year to review progress and identify issues. In the final two years of project implementation supervision was enhanced by having two TTLs (one based in Washington and the in-country). The consistent presence of country office-based staff (the TTL and the procurement specialist) allowed an increased responsiveness to the client’s needs which contributed greatly to the successful completion of the project. The project experienced some initial delays due to high TTL turnover, which was pointed out by the client as one of the main shortcomings in supervision along with the absence of a country-based TTL before August 2015. A Bank FM Specialist based in Senegal carried out regular FM implementation support missions to review project accounting and reporting arrangements, organization and staffing, internal control procedures, planning and budgeting, counterpart funding, funds flow and disbursement and external audits. The Bank’s Procurement Specialist was based in Nouakchott and had direct and regular interaction with the DPEF procurement staff, particularly the procurement specialist. Safeguards compliance was reviewed regularly and found to be satisfactory throughout implementation. Justification of Overall Rating of Bank Performance 85. Based on these assessments, overall Bank Performance is rated Moderately Satisfactory. D. RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME 86. The government remains committed to sustaining the outcomes of the project as evidenced by its continuing engagement with the Bank through the DPO to ensure structural measures are taken to sustain the demand-driven funding mechanisms put in place by the project. Discussions are ongoing between the Minister of Development and Economic Affairs and the Minister of Employment, Vocational Training and New Technologies to channel revenues derived from a wage-based apprenticeship tax to the FAP-FTP as additional funding for the TVET sector. 87. There is also significant continued investment in the TVET sector from a number of DPs while there is increased collaboration amongst them. Currently, (i) KfW is providing Euro 15 Page 31 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) million to support five TVET institutions including support to the provision of equipment, training of trainers, civil works activities, competitive grants and short-term trainings (elements which were supported under this project); (ii) EU, Spanish Cooperation, German Cooperation and USAID are supporting short-term training programs which involve INAP-FTP in curriculum development and training of trainers, using the TVET centers for instruction delivery; and (iii) moving forward, the AFD-funded CDD4 program (currently under preparation) will provide continued funding to two TVET institutions which were supported under the Bank-funded Project to respond to the skills needs of the water management and fisheries sectors in Kaedi and Nouadhibou, respectively. This builds upon a project supported by AFD which closed in 2016 that provided support to those institutions that were not supported by the Skills Development Support Project (through the provision of equipment, training of trainers and civil works activities). Finally, an MOU has been signed between the AFD, KFW and the Bank to coordinate their efforts and support to the TVET sector. Annex 7 provides a detailed mapping and overview of existing TVET and youth employment programs in Mauritania 88. In light of the project’s achievements, commitment on the part of the government to sustain project outcomes, and the coordinated and continued investment from donors to the TVET sector and targeted institutions, the risk to development outcomes is Moderate moving forward. V. LESSONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS (i) Continued collaboration and interaction between the Bank and the government is necessary in project implementation, particularly when introducing and implementing large-scale reforms. Initially, as a result of institutional uncertainty and the absence of a locally based TTL in the early phase of project implementation, important delays were experienced. The pace of implementation benefitted in later years form the presence of a locally-based TTL to work closely with the government in daily operations. (ii) A project’s objectives and design should be aligned with government priorities. The PDO and design of this project was strongly linked to the government’s TVET own reform agenda. This strong alignment provided the necessary conditions to transform the sector, while increasing the likelihood that these changes would be maintained and/or scaled-up in the medium- and long-term. (iii) A tailored and upfront capacity-building program for key stakeholders is important for project management and system strengthening. The project placed a strong emphasis on capacity building of key stakeholders Inadequate staffing and capacity constraints, particularly at the state and local level, led to initial challenges in fiduciary management and adversely affected project implementation. Continued and targeted capacity building for sub- national officials and key stakeholders at all levels is essential. Capacities were built within Page 32 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project (P118974) INAP-FTP for the design and implementation of tracer studies, curriculum development, teacher training, and M&E of SPIAs. Thirteen technical staff received training on procurement and 500 instructors, teacher, administrators and managerial staff completed TVET training programs in 40 specialties. The project provided the opportunity for capacity and institution building to preparation a strong, innovative and consensual Updated Legal framework of the TVET. Tailored capacity building program strengthened the institutional anchoring of the project in the formal structures DPEF, INAP-FTP and DFTP. (iv) A competitive funding mechanism can effectively promote demand-driven skills development and training. Through a competitive selection process, INAP-FTP financed many strategic sub-projects across Mauritania. INAP-FTP contributed to the improvement of training facilities and supported innovative training programs in agriculture, construction, mining and services, etc. and promoted demand-driven TVET. Conditional disbursement mechanisms such as those applied under this Project are useful in encouraging institutions to focus increasingly on results as observed in the beneficiary institutions. (v) The involvement of the private sector in the upstream identification of training needs is crucial to improve the relevance of programming and increasing insertion rates for graduates. The project strengthened the responsiveness of the TVET system to market demand by encouraging the private sector to participate in the selection, design and implementation of training programs. . Page 33 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ANNEX 1. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND KEY OUTPUTS A. RESULTS INDICATORS A.1 PDO Indicators Objective/Outcome: Objective/Outcome 1: Improve the quality of training institutions Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Direct project beneficiaries Number 0.00 9941.00 15911.00 16409.00 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Female beneficiaries Percentage 0.00 27.60 27.60 34.17 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Student graduating from Number 993.00 5161.00 9411.00 8367.00 TVET institution supported by the project 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): Target exceeded. The indicator measures the number of youth trained in apprenticeship and short-term insertion training as well as the number of youth graduating (cumulative) from selected TVET institutions. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Reduced Drop-out rate in Percentage 9.00 3.00 5.80 Page 34 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) participating TVET 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 institutions(Quality) Comments (achievements against targets): Target was not revised during project implementation. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Youth enrolled in short term Percentage 0.00 64.00 71.00 training programs finding employment in field related 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 to training within 6 months of completion of training/apprenticeship(Quali ty Comments (achievements against targets): Target was not revised during project implementation Objective/Outcome: Objective/Outcome: 2: Improve the efficiency of training institutions Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Direct project beneficiaries Number 0.00 9941.00 15911.00 16409.00 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Female beneficiaries Percentage 0.00 27.60 27.60 34.17 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Page 35 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Student graduating from Number 993.00 5161.00 9411.00 8367.00 TVET institution supported by the project 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): Target exceeded. The indicator measures the number of youth trained in apprenticeship and short-term insertion training as well as the number of youth graduating (cumulative) from selected TVET institutions. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Reduced Drop-out rate in Percentage 9.00 3.00 5.80 participating TVET institutions(Quality) 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): Target was not revised during project implementation. Objective/Outcome: Objective/Outcome 3: Create an enabling environment for a more market-driven Technical and Vocational Education Training System Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Regulatory framework Yes/No N Y Y provides legal protection and status to private sector 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 training institutions (Enabling Environment) Comments (achievements against targets): Target was not revised during project implementation. The new regulatory framework was approved by the Council of Ministers on November 21, 2017. The draft is under review by the National Assembly for Page 36 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) final adoption. A technical committee of the National Assembly has approved the bill and recommended its adoption. Decrees were also drafted and ready to be enacted, pending the final adoption of the law by the National Assembly. A.2 Intermediate Results Indicators Component: Component 1: Strengthening and diversifying Technical and Vocational Education Training Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Training programs certified Number 0.00 8.00 13.00 0.00 to meet international standards 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): Target not achieved. None of the TVET institutions supported by the project adopted international standards for certification as planned in the PAD. The Project has however organized four training sessions on international standards of certification for TVET management to raise awareness and prepare for the future, especially the prospect of the Gas exploitation around 2022. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Resources generated from Percentage 3.00 12.00 57.10 services provided by TVET institutions as part of 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 recurrent budget Comments (achievements against targets): Target exceeded. The increase is due mostly to the PBC contracts. This could raise a question regarding the sustainability of this program, if the apprenticeship and short-term training programs were to end. However, these programs are likely to continue, as they are strongly supported by development partners (BIT, GIZ, BM), at least in the medium term. Page 37 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Student: teacher ratio Number 9.00 12.00 12.00 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): This indicator has been fully achieved. The ratio is calculated by the number of full time teacher civil servants and contractual teachers divided by the number of enrolled students (average across supported institutions). Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion TVET institutions with an Number 0.00 6.00 14.00 13.00 agreed PBC 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): Target almost achieved. The Original Project planned to support six out of 18 existing TVET institutions that were selected on the basis of the relevance of their programs in relation to the country's economic needs. Eight institutions were finally selected as the launching of the program gained momentum. However, the initially selected School of Fisheries was deemed ineligible as its administration was transferred from the Ministry of Fisheries to the Ministry of Defense. The AF added six TVET institutions to the PBC program. In 2016, two TVET institutions supported by the project merged into one and the School of Mines was closed, and its assets were transferred to the newly created polytechnic school, whose oversight is jointly done by the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Defense. Therefore, 12 TVET institutions have been finally supported by the project through PBCs. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion TVET institutions providing a Number 0.00 6.00 14.00 12.00 Page 38 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) detailed report on time with 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 information on agreed performance indicators Comments (achievements against targets): The indicator was achieved. All TVET institutions supported by the Project provide timely and detailed reports on their performance to the INAP-FTP, which monitors the program. The original target of 14 was achieved, but by the end of the project, the total number supported decreased from 14 to 12. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Student unit cost in Amount(USD) 640.00 715.00 653.00 apprenticeship and training programs 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): This indicator target was exceeded. The average unit cost per long-term skills training program is US$653, significantly lower than the target US$715. However, the baseline for this indicator was not fully reliable, and assessed progress may not be accurate. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Number of TVET institutions Number 0.00 6.00 12.00 26.00 conducting tracer studies 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): Target exceeded. The out-of-school survey targeted 26 TVET institutions, among these are all recipients of the SPIA under the Project. Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Page 39 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Target Completion Share of students enrolled in Percentage 0.00 25.00 25.00 new private TVET training providers 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): This indicator has been successfully achieved. Component: Component 2: Improving the institutional environment of technical and vocational training Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Number of TVET institutions Number 0.00 6.00 12.00 26.00 conducting tracer studies 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): Target exceeded. The out-of-school survey targeted 26 TVET institutions, among these are all recipients of the SPIA under the Project. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion MDEFPNT produces an Yes/No N Y Y annual statistical yearbook with updated information on 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 key TVET indicators Comments (achievements against targets): This indicator has been successfully achieved. The Statistical yearbook is published in electronic format. It does not include training programs and/or staff outside the Ministry of Vocational Training (other ministries and private sector), which would otherwise Page 40 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) provide a broader picture of the TVET system is Mauritania. Component: Component 3: Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Establishment of a Yes/No N Y Y functioning rapid-response team (Ebola prevention) 24-Feb-2015 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): Indicator introduced during the project restructuring approved by the World Bank on February 24, 2015. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Presence of an isolation unit Yes/No N Y Y for Ebola case investigation and management 24-Feb-2015 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): Indicator introduced during the project restructuring approved by the World Bank on February 24, 2015. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Percentage of Health Percentage 0.00 95.00 100.00 facilities that have case definition/guidelines for 24-Feb-2015 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 Ebola Page 41 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Comments (achievements against targets): Indicator introduced during the project restructuring approved by the World Bank on February 24, 2015. Unlinked Indicators Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Increase in enrollment in Percentage 0.00 38.00 45.00 47.20 participating TVET institutions (annually) 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 30-Apr-2014 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): Target exceeded. The enrollment rate in the 12 participating TVET institution has increased by 47.2 percent (against a target of 45 percent), and their number of graduates reached 8,367 (89 percent of the target) at completion. Formally Revised Actual Achieved at Indicator Name Unit of Measure Baseline Original Target Target Completion Share of government Percentage 20.00 25.00 25.00 contribution to FAP-FTP’s budget (%) 26-Apr-2011 30-Jun-2016 29-Dec-2017 Comments (achievements against targets): This indicator has been successfully achieved. Moreover, the Government has decided to maintain this allocation in the budget of INAP-FTP to continue to support the reform. However, that these funds are still insufficient to meet the demand for on-going training. A study has been conducted to figure out way to make the funding mechanism for the TVET sub-sector sustainable. One of the possible solutions considered by the Government are the establishment of an apprenticeship tax, which would finance the sector, as done in several countries of the sub- region (such as Morocco and Senegal). Page 42 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) B. KEY OUTPUTS BY COMPONENT Objective/Outcome 1: Improve the quality of training institutions During Project implementation, the sub-objectives of “quality” and “efficiency” were monitored and reported on together in ISRs. However, the ICR attempts to map project results to each sub- objective, whenever possible. Some indicators/outputs are both linked to “quality” and “efficiency” and are reflected as such in this table. ➢ The number of direct project beneficiaries was 16,409, out of which 34.17% were female, against a target of 19,911 (27.6% female). ➢ The number of students graduating from TVET institutions Outcome Indicators supported by the project was 8,367, against a target of 9,411. ➢ The drop-out rate in participating TVET institutions was reduced to 5.8%, against a target of 3%. ➢ The number of youth enrolled in short-term training programs provided by both NGOs and public/private training institutions was 8,042, against a target of 6,500. ➢ The percentage of youth enrolled in short term training programs finding employment in field related to training within six months of completion of training/apprenticeship was 71%, against a target of 64%. ➢ Number of TVET institutions rehabilitated and equipped. This indicator has been partially achieved. The project supported the rehabilitation and moderate expansion of four training institutions Intermediate Results Indicators (Kaédi, Néma, Boghé and Nouakchott) to improve the learning environment and increase accommodation capacity. Page 43 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ➢ 13 Training programs certified to meet international standards. None of the TVET institutions supported by the project adopted international standards for certification as planned in the PAD. This was perhaps too ambitious as International standards appear misaligned or not compatible with the standards sought out by the labor market served by these TVET institutions. The Project however organized four training sessions on international standards of certification for TVET management to raise awareness and prepare for the future, especially the prospect of the Gas exploitation around 2022. Furthermore, to introduce the quality assurance approach in the TVET system, four training sessions on certification standards were organized by international expertise in certification standards for the benefit of 80 TVET officials including inspectors and directors of training institutions and trainers whose courses are best placed for certification preparation. Component 1 (Strengthening and diversifying Technical and Vocational Education Training) was in line with the PDO’s sub- objective of “improving the quality of training institutions.” Sub-component 1.1: Improving the effectiveness and relevance of training provided in eligible TVET institutions Key Outputs by Component The PBC Program aimed at improving both the quality and efficiency of (linked to the achievement of the Objective/Outcome 1) TVET institutions. Therefore, project outputs are linked to both sub- objectives. ➢ The Project initially planned to support six out of 18 existing TVET institutions that were selected on the basis of the relevance of their programs in relation to the country's economic needs. Eight institutions were finally selected as the launching of the program gained momentum. The School of Fisheries, initially selected, was no Page 44 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) longer part of the program when its administration was transferred from the Ministry of Fisheries to the Ministry of Defense in October 23, 2014. The AF allowed the addition of six TVET institutions into the PBC program. In 2016, two TVET institutions supported by the project were merged into one and the School of Mines was closed, its assets were transferred to the newly created polytechnic school, whose oversight is jointly under the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Defense, making the School of Mines ineligible. Therefore, 12 TVET institutions were supported by the project through PBCs. They prepared proposals (projet d'établissement) to address pedagogical, training and governance needs and signed a PBC with the INAP-FTP and the DFTP. ➢ The 12 eligible TVET institutions have received sub-grants through the FAP-FTP, to implement their training programs and purchase equipment. They also received technical assistance from INAP-FTP to review their curriculum, aligning them with market needs. The success of the PBC program translated into an improvement of the quality of TVET institutions, to which the reduction of the dropout rate can be attributed. ➢ The Project supported the rehabilitation and moderate expansion as well as equipment of four TVET training institutions: one in Nouakchott and three in secondary cities (LFTPI in Néma, CFPP in Kaédi, LFTPI in Boghé, LFTPI in Nouakchott). Overall, 13,797 m² of new accommodation capacity to the TVET System. ➢ The project supported the training of all TVET teachers, management authorities and technical staff in Mauritania. They benefited from training programs in Morocco and Tunisia in topics like Page 45 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) agriculture (15 persons); construction (55 persons); mechanics (127 persons); services (79 persons); electrical (65 persons); technical education (41 persons); IT (18 persons), etc. The increase in the number of project beneficiaries and of the number of students graduating from TVET institutions, as well as the decrease in the dropout rate in participating TVET institution can be attributed to the improvement of the learning environment and increase of accommodation capacity of TVET institutions, as well as the training of TVET teachers. Sub-component 1.2: Increasing apprenticeship and short-term training programs. The Short-term training for out-of-school youth program was introduced to respond both to the needs of local small private firms and cooperatives for qualified workers, and to the out-of school unemployed youth (ages 14-25). This program was expected to be a way to diversify the training supply, by focusing on areas not covered by the formal TVET institutions, while ensuring lower costs. The training programs were alternatively conducted in TVET centers (50% of time) and firms or cooperatives. It covered a wide range of trades, such as construction, industry, fisheries, livestock farming, paramedical sector, tertiary trade, media, urban and rural crafts. Multiple rounds of sub- grants have been provided to public, non-governmental, and private training providers to conduct the training in partnership with prospective employers and cooperatives. Training program relevance was assessed based on the labor market needs, such as construction, agriculture, services and mining. Page 46 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) At the beginning of the Project, six memoranda of understanding were signed between the project and five professional national organizations as well as an Australia-based international mining firm (Tasiast) to train 5,000 young people, surpassing the initial project target of 4,760, and reflecting the high demand for this type of training. With the additional financing approved in 2015, the apprenticeship programs were scaled up and allowed the Project to train 1,720 additional youth (leading to a total of 6,500 youth having benefited from short-term training programs at the end of the Project. The popularity of these short-term training programs was partially due to the improvement of their quality, which in turn made the trained youth more employable by the private sector. Objective/Outcome: 2: Improve the efficiency of training institutions During Project implementation, the sub-objectives of “quality” and “efficiency” were monitored and reported on together in ISRs. However, the ICR attempts to map project results to each sub- objective, whenever possible. Some indicators/outputs are both linked to “quality” and “efficiency” and are reflected as such in this table. ➢ The number of direct project beneficiaries was 16,409, out of which 34.17% were female, against a target of 19,911 (27.6% Outcome Indicators female). ➢ The number of students graduating from TVET institutions supported by the project was 8,367, against a target of 9,411. ➢ The number of youth enrolled in short-term training programs provided by both NGOs and public/private training institutions was 8,042, against a target of 6,500. ➢ The drop-out rate in participating TVET institutions was reduced to 5.8%, against a target of 3%. Page 47 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ➢ Increase in enrollment in participating TVET institutions (annually). The enrollment rate in the 12 participating TVET institution has increased by 47.2% (against a target of 45%) and the number of graduates reached 8,367 (89% of the target). The ICR considers that this indicator has been achieved. The reason for the lower than expected achievement is due to the change of status of the Nouadhibou School of Fisheries and the closing of the School of Mines. Therefore, instead of 14 TVET institutions initially planned, only 11 were able to implement the SPIA. The project would have reached the target if both institutions had remained eligible under the Project. ➢ 14 TVET institutions with an agreed PBC. This indicator was partially met since 12 institutions ended up signing a PBC with INAP- FTP and the DFTP, against an initial target of six institutions, increased to 14 in 2015. Intermediate Results Indicators ➢ 13 Training programs certified to meet international standards. None of the TVET institutions supported by the project adopted international standards for certification as planned in the PAD. This was perhaps too ambitious as International standards appear misaligned or not compatible with the standards sought out by the labor market served by these TVET institutions. The Project however organized four training sessions on international standards of certification for TVET management to raise awareness and prepare for the future, especially the prospect of the Gas exploitation around 2022. Furthermore, to introduce the quality assurance approach in the TVET system, four training sessions on certification standards were organized by international expertise in certification standards for the benefit of 80 TVET officials including inspectors and directors of training institutions and trainers whose courses are best placed for certification preparation. Page 48 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ➢ Resources generated from services provided by TVET institutions as part of recurrent budget. This indicator has been largely met, mainly because TVET institutions competed and were awarded project resources to short-term training courses under the Apprenticeship and Short-Term Training Programs. There could be a sustainability issue if the programs were to end, but they are likely to continue as they benefit from the strong support from development partners (BIT, GIZ, BM). ➢ Student/Teacher Ratio. This indicator has been fully achieved, with a ratio of 12 students/teacher, from a baseline of nine students/teacher, which contributed to make the TVET institutions more efficient. ➢ TVET institutions providing a detailed report on time with information on agreed performance indicators. The indicator has been achieved successfully. All TVET institutions supported by the Project provide timely and detailed reports on their performance to the INAP- FTP, which monitors the program. ➢ Student unit cost in apprenticeship and training programs. This indicator has been achieved and target was exceeded. The average unit cost per trainee decreased to US$653, against the target of US$715. Component 1 (Strengthening and diversifying Technical and Vocational Education Training) was in line with the PDO’s sub- objective of “improving the efficiency of training institutions.” Key Outputs by Component (linked to the achievement of the Objective/Outcome 2) Sub-component 1.1: Improving the effectiveness and relevance of training provided in eligible TVET institutions Page 49 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) The PBC Program aimed at improving both the quality and efficiency of TVET institutions. Therefore, project outputs are linked to both sub- objectives. ➢ The Project initially planned to support six out of 18 existing TVET institutions that were selected on the basis of the relevance of their programs in relation to the country's economic needs. Eight institutions were finally selected as the launching of the program gained momentum. The School of Fisheries, initially selected, did not signed eventually into the program when its administration was transferred from the Ministry of Fisheries to the Ministry of Defense in October 23, 2014. The AF allowed the addition of six TVET institutions into the PBC program. In 2016, two TVET institutions supported by the project were merged into one and the School of Mines was closed, its assets were transferred to the newly created polytechnic school, whose oversight is jointly under the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Defense, making the School of Mines ineligible. Therefore, 12 TVET institutions have been supported by the project through PBCs. They prepared proposals (projet d'établissement) to address pedagogical, training and governance needs and signed a PBC with the INAP-FTP and the DFTP. ➢ The 12 eligible TVET institutions have received sub-grants through the FAP-FTP, to implement their training programs and purchase equipment. They also received technical assistance from INAP-FTP to review their curriculum, aligning them with market needs, and setting modern governance standards and practices. These institutions received a total amount of US$20,051,291 during the lifetime of the project, from which they disbursed US$20,002,549 (99.7%). About 30% of the TVET institutions budget were allocated to Page 50 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) the “Projets d’Etablissement,” which demonstrated their commitment to the Projects. ➢ The DFTP was in charge of reviewing the pedagogical framework and consistency of the Proposals with the National TVET Policy, while the Directorate for Private Training was responsible for confirming that the Proposals responded to private sector needs (based on employment data). The PBC program translated into an improvement of the efficiency of TVET institutions, to which the increased number of beneficiaries and of students graduating from TVET institutions, as well as the reduction of the dropout rate can be attributed. Sub-component 1.2: Increasing apprenticeship and short-term programs. The Short-term training for out-of-school youth program was introduced to respond both to the needs of local small private firms and cooperatives for qualified workers, and to the out-of-school unemployed youth (ages 14-25). This program was expected to be a way to diversify the training supply, by focusing on areas not covered by the formal TVET institutions, while ensuring lower costs. The training programs were conducted by TVET centers (50% of time) and firms or cooperatives. It covered a wide range of trades, such as construction, industry, fisheries, livestock farming, paramedical sector, tertiary trade, media, urban and rural crafts. Multiple rounds of sub-grants have been provided to public, non-governmental, and private training providers to conduct the training in partnership with prospective employers and cooperatives. Training program relevance was assessed based on the Page 51 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) labor market needs, such as construction, agriculture, services and mining. At the beginning of the Project, six MOUs were signed between the project and five professional national organizations as well as an Australia-based international mining firm (Tasiast) to train 5,000 young people, surpassing the initial project target of 4,760, and reflecting the high demand for this type of training. With the AF (2015), the apprenticeship programs were scaled up and allowed the Project to train 1,720 additional youth (leading to a total of 6,500 youth having benefited from short-term training programs at the end of the Project. The flow of funds was efficient, both on the side of the World Bank, the DPEF and INAP-FTP. In addition, TVET institutions were monitoring their trainees closely during their apprenticeship and internship (some of which took place during holidays), and organized information workshops and private meetings to support the trainees. Also, the conditional disbursement system developed by INAP-FTP was successful because it allowed disbursement of nearly the totality of the funds. Finally, INAP-FTP was monitoring the insertion of trainees in the labor market through periodic surveys. Two tracer survey studies, covering four cohorts, were carried out in 2015 and 2016 and showed that around 50% of graduates were able to secure employment within one year after graduation. The Project helped make the providers of short-term training programs more efficient, which allowed them to be more relevant and responsive to the needs of the labor market. Page 52 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Objective/Outcome 3: Create an enabling environment for a more market-driven Technical and Vocational Education Training System A Regulatory Framework provides legal protection and status to private Outcome Indicators sector training institutions. ➢ INAP-FTP conducted three tracer studies in 2015, 2016, and 2017 that covered 26 TVET institutions (against a target of 12 institutions). In 2016, INAP-FTP carried out another tracer study for the short-term training programs for out-of-school youth. ➢ MDEFPNT produced an annual Statistical Yearbook with updated information on key TVET indicators. Intermediate Results Indicators ➢ The share of the government contribution to FAP-FTP’s budget reached 25 percent of the annual FAP-FTP’s budget, which is the target that was agreed upon with the Government for the Project, by providing the counterpart funds of US$1.6 million quarterly. ➢ The Share of students enrolled in new private TVET training providers reached 25%, as planned during project preparation. Component 2: Improving the institutional environment of Technical and Vocational Education Training Sub-component 2.1: Enhancing the capacity of the MDEFPNT to create Key Outputs by Component a more demand-driven TVET system (linked to the achievement of the Objective/Outcome 3) ➢ The Legal and procedural framework for skills development has been developed: a draft law was approved by the Council of Ministers and submitted to the National Assembly for adoption. A technical committee in the National Assembly has recommended its adoption Page 53 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) and the vote on the floor is expected to take place during the current session, which ends in July 2018. Decrees of the new law were drafted. ➢ Human Resource Development Plan (HRDP) to support capacity development of the Ministry of Vocational Training to create a more demand-driven TVET system and capacity strengthening of the TVET system was elaborated in April 2014, the training need assessment carried out in September 2014, and training programs aiming at filling these needs were delivered. Both Ministry and INAP-FTP staff benefitted from these programs, which also included study tours in Morocco, Tunisia, and Senegal. ➢ Seven trainees' assessment missions were conducted by TVET inspectors with the support of the Project, which helped to strengthen the capacities of trainers and supervisors in technical and pedagogical management of the resources allocated to them. ➢ 28 specialized programs were updated and the number of specialized programs in line with the labor market was increased by 51.28%. Employers contributed to the elaboration and/or revision of these programs. In addition, 52 training providers from the public and private sector supported the implementation of the training programs and the supervision of the process of programs’ elaboration, which contributed to the strengthening of their individual capacities, as well as the collaboration of the public and private sectors, making the training programs more relevant to the needs of the private sector. Sub-component 2.2: Strengthening the capacity of the INAP-FTP Page 54 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ➢ INAP-FTP’s capacity has been strengthened, which allowed the institution to efficiently monitor the PBCs in collaboration with TVET institutions, to conduct tracer studies and to develop competencies- based curriculum content and pedagogical support for TVET institutions. In addition, INAP-FTP received technical and financial support to carry out tracer studies, curriculum development, and implementation and M&E of PBCs. During the Project counterpart funds of US$1.6 million were paid quarterly, representing about 25 percent of the annual FAP-FTP’s budget, which is the target that was agreed upon with the Government for the Project. A study has been conducted to determine options to make the funding of the TVET sub- sector sustainable. One of the options recommended by the Government is to raise an apprenticeship, as done in several countries of the sub-region, such as Morocco and Senegal. Demonstrating that INAP-FTP was trusted to carried out its mission, the Government increased its budget from 40 to 120 million Ouguiya (MRO). Also, the assessment of the activities carried out by INAP-FTP during Project implementation shows the impact that the project has had on the capacity building of this institution. These activities go beyond those of the project and include those of other partners who are now asking INAP-FTP to use the same approach for other operations. ➢ A functioning rapid-response team (Ebola prevention), Presence of an isolation unit for Ebola case investigation and Component 3: Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic management was established ➢ The percentage of Health facilities that have case definition/guidelines for Ebola has exceeded its target by 5%. Page 55 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ➢ All programmed activities have been completed and an implementation report has been prepared by the Ministry of Health (MOH), who was managing this component. ➢ The acquisition of kits was undertaken by WHO. Purchase 600 additional infrared thermometers to equip 8 stations as well as the facilities near the borders, of Ebola kits for individual protection of agents in Treatment Centers and Laboratories. Also, some equipment (procurement carried out by the DPEF) was provided to the Hospital Center of Nouakchott. Finally, favorable conditions for the collection and transport of blood samples were put in place and are still used. ➢ An Isolation Unit that can handle possible cases of EVD was established and is still in place, ready to accommodate any epidemic. A rapid response team was set up, trained, and made operational. ➢ The MOH was responsible for training and sensitization campaigns. Guidelines and the case definition of EVD were elaborated and disseminated at the national level Posters were produced and disseminated extensively for the promotion of practical hygiene measures to reduce the risk of spread of diseases (Ebola, cholera and others). ➢ Epidemic management committees at local, regional, and national levels were set up and trained on epidemic prevention, identification, and management. These committees also improved coordination between MOH and local authorities. The committees received training. ➢ The technical capacity of health teams to effectively respond to the management of the Ebola virus and reduce mortality and Page 56 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) associated morbidity through several training seminars where strengthened. Fortunately, the Ebola epidemic did not affect Mauritania. However, the restructuring the project allowed the establishment of the above procedures and the set-up of adequate facilities and trained staff, which would have allowed the country to be responsive if need be. All this work has allowed the MOH, Nouakchott Central Hospital, and other stakeholders to strengthen their capacities, and to use them to address other public health-related issues. Page 57 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) C. DETAILED RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND MAIN CHANGES Original Credit Additional Financing (at approval of AF, 99.45% of (64.37% of the total project) original financing had been disbursed 35.62 % of total Completion disbursement) Project Closing Approved on April 26, 2011, AF/restructuring Restructuring Date as of Dec signed on June 13, 2011, Approved on April 30, 2014; signed on approved on 31, 2017 effective on September 12, October 1, 2014, and effective on Feb 3, 2016 2011 March 30, 2015 (Extension of closing Date) Indicators Unit of Baseline Original Achievement Indicator Formally Achievement Actual Measure (2011) Target as of April 30, Change revised as of Dec 15, Achieved at (31 Dec 2014 Targets 2015, Completion (as 2016) (approval of (AF) restructuring of 31 Dec AF and (2016 2017,) - restructuring) Extension of closing Date) PDO Level Indicators: improve the quality and efficiency of training institutions and create an enabling environment for a more market-driven Technical and Vocational Education Training System. Indicator One: Direct project Revised - beneficiaries are (i) students Change graduating from TVET institutions in the supported by the project and (ii) Number 2,458 9,941 3,671 end of Youth in short term training 15,911 14,657 16,409 project programs provided by both NGOs target and public/private TVET value institutions. Female beneficiaries No Percent 15% 27,6% 17% 28% 34.17% change Page 58 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Number of students graduating Revised - from TVET institutions supported Change by the project in the Number 993 5,161 1,322 end of 9,411 4,881 8,367 project target value) Youth in short term training Revised - programs provided by both NGOs change in and public/private training the end institutions Number 0 4,780 1,418 of 6,500 3,877 8,042 project target value) Indicator Two: Reduced drop-out No rate in participating TVET Percent 9% 3% 15,7% 10.3% 5.80% change institutions Indicator Three: Annual graduates in TVET institutions supported by Number 993 6154 1113 Deleted the project Indicator Four: Student unit cost in TVET institutions supported by Number 852 762 60379 Deleted the project Indicator Five: Regulatory framework provides legal No protection and status to private Yes/No No Yes No No Yes change sector training institutions (Enabling Environment) Indicator Six: Youth enrolled in short term training programs No Percent 0 64% 50% 53% 71% finding employment in field change related to training within 6 Page 59 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) months of completion of training/apprenticeship(Quality) Intermediates Level Indicators by component and Subcomponents Component 1: Strengthening and Diversifying Technical and Vocational Education Training Sub-Component 1.1 Improve management and efficiency of TVET institutions Number of TVET institutions Number 0 NEW - 6 0 6 rehabilitated and equipped Added Under the AF Increase in enrollment in Revised - 32 participating TVET institutions change in (annually) the end of Percent 0 38% 28% 45% 47.20% project target value) Training programs certified to Revised - meet international standards change in the end of Number 0 8 0 13 0 0 project target value) Resources generated from services provided by TVET No Percent 3 12 6 7% 57.1% institutions as part of recurrent change budget Resources generated by TVET institutions invested in Percent 28 40 29 Deleted maintenance, learning materials and equipment amortization Student/Teacher Ratio No Ratio 9/1 12/1 12.5/1 12.5/1 12/1 change Page 60 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) TVET institutions with an agreed Revised - PBC Change in the Number 0 6 end of 14 14 12 project target value) TVET institutions have an Number 0 6 Deleted operating management system Revised - Change in the TVET institutions providing a Number 0 6 8 end of 14 14 12 detailed report on time with project information on agreed target performance indicators value) Sub-Component 1.2 Efficient and relevant apprenticeship program Student unit cost in No apprenticeship and training US$ n/a 715 671 671 653 change programs Component 2: Improving the institutional environment of Technical and Vocational Education Training Number of TVET institutions Revised - conducting tracer studies Change in the Number 0 6 0 end of 12 0 26 project target value) MDEFPNT produces an annual statistical yearbook with updated No Yes/No no Yes No No Y information on key TVET change indicators Page 61 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Share of government contribution No Percent 0% 25% 36% 18% 25% to FAP-FTP’s budget (%) change Share of students enrolled in new No Percent 0 25% 0 15% 25% private TVET training providers change Component 3: Ebola response Establishment of a functioning New - rapid-response team (Ebola Yes/No No Added yes No Yes prevention) Indicator Presence of an isolation unit for New - Ebola case investigation and Yes/No No Added yes No Yes management Indicator Percentage of Health facilities that New - have case definition/guidelines for Percent 0 Added 95% - 100 Ebola Indicator Page 62 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ANNEX 2. BANK LENDING AND IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT/SUPERVISION A. TASK TEAM MEMBERS Name Role Preparation Supervision/ICR Kamel Braham, Mohamed Tolba Task Team Leader(s) Brahim Hamed Procurement Specialist(s) Fatou Fall Samba Financial Management Specialist Salamata Bal Social Safeguards Specialist Yahya Ould Aly Jean Team Member Gernot Brodnig Team Member Batouly Dieng Team Member Maimouna Toure Team Member Africa Eshogba Olojoba Environmental Safeguards Specialist Ndeye Magatte Fatim Seck Team Member Mamata Tiendrebeogo Team Member Lalaina Noelinirina Rasoloharison Team Member Vanessa Retana Barrantes Team Member Mamadou Moustapha Ndoye Team Member Page 63 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) B. STAFF TIME AND COST Staff Time and Cost Stage of Project Cycle No. of staff weeks US$ (including travel and consultant costs) Preparation FY10 6.360 75,545.89 FY11 34.371 236,794.92 FY12 0 -76,550.07 FY14 4.225 0.00 Total 44.96 235,790.74 Supervision/ICR FY12 4.260 7,121.78 FY13 10.967 23,783.33 FY14 16.875 67,580.24 FY15 12.417 72,377.94 FY16 .507 11,360.71 FY17 5.453 47,628.24 FY18 31.133 153,577.72 Total 81.61 383,429.96 Page 64 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ANNEX 3. PROJECT COST BY COMPONENT Table 1: Cost and Expenditure by Component (US$ million) Component Initial Revised Costs Revised Costs Including Total Actual Actual Expenditure as Costs Including AF restructuring* Cost Expenditure a Percentage of Total April 2014 Feb. 2015 Revised Cost 1. Strengthening and Diversifying 13.0 23.6 23.6 19.83 84 TVET 2. Improving the institutional 4.6 5.3 -0.7 4.6 4.6 100 environment of TVET 3. Ebola 0.7 0.7 0.7 100 prevention Total Cost 17.6 28.9 28.9 25.13 87 *with Ebola component **This table includes contributions from the Bank (IDA) and the Government. The government committed to providing US$1.6 million in counterpart funding, to be used to finance operating costs and sub-grants under Part 1.2(c) of the project. These funds were to be disbursed quarterly based on the Annual Work Plan and budget for each corresponding calendar year. Counterpart funds were to be deposited into a separate account (“Project Account”) opened by the DPEF. Page 65 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ANNEX 4. EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS I. Introduction 1. The economic analysis conducted at appraisal focused on three types of benefits to assess the efficiency of the project. The first benefit associated with the project was a reduction in the number of unemployed youth and the provision of skills to spur growth. The annual flow of skilled youth was expected to increase from 993 in 2010 to 9,941 by the end of the project (4,780 Short- term students and 5,161 students TVET graduates). It was envisioned that the project would increase the cost efficiency of TVET through the improvement of institutional performance. This benefit was principally captured by the optimization of the use of space and course reorganization, the reduction of average annual cost per student, improvement in ratios such as drop-out rates and student-teacher ratios and increases in the resources generated by TVET institutions. The third benefit of the project was to strengthen the management of the TVET sector with a more demand-driven system and to optimize public resource allocation. 2. This economic and financial analysis provides an overview of the assessment undertaken at the time of the project appraisal and examines the efficiency of gains observed over the life of the Mauritanian TVET Project. This section includes the following: (i) economic context presenting the status of TVET sectors in Mauritania, the framework for its development and the expected gains of the Mauritania TVET project; (ii) a trend analysis of the internal and external efficiency gains; (iii) an analysis of unit costs of proposed project interventions; (iv) efficiency of implementation; and (v) an assessment of the financial sustainability of project achievements. II. Economic Context 3. Similar to many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Mauritania experienced relatively good economic growth in recent years. This growth was boosted by the start-up of oil production which led to a surge in GDP growth from 5.4 percent in 2005 to 11.4 percent in 2006. While the contribution of sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing to growth has been low and shrinking, studies shows that that Mauritania also has the potential to develop a sustainable and diversified economy outside natural resource exploitation (i.e. service industry, fisheries, agriculture and infrastructure), through the development of an adequate legal environment to boost the business climate and the increased availability of skilled labor. 4. The shifts in the economy described above resulted in an increase in the demand for highly skilled labor. However, the supply of labor was slow to respond to structural changes in the Mauritanian economy. Insufficient numbers of graduates had received training which would allow them to be absorbed within the strategic sectors of the economy. According to the 2006 Investment Climate Survey, one in every five firms in Mauritania reported that low skills and education were significant constraints on productivity. A lack of skilled workers leaves these firms Page 66 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) – who account for more than 85 percent of employment – with low labor productivity and a poor technological base. Another Enterprise Survey reported that 39.3 percent of firms identified an inadequately educated workforce as a major constraint to the current operations of their establishment in Mauritania, significantly higher than other countries in the region (See Table 1). The survey reported that only 46.5 percent of production workers in Mauritania were skilled which is low compared with other economies in the region such as Mali, Cameroon and Benin where 83.2 percent, 85.2 percent and 93.8 percent of workers, respectively, were reportedly skilled. Table 1. Percent of firms identifying an inadequately educated workforce as a major constraint Sierra Côte Sub- Economy Nigeria Senegal Leone Benin d'Ivoire Mauritania Mali Saharan (2014) (2014) (2017) (2016) (2016) (2014) (2016) Africa Percent of firms identifying an inadequately educated 5.7% 9.2% 14.1% 26.9% 37.4% 39.3% 44.7% 19.4% workforce as a major constraint Proportion of skilled production workers 79.3% 69.1% 73.4% 93.8% 76.1% 46.5% 83.2% 75.0% Source: ENTERPRISE SURVEYS http://www.enterprisesurveys.org/data/exploretopics/workforce#--7 retrieved on March 4, 2018 5. At appraisal, the TVET sector in Mauritania was confronting serious challenges undermining its potential contribution to sustained economic growth and social development. As described in the PAD, internal and external inefficiencies were driven by: (i) a growing number of unemployed out-of-school youth without employable skills; (ii) low quality and efficiency resulting in a mismatch between training programs and demand from employers; (iii) insufficiently developed short-term job insertion training and apprenticeship programs; (iv) limited capacity wherein TVET students constituted only 3 percent of the total secondary education enrollment. Page 67 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Figure 1. Enrollment in Vocational and General Secondary Enrolment in secondary vocational, both sexes (number) Enrolment in secondary general, both sexes (number) 3174 3338 3256 3129 1893 89540 95772 81278 85588 76837 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Source: UNESCO UIS, http://stats.uis.unesco.org retrieved on March 4, 2018 6. To address these issues and increase the supply of high skilled TVET graduates the new government identified TVET, youth employment and training of a skilled labor force as priorities in the 2009 Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRSP-III). With the creation of the Ministry of Employment Vocational Training and New Technologies (MDEFPNT) and the TVET 2010-2020 Strategy, the government of Mauritania sought to increase the responsiveness of the sector to labor market demand. The TVET strategy focuses on mechanisms to promote efficiency and improve the relevance of programs and the quality of graduates. Changes to the TVET model would also strengthen public TVET institutions' financial and training management capacity to promote flexibility and efficiency. The strategy also focuses on broadening the mandate of FAP- FTP to address the training needs of unskilled youth and to enable participation by employers in dual training and apprenticeship programs for trainees. The improved TVET system would be demand-driven and aimed to equip graduates with necessary and relevant skills to access employment. It was in this context that the Mauritanian TVET Project was designed and appraised. III. Internal and External Efficiency: Trend Analysis 7. The internal efficiency of the project is concerned with the maximization of the relationship between the inputs and outputs – captured by immediate goals in the TVET sector. Under this project, several activities such rehabilitation of TVET institutions, enrollment of new students, and resource generation were supported to improve the quality, efficiency and the environment of the TVET system. Progress across key indicators demonstrates improvements in the utilization of the resources. Continuous progress was observed on the majority of indicators related to internal efficiency between 2011 and project closing in 2017. These results are summarized in table 2. Page 68 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) 8. The first set of indicators focused on system outputs: the number of students enrolled and graduating from the participating TVET institution, as well as the drop-out rate in these institutions. Project targets were overachieved in enrollment with 16,409 students enrolled (34 percent female). The project fell short of the target for completion with 89 percent of students graduating from TVET institutions because two TVET institutions withdrew from the project. By December 2017, the enrollment rate in the participating TVET institutions increased by 47 percent (exceeding the target of 45 percent) while the drop-out rate in the same institutions dropped from 9 in 2011 to 5.8 percent. While the project did not meet the targeted rate of 3 percent, reducing the drop-out rate to 5.8 percent was rated as a satisfactory achievement by TVET authorities given historical trends. In terms of physical inputs, the results show that targets were achieved for the rehabilitation and equipping of TVET institutions. All planned renovations under the Project were completed at the four targeted institutions. The project also focused on strengthening the efficacity of participating TVET institutions through improved resources utilization. Targets for productivity were fully achieved: the student/teacher ratio increased from 9:1 to the target of 12:1, and 25 percent of students were enrolled in new private TVET training providers as targeted at appraisal. Table 2: Progress of Key Internal Efficiency Indicators Project Actual at Indicators Baseline Targets Actual Completion Percent of (2011) (2016) (2015) (2017) target Number of students from TVET institutions and youth in short- 2,458 15,911 14,657 16,409 103% term training programs supported (15%) (27%) (28%) (34.17%) by the project (Share of female) Number of students graduating from TVET institutions supported 993 9,411 4,881 8,367 89% by the project Increase in enrollment in participating TVET institutions 0% 45% 32% 47% 105% (annually) Reduced drop-out rate in 9% 3% 10% 5.8% 52% participating TVET institutions Number of TVET institutions n/a 6 0 6 100% rehabilitated and equipped Student/Teacher Ratio 9/1 12/1 12.5/1 12/1 100% Student unit cost in apprenticeship and training n/a 715 671 653 109% programs Share of students enrolled in new 0% 25% 15% 25% 100% private TVET training providers Resources generated from 3% 12% 7% 57% 476% services provided by TVET Page 69 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) institutions as part of recurrent budget Share of government contribution 0% 25% 18% 25% 100% to FAP-FTP’s budget (%) Source: Mauritania Skills Project Final Results Framework 9. External efficiency of the project is concerned with the impact of the TVET sector on the production of skills for the economy. External efficiency of the project is captured by the pass rate on national exams, the employment rate of the graduates and financing methods for the TVET sectors. As described above, the TVET sector in Mauritania has been affected by underinvestment, and inadequate financing methods. The increased contribution of the government in the FAP-FTP’s reflects the commitment of the government to TVET sector. Substantial improvements were also observed in the national pass rate which increased from 23 percent in 2008-2009 to 80 percent in 2016-2017. Results from the tracer studies conducted as part of the project demonstrated that 71 percent of students who had enrolled in short-term training programs were employed in fields related to their training within six months of completing their training/apprenticeships. This an overachievement of the target of 64 percent. Figure 2. Evolution of students enrolled and graduating from FTP programs 3,500 120% 3,000 97% 92% 100% 85% 2,500 79% 77% 80% 69% 80% 2,000 60% 1,500 31% 40% 1,000 23% 500 20% - 0% Number of students recruited Number of students admitted Passing rate Source: World Bank staff calculation based on DFTP data, 2017 Page 70 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) IV. Unit Cost Analysis 10. The cost of activities was kept under budget, except for the cost of training which was underestimated at appraisal and corrected during AF/restructuring. At appraisal, the project planned to increase the cost efficiency of participating TVET institutions through the short-term training of 4,780 students (6,500 after AF/restructuring). In addition, the project achieved a significant decrease in the student unit cost in short-term training. Initially targeted at US$715 the training cost was as low as US$653 in 2016/2017 (Table 3). According to the final evaluation report, the decline in the cost of training did not adversely affect quality but was achieved primarily through the use of more efficient practices such as part time trainers. Strong commitment on the part of training systems and beneficiaries pushed the CAF to customize the allocation of the funds based on the costs of consumable learning materials which vary by sector. Table 3: Actual unit cost of students in apprenticeship and training programs Original Revised AF Actual at Actual Actual Indicators Targets Targets Completion (2014) (2015) (2011) (2016) (2017) Student unit cost in apprenticeship and training 715 715 671 671 653 programs Youth in short-term training 4,780 6,500 1,418 3,877 8,042 programs Source: Mauritania Skills Project Final Results Framework 11. The project supported improvements to the teaching and learning environment of participating TVET institutions through the renovation and equipping of facilities. These activities were strengthened by component 4 of the AF/restructuring which focused on civil works for the rehabilitation and extension of four FTP institutions – one in Nouakchott and three in the countryside (Boghé, Kaédi and Néma). These activities were completed before the closure of the project, making the TVET centers more attractive and competitive. The enrollment capacity at the four beneficiary institutions significantly increased between 22 and 100 percent. The project managed to achieve such significant improvement at costs lower than national standards through the publication of procurement plans which stimulated competition in the civil engineering markets. Table 4 presents rehabilitation and extension costs under the project with the unit price per square meter ranging between US$190 to US$210, compared to the costs of other projects in Mauritania which are higher than US$300. Page 71 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Table 4: Actual expenditures for rehabilitation and extensions of Education Institutions Institutions Unit Price by m2 LFTP Industriel de Nouakchott 197.6 LFTP Industriel de Boghé 190.3 CFPP de Kaédi 210.7 Faculté Des Sciences Juridiques, Economiques 300.0 Bibliothèque Présidence Université 342.0 Source: Mauritania Skills Project Closing Report V. Efficiency of implementation 12. Despite the substantial efficiency gains described, several factors challenged the efficiency of overall project implementation. The reallocation of the TVET administration to the MDEFPNT following the government restructuring in 2014 and the initial low capacity of the client slowed down the implementation of project activities at the beginning of the project. Procurement delays and deficiencies in civil work activities also affected the efficiency of initial project implementation. However, these initial capacity and procurement bottlenecks were resolved allowing the pace of project implementation to increase and project activities to be completed by the closing date. Efficiency was observed in the implementation of the “Projets d’Etablissement,” particularly in the use of resources. According to the Grant Impact Assessment Report conducted by an independent consultant in November 2017, planned activities were carried out with a budget implementation rate of 98 percent. Indeed, the assessment demonstrated that the INAP-FTP strictly followed all the procedures for conditional disbursement and effectively managed the grant allocation per eligible TVET institutions which resulted in an overall execution rate of 99 percent. 13. The project also focused on addressing underfunding challenges in the TVET sector through improvement to the funding mechanism. The share of the government contribution to the FAP-FTP’s budget reached the 25 percent targeted at appraisal. The government contribution was transferred in as quarterly payments equivalent to the US$1.6 million from counterpart funds, as required in the FA. Substantial efficiency is also observed in the implementation of revenue generating activities, with an increase of the resources generated by TVET institutions to 57 percent by the end of the project, against 3 percent at the appraisal. Overall, the project exceeded the target of by 12 percent. Page 72 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Table 5. Cumulative Project Disbursement 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Original 2,560,000 5,510,000 9,410,000 14,000,000 16,000,000 16,000,000 Disbursement Revised 18,000,000 23,000,000 Disbursement Actual 961,978 1,797,930 5,260,576 14,646,508 20,465,306 22,798,837 Disbursement Disbursement Rate 38% 33% 56% 105% 114% 99% Source: Mauritania skills Project Implementation Status and Results Report 14. As presented in table 5, the disbursement rate of the project increased overtime. The low disbursement rate at the beginning of the project (38 percent in 2012 and 33 percent in 2013) was principally linked to the need to initially establish institutional arrangements, the preparation of performance contracts, analysis of equipment needs, and preparation and adjudication of large acquisitions. In addition, the length of administrative procedures and the low activity level of the DPEF designated account slowed disbursement at the beginning of the project. However, consistent supervision improved financial flows between the DPEF and the INAP-FTP, and between the INAP-FTP and training providers. Improvements in the transfer of funds and an increase in the level of the DPEF designated account significantly accelerated the disbursement rate of the project. VI. Financial Sustainability Analysis 15. With political support at the highest level and the harmonizing of financial mechanisms for all development partners, it was expected that support from government and development partners participation to replenish the training fund (FAP-FTP) would increase. Before 2010, FAP- FTP was operating on limited resources dedicated to the training of workers and youth in internship or apprenticeship programs, that were specifically requested by employers. Between 2012 and 2017, FAP-FTP's resources significantly increased due to project implementation. As shown in Annex 4, Table 4, government and development partners contributions consistently increased over time. Between 2006 and 2017, these contributions increased by approximately 70 percent in real terms. Moreover, the participating TVET institutions are receiving other funding from development partners through other initiatives. AFD, with its upcoming program CCD4 will support the CFPP Kaedi and the LTP Noudhibou through interventions focused on addressing the skills needs in water management and fishery. The enrollment capacity at CFPP Nouakchott is expected to triple after the construction of a large facility funded by KFW. 16. The project also supported the development of new regulations and implementations decrees to strengthen the legal and regulatory framework. This revised framework principally focused on the expansion of private TVET institutions, innovative vocational training programs and improved institutional management. The government committed to sustain this initiative Page 73 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) supported by the project, submitted the revised framework to the National Assembly for review and approval. Once, approved, this new regulatory framework will be a pillar of the national TVET strategy. The preparation of a Development Policy Operation (DPO) is underway to strengthen the sustainability of all funding mechanism developed through the project. Table 6: Evolution of Government contribution to FAP-FTP’s funds Donors and Companies Government contribution to Total FAP-FTP contribution to FAP-FTP FAP-FTP (UM) funds in UM (UM) 2006 28,206,455 25,967,226 2,239,229 2008 44,689,797 40,886,114 3,803,683 2010 66,856,144 61,096,641 5,759,503 2012 216,697,400 195,027,660 21,669,740 2013 248,301,946 224,140,963 24,160,983 2014 300,316,363 270,284,727 30,031,636 2015 1,048,552,274 943,697,047 104,855,227 2016 490,021,002 441,018,902 49,002,100 2017 336,999,287 303,299,358 33,699,928 Average % of 70.27% 65.78% 74.75% increase Source: World Bank staff calculation based on INAP-FTP data, 2017 17. To summarize, while substantial internal and external efficiency gains were observed over the life of the project and the majority of activities were successfully implemented by project closing – some indicators fell short of their end-of-project targets. Further, some implementation inefficiencies were also initially observed though these were mostly overcome in the later years of the project. In light of the evidence above, efficiency under the Project is rated Modest. Page 74 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ANNEX 5. BORROWER, CO-FINANCIER AND OTHER PARTNER/STAKEHOLDER COMMENTS The following provides a summary of the Government’s completion report for the Mauritania Skills Development Support Project. The full report can be found in WBdocs. A. RELEVANCE OF OBJECTIVES AND PROJECT DESIGN Relevance of the Project Objectives The project's development objective was to improve the capacity and efficiency of training institutions and to create an enabling environment for a technical and vocational training system that is more focused on meeting market demand. The objective of the project was in line with the strategies identified by the 2007 Country Assistance Strategy (CAS), which identified weak human resource development as one of the main constraints to Mauritania's economic growth and included improving human capital and job creation among its priority areas of intervention. The conditions necessary to achieve these objectives included improving the quality and relevance of vocation and technical training. The project was also aligned with the Government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan-III (GPRSP III, 2011-2015). The third pillar of GPRSP-III prioritizes improving the quality and relevance of TVET programs, and diversifying the types of training offered, as a mechanism for poverty reduction. Relevance of the Project Design Project design was informed by analytical work on the education and TVET sector and private sector development of Mauritania such as the CEM that spelled out the challenges of the country's economic development. Analytical work identified the lack of a skilled and competent workforce as a fundamental constraint to private sector development. A number of sector stakeholders were involved in the preparation and implementation of the project, including technical and financial partners, the public sector (ministries in charge of TVET and employment), the private sector with different chambers of trades, unions and associations (Fishing, Trade, Industry, Construction, crafts). The inaugural ceremony of the project saw the strong participation of the employers and, consequently, the institutionalization of their presence at the management level of the TVET sector (membership of TVET institutions’ boards of directors as well as pedagogical committees, alternate Chairmanship of FAP-FTP, the funding instrument of short-term training and PBCs with TVET institutions). Private sector involvement sought to direct training programs and funding towards the real needs of the market to rationalize the costs and avoid the development of training that does not prepare or facilitate employment. This membership resulted in the implementation of project activities by various local associations; civil society organizations and Page 75 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) the private sector. The approach of stakeholders’ involvement introduced by the project has been adopted by other partners in their intervention in the TVET sector. COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT: OBJECTIVES AND RESULTS ACHIEVED Component 1: strengthening and diversifying technical and vocation training Component 1 aimed to strengthen and diversify technical and vocational training through two sub-components:. Two subcomponents were supported under component 1. Sub-component 1.1 sought to strengthen and diversify TVET, and improve the quality, effectiveness and relevance of training provided by TVET institutions. This was achieved through funding and TA from INAP-FTP on a contractual basis to the TVET institutions. INAP-FTP was to ensure the implementation of the grant awarded by the project to the TVET institutions under the program contract. This funding approach for TVET institutions was a new approach introduced by the project aimed at: (i) empowering TVET institutions to conduct efficient and effective management of resourcesavailable to them, (ii) ensuring the insertion of graduates from institutions, and (iii) consolidating relationships between training institutions and the public and private sectors to better determine the skills’ needs of these sectors in order to better direct training towards market demand. Sub-component 1.2 sought to increase the number of participants in apprenticeships and short training programs. Short training programs were determined based on proposals made by training providers (public and private training institutions, NGOs). This process could be initiated by companies, GIEs or training providers who refined the request of the beneficiaries and transformed it into a feasible and eligible training program for the Fund before submitting it in a joint request to the CAF (Funding Attributing Committee) for financing. As soon as the sub-project was accepted, the FAP-FTP would disburse the funding to allow the provider (NGOs, public or private institutions) to start the project and provide training and placement of young people according to the agreement and commitment of trainees signed by the applicant. The AF reinforced this component in terms of expanding the supply by: (i) the addition of a civil engineering component, aimed at upgrading infrastructure at four training institutions (four new extensions and several rehabilitations); and (ii) increasing the number of institutions receiving program contracts from 8 to 14 institutions. The extension of the activities under this sub- component aimed to increase the number of graduates of the project's beneficiary institutions from 5,161 to 9,411 graduates. Page 76 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Results achieved under Component 1 Sub-component 1.1 The 14 planned centers signed their PBCs known as “Projets d’etablissement”, but only 12 remained part of the program up to the end of the project. The School of Mines ceased to exist in 2016 (one year before the closing) because of the change in its status (being attached, by Decree, to a Military-run school). Before this change, this school had benefited from support under the project and had executed more than 80 percent of its PBCs, prior to its change in status. which enabled to train all of its trainers, equip itself with technical laboratories, execute the partnership frameworks with the École Polytechnique de Montréal and with the Ecole des Mines du Maroc and an engineering school in Côte d'Ivoire. The second institution, which has not gone beyond the signature phase, is the Nouadhibou Fisheries School, which also experienced a change in status being transformed into a military naval academy. This contract was suspended before execution of its “Project d’etablissement” commenced. Despite these changes (which were outside the Project’s control), the project achieved its goals from the implementation of the “Projets d’etablissement” as demonstrated by the significant increase in beneficiaries and other indicators (see table of indicators). In summary, the project exceeded the final target of 15,911 with 16,409 beneficiaries. Moreover, 8,367 young people graduated from 12 of the 14 institutions originally targeted for support under the project for a final target of 9,411 young people. If the other 2 schools had continued under the Project this 89 percent achievement rate would have been revised upwards to reach the target. We can also consider that the target is achieved if we count graduates of the School of Mines which executed 80 percent of it project under the Project and discount graduation forecast of the school of fisheries. Equipment acquisition under this sub-component was completed. This equipment significantly improved the quality of the training provided by increasing the turnover rate on the machines, and allowing trainees to have practical hands-on experience necessary for their qualifications. The project also provided the necessary training for trainers in order to maximize the use of the equipment. Performance-based contracts (PBCs) significantly strengthened the relationships between TVET institutions and the private sector through the training of professional workers in private companies who acted as apprenticeship tutors for trainees during their internships. Without adequate pedagogical training, these tutors would not have been able to mentor trainees. PBCs also improved the quality of training through the involvement of private sector professionals in program design and delivery. These professionals were hired as contractual individual trainers. In addition, PBCs allowed: (i) for the acquisition of light equipment and training tools that made learning easier (ii) trainers to benefit from the exchange of experiences through short-term training and visits to industrial units or agricultural plants, and (iii) follow-up with graduates. External assessment of PBCs demonstrated their importance to the TVET system and graduates testified to the positive impact of the project on increasing their prospects in the job market. Page 77 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Sub-component 1.2 Under this sub-component, the AF increased the number of beneficiaries from 4,780 to 6,500 young people. This objective was largely exceeded (129 percent) thanks to funding mobilized by the project, the role played by INAP-FTP in implementation, and strong support on the part of professional and employer federations for short-term trainings. Ultimately 8,042 youth benefited from short-term training programs distributed over approximately sixty occupations, with strong representation from women's NGOs and cooperatives (38 percent of beneficiaries). The insertion rate reached 71 percent largely surpassing the target of 64 percent. The mobilization of the institutional services of the Bank, the DPEF and the INAP-FTP made it possible to maintain appropriate and timely funding and dispersal: from the Bank to the DPEF, from the DPEF to the INAP-FTP and from INAP-FTP to training providers. The objective of Component 1 of the Original Project was consolidated by Component 4 of the AF through the extension and rehabilitation of four TVET institutions (three LFTPI and one CFPP), including one in Nouakchott and three in the interior of the country. The extension of TVET supply in remote areas of the country had a significant impact, benefiting young girls whose access to several TVET sectors was limited to those whose families lived in Nouakchott. The extension and rehabilitation of these institutions also enabled these institutions to offer more specialties to out- of-school youth and individuals from poor households. The realization of the process of drawing up plans, the environmental pre-study, CAD, contracting and execution of works was a challenge for this fund, which did not become effective until the end 2015. Through regular and rigorous monitoring on the part of DPEF and Bank missions, work was completed before the closure of the project. The extension of beneficiary institutions allowed for a 22 percent increase in capacity at two TVET institutions, and a doubling of capacity at two others. Construction significantly improved the learning environment and the safety of the facilities, enabling the signing of several financing agreements between TVET institutions and technical and financial partners such as the German Cooperation (GIZ), the EU and the International Bureau of Labor. Component 2: Improving the institutional environment for technical and vocational training Component 2 sought to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ministry in charge of TVET to enable more demand-driven TVET. This component had two complementary sub-components. The results achieved under this component are described below. In terms of institutional capacity building, the following activities were carried out: (i) an evaluation of the training needs of Ministry staff, (ii) an assessment of skills for all Ministry staff, including TVET trainers and the staff of the INAP-FTP; (iii) implementation of a human resources development plan fully supported by the project and executed in close collaboration and consultation with TVET organizations in Morocco (OFPPT) and Tunisia (CENAFIF). This broad Page 78 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) capacity-building program enabled the training of more than 500 staff. In addition, the legal framework of the TVET sector has been updated. A draft law and its implementing decrees were elaborated with the support of TA funded by the project. Consultation with various ministerial departments in support of this process was conducted to ensure adherence and avoid possible conflicts of interest. The Council of Ministers approved the draft law, which is under review by the National Assembly and pending adoption. A technical committee of the National Assembly has approved the bill and recommended its adoption. A vote is scheduled during the current session which ends in July 2018. The project supported this process through the provision of TA, the sharing and distribution of documents and translation services. Additional technical support was provided to support the Ministry in its demand-driven-oriented strategy, including the identification of a funding mechanism, the development of an oversight steering system and the implementation of tracer studies. The results of these surveys have been discussed in the Council of Ministers to guide the government actions regarding new training courses. In addition, the project funded seven assessment missions for TVET inspectors that contributed to strengthening the capacity of trainers and supervisors with regard to the technical and pedagogical management of the resources. To introduce the quality approach to the TVET sector, four training sessions were organized by an international expert on certification standards for the benefit of 80 higher level staff in the ministry, including the management of TVET institutions, inspectors and trainers whose courses were best suited for certification. INAP-FTP received technical and financial support to carry out its mission. All INAP-FTP managers received assistance for capacity building and international consultants were recruited to ensure quality assurance in curriculum development and training supervision for the human resources development plan. Component 3 - Ebola Prevention and Project Management In the context of the Ebola Virus (EBV) Prevention and project restructuring in March 2015, the Bank and the government proposed the inclusion of a new sub-component for the allocation of $ 0.7 million to the Ministry of Health. Thus, an action plan was proposed by the Department of Health and approved by the Bank. To facilitate implementation, support was divided into three parts (acquisition of specific kits entrusted to the WHO, carrying out training and sensitization entrusted to the Ministry of Health by convention and acquisition of light equipment for the hospital center of Nouakchott carried out by the DPEF). All programmed activities were completed and an implementation report was prepared by the Ministry of Health, which was responsible for management of sub-component. Results at the component level include: (i) the operationalization of epidemic management committees at all levels to improve coordination of activities; (ii) the strengthening of the technical capacity of health teams to more effectively manage the Ebola virus and reduce mortality and associated morbidity through several training seminars; (iii) the repositioning of Page 79 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) drugs and medical equipment to support a response prepared and adapted to reported cases of EVD; (iv) extensive poster production and dissemination to promote practical hygiene measures to reduce the risk of spreading diseases (Ebola, cholera and others); and (v) the establishment of favorable conditions for the collection and transport of blood samples. In addition, this component ensured: (a) the dissemination of case definitions of VTE at the national level, (b) implementation of training activities and the printing of guidelines; (c) the establishment of an isolation unit capable of handling possible cases of EBV; and (c) the initiation and operationalization of a rapid response team. In summary, the expected results of this component have been achieved. PROJECT MANAGEMENT The objective of this component was to ensure effective implementation of the project and appropriate financial management, procurement and monitoring and evaluation of the activities of the project activities. The project was implemented under a broad program (PNDSE) with five ministries charged with different components of the education sector and the mandate to elaborate and implement education policies and coordinate activities. The DPEF, under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, was responsible for coordinating the activities of the project and the execution of fiduciary aspects, including FM, account management, procurement, the preparation of reports and financial statements, support for and the facilitation of missions and TA, and M&E. The DPEF has its own offices, staff and operational budget jointly funded by donors and the government. It is well staffed with management experienced in the administration of projects funded by several donors, including in addition to the World Bank: AFD, , Islamic Development Bank, French Cooperation, Spanish Cooperation, Saudi Fund and Kuwait Fund, GPE, WFP and UNICEF. DPEF has a special procurement commission, procurement specialists and site monitoring engineers, as well as permanent experts in education, technical and vocational training, planning, financial management, M&E, environmental and social management and support staff. The Department of Administrative and Financial Management deals with the disbursement of resources from donors, financial and material accounting, the preparation of financial statements, and the coordination of audits of the accounts of each project by independent auditors. Financial management. This project, like all others managed by DPEF, has been regularly audited by independent auditors as stipulated in the Credit and Grant Agreements. The quality of the FM was considered satisfactory. Auditors have certified the accounts of the various Credit and Donation exercises. These auditors made some recommendations for improving internal controls which, in most cases, were implemented by the project satisfactorily. Page 80 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Disbursements. As of December 31, 2017, the overall disbursement rate was 100 percent for the original financing and 80 percent for the AF. The rate of the additional fund will be revised upwards after the liquidation of direct payments that have not yet appeared in the system. Procurement. DPEF prepared a draft procurement plan based on the annual action plan, which formed the basis for determining the Bank's procurement modalities and review thresholds. The finalized IDA-approved plan was recorded in the project database and made public through the Regulatory Authority, Beta.mr (DgMarket) and PMD's specialized procurement sites. The procurement plan was updated at least every six months (or as needed) to reflect project implementation needs and institutional capacity improvement. In addition to IDA's required pre- review, two ex-post reviews were conducted by the World Bank procurement services, and post audit audits were performed at least once a year by the Public Procurement Control Commission and the Bank’s regulatory authority. These reviews did not raise a breach of the legal procedures. M&E. DPEF is responsible for producing implementation reports for all education and training projects in Mauritania based on indicators provided by the different beneficiary sectors. These indicators and their degree of achievement were submitted for the annual program review and commented on by partners, beneficiaries and civil society strongly represented in the review through NGOs, teachers’ unions, private schools, and parents' associations. The monitoring of indicators for this project was entrusted to INAP-FTP which produced the table of indicators, in close consultation with the DFTP. Environmental and Social Aspects. The initial project was rated Category C and did not include any civil engineering or rehabilitation works. However, with the AF, the project was reclassified as Category B. Civil works did not require expropriation or restriction of access to goods or opportunities for living as the new constructions and rehabilitations of existing infrastructure were within the premises of existing TVET institutions. Despite this and for additional precaution, an environmental study was prepared, approved and validated by the competent services and NGOs according to the guidelines of OP/BP 4.12. In addition, the Ebola Support Implementation Agreement effectively incorporated the Ministry of Health's commitment to proceeding with the restructuring of biomedical disease with the provision of support for WHO protocols for the treatment of EBV. Social Aspects: A positive aspect of project implementation was an expected increase in the employment rate in the national economy. In this context, more than 38 percent of vocational training beneficiaries were women, and female graduates accounted for 36 percent of the workforce by contract training institutions. About 20 short-term training were organized in traditional Mauritanian society. OTHER ASPECTS OF PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION Overall, the project achieved its objectives in a timely manner while satisfying its beneficiaries. Strong performance is confirmed by several evaluations including: Page 81 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) • An assessment of short-term training program beneficiaries’ satisfaction by an independent consultant through focus groups discussions. This confirmed the quality of the training, transparency in the processing of requests, timely payment of trainers’ fees, quality of follow-up and assistance during training; • An evaluation of the impact of the grant on beneficiary institutions, administered through the questioning the trainers, directors, private operators and trainees. This survey confirmed the positive impact of the grant on the quality of training, support for continuing training and improved efficiency in resource mobilization on the part of institutions. Budgeted action plans and the importance of follow-up were implemented through this grant; and • An evaluation of programs financed by the project under INAP-FTP. International experts confirmed that the approach followed for the development of 16 training programs was aligned with the standards of the APC and that the process respected the PCA process. The expertise recognized the high quality of the work done in this regard. A documentary film produced in November 2017 gathered the opinions of trainers, trainees, business leaders and NGOs and professional federations who all confirmed the importance of the programs financed by the project and welcomed the contribution of the Bank to the PNDSE. Several success stories were presented in this film which was presented during the annual review of the PNDSE in the presence of the senior officials from the five ministerial departments, civil society, Regional Directors of Education and all development partners in the education sector. Tracer studies were conducted by INAP-FTP for all cohorts during project implementation. In so doing, capacity has been developed to support these activities in future. The results of the tracer studies were shared with TVET institutions as a way for the latter to adjust to increase the opportunities for their graduates. In addition, the project facilitated a decrease in the cost of training to US$715. This objective was achieved with a cost of training in 2016/2017 of US$653. This decline was observed in short-term training courses without having a negative impact on quality according to an independent assessment study. Strong commitment on the part of training institutions and beneficiaries led the CAF to grant funding varying from one profession to another depending on the costs related to inputs used for the training and trainers’ fees. The publication of the procurement plan and statements of interest created strong competition in the civil engineering market whose costs have recorded a drop in the project skills compared to former higher education project. Sustainability. Important changes initiated by the project in the TVET sector will help to ensure the sustainability of the project’s impact. The approval of a new legal and regulatory framework for the TVET sector, with a significant focus on the organization of private training, will encourage private investors in the sector. Curriculum development for all existing training programs and their implementation, as well as training of all trainers and the availability of trainer guides reduces the cost of new courses. A commitment from government to materially contribute 25 percent of project expenses for CAF-approved short training courses indicates willingness to Page 82 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) support the needs of the private sector and constitute an incentive for the private sector to participate in the financing of TVET training. The Employers Leadership and the Presidents of the Employers' Federations have confirmed this at several meetings and follow-up missions. Employers have advocated the direct allocation of an apprenticeship tax to fund the TVET sector, as it is the case in other countries in the sub-region. This approach has been detailed in the report on the TVET financing mechanism. TVET institutions have acquired significant experience in project design and implementation with new partners as a result of their experiences in bidding for CAF-funded short-term training and in implementing PBCs. This change in the management culture facilitated by the project was accompanied by other important efforts to encourage TVET institutions to engage with local firms and NGOs fighting poverty through training, the improved support to out-of-school youth, income generation activities, and awareness-raising. Continuing training, study trips and knowledge exchanges have significantly contributed to enhancing human resources, particularly among trainers some of whom expressed, during the M&E missions, that they have completely changed their working methods and had a new vision of their missions, are increasing contacts with local firms, ensuring the maintenance of their equipment, observing safety standards and contributing to the follow-up of the graduates. Some project approaches have been adopted by other development partners as part of their support to the PNDSE in general, and TVET in particular. In this context, the KFW (German Cooperation) has entrusted CAF with the allocation of support funds for short-term training and grants to TVET institutions through the same process established by the Skills Project. The KFW project has taken charge of the development of some TVET institutions through the same components of the skills which constitutes a complementarity and a continuity of the Project. This is also the case for AFD through its C2D3 and C2D4 financing, which support certain components for TVET institutions not covered by IDA or KFW. Despite these efforts, the TVET sector continues to encounter strong social demand primarily from out-of-school youth, and low-skilled public and private sector employees. To meet this demand outside of Nouakchott, there is only one training center in the capital of each region (wilaya) with no training provided throughout the rest of the region. In Nouakchott, there are four TVET institutions enrolling less than 2,000 students out of a population of approximately 2 million. The coverage rate in other regions of the country is very low. In general, TVET supply needs to be expanded through new the expansion of training space, program diversification, an increase in the number of trainers and support for improved governance. The high drop-out rate and poor qualifications among hundreds of thousands of young people persist. Addressing these challenges further must remain a priority for the economic and social development of the country, and to ensure stability and security. Further investments will need to be made to address these challenges. Page 83 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ANNEX 6. Activities and Achievements by Component The Mauritania Skills Development Support Project supported the country’s strategic agenda for the TVET sector as outlined in the PNDSE. The project targeted activities and expenditures not covered in ongoing programs and/or areas with additional needs where gaps were clearly identified to support the building blocks of the reform agenda. The components, and associated outcome indicators, to support this aim are listed below. 1. Component 1: Strengthening and diversifying TVET (original allocation US$13 million of which US$12 was allocated under IDA; Revised allocation during AF estimated AF cost of US$10.6 million). The goal of this component was in line with the PDO’s sub-objectives of “improving the quality and efficiency of training institutions”. To support the strengthening and diversifying of TVET in Mauritania, this component aimed to improving the quality, effectiveness and relevance of the training provided in eligible TVET institutions (sub-component 1.1) and to increase the provision of apprenticeship and short-term training programs (sub-component 1.2) to support skills development and improve productivity. This funding approach for technical and vocational training institutions was a new approach introduced by the project which aimed to: (i) empower TVET institutions to more efficiently and effectively manage resources, (ii) ensure the insertion of graduates from institutions, and (iii) consolidate relations between training institutions and the public and private sectors to more effectively determine the human resource needs of these sectors and improve the orientation of training towards labor market demand. The AF supported activities that intended to scale up the performance under this component and expand and modernize the TVET system. AF primarily supported the scaling up of PBCs and apprenticeship programs, and the rehabilitation and equipping of existing infrastructure. Progress toward achievement of this component was tracked by measuring the projects impact on the following intermediate-level indicators as specified in Table 1. By and large these intermediate-level indicators were achieved. Additional detail for each indicator can be found in Annex 1. A detailed description of achievements, outputs and outcomes by sub-component follows. Page 84 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Table 1: Component 1 Intermediate Results Indicators Original Revised Final Indicators Baseline level of Achievement Target Target(AF) Achievement Number of TVET institutions rehabilitated 0 0 6 6 Target Fully Achieved and equipped Increase in enrollment in participating Target Exceeded 0 38% 45% 47.20% TVET institutions (annually) (105%) Target Exceeded Female beneficiaries 15% 27.6% 27% 34.17% (126%) Training programs certified to meet 0 8 13 0 Target Not Achieved international standards Resources generated from services Target fully achieved provided by TVET institutions as part of 3 12 12 57,1 (100% recurrent budget Student/Teacher Ratio 19/1 12/2 12/3 12/4 Target fully (100%) TVET institutions with an agreed PBC 0 6 14 12 Target fully (100%) TVET institutions providing a detailed report on time with information on 0 6 14 1214 Target fully (100%) agreed performance indicators Student unit cost in apprenticeship and n/a 715 715 653 109% training programs Sub-component 1.1: Improving the quality, effectiveness and relevance of training provided in eligible TVET institutions The main purpose of this sub-component was to improve the quality and relevance of training through the provision of goods and technical assistance, and grants to project-supported TVET institutions. These institutions were required to develop an improvement plan known as “projet d’établissement” and to sign a Performance-Based Contract (PBC). The Original Project planned to support 6 of 18 existing TVET institutions selected on the basis of the relevance of their programs in relation to the country's economic needs. Eight institutions were finally selected. The School of Fisheries, initially selected, did not eventually sign into the program because it was deemed ineligible as its administration was transferred from the Ministry of Fisheries to the Ministry of Defense. The AF added six TVET institutions under the PBC program. In 2016, two TVET institutions supported by the project merged into one, and the School of Mines was closed15 and its assets were transferred to the newly created polytechnic school, jointly administered by the Ministry of 14 As described below, instead of 14 TVET institutions implementing the SPIA as initially planned 12 of them were finally kept on board. 15 L’école des Mines a profité de plusieurs appuis du Projet et exécuté plus de 80% de son projet ce qui lui a permis de former tous ses formateurs, se doter de laboratoires techniques, exécuter les cadres de partenariat avec l’Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal, l’Ecole des Mines du Maroc et une Ecole d’ingénieurs en Côte d’ivoire. Page 85 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Higher Education and the Ministry of Defense. As a consequence, 12 TVET institutions were supported by the project through PBCs (SPIA). These institutions prepared their 'projet d'établissement' to address pedagogical, training and governance needs and signed their respective SPIAs with the INAP-FTP and the DFTP. Table 2 presents the sub-grant allocations per eligible TVET institution. The AF added construction activities to extend accommodation capacity and modernize equipment. Goods and technical assistance to eligible TVET Institutions supported by the project. To assist TVET institutions to define the trajectory of their intended evolution, each institution was asked to prepare an overall mission objective. This mission objective defined the priorities and provided an overview of the "Projet d’établissement", including the: (i) overall objective; (ii) expected outcomes; (iii) results indicators; (iv) means of verification for identified indicators; and (v) contextual information for each TVET institution (i.e., location, national budget allocations, etc.) Each SPIA was reviewed by a committee composed of: (i) DFTP; (ii) INAP-FTP; and (iii) the Directorate for Private Training to assess its technical soundness. Table 2: Sub-grant allocation per eligible TVET institution under the Project PBCs amounts Share in the Institutions Location Execution Original Additional Center Project financing Budget LFTPI Nktt Nouakchott 90,060,000 40.96 90,060,000 CFPP Nouakchott Nouakchott 65,151,100 17.14 65,151,100 LFTPC Nouakchott 43,999,200 20.63 43,999,200 ENFVA Kaédi 115,800,000 24.48 115,800,000 LFTP Nouadhibou Nouadhibou 79,175,600 46.13 79,175,600 LFTP Boghé Boghé 94,432,000 122.40 94,432,000 LFTPP Néma Néma 36,870,420 12.25 36,870,420 CFPP Tidjikja Tidjikja 46,000,000 65.80 46,000,000 CFPP d'Aleg Aleg 21,483,000 25.93 19,764,360 CFPP de Kaédi Kaédi 54,037,200 112.02 54,037,200 CFPM d'Atar Atar 30,000,000 19.26 30,000,000 CFPPde Néma Néma 30,000,000 74.31 30,000,000 Total All 12 Center 452,539,320 254,469,200 705,289,880 Source : archives INAP-FTP/ DFTP (2017). Sub-grants for the Implementation of the SPIA. Twelve eligible TVET institutions received sub- grants through the Technical Vocational Training Fund (FAP-FTP) under INAP-FTP supervision to support implementation of their contract programs, procure equipment, fund technical assistance from INAP-FTP to review the curriculum to improve alignment with market need, set modern governance standards and practices, and fund training of trainers. The management of the SPIA sub-grant (called "subvention") was entrusted to INAP-FTP which structured the Page 86 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) procedure and ensured follow-up. INAP-FTP standardized the actions of the “subvention” in 11 areas: small tools and light equipment/workshops; training of trainers and supervisory staffs; updating program and technical assistance; promotion of institutions (communication); continuing education; school life; missions and student in-country mobility; elaboration of didactic materials and support; office equipment and work tools; internships in the workplace for learners, and monitoring and evaluation activities. The original project aimed to achieve the allocation of approximately 30 percent of TVET institutional budgets to facilitate the implementation of actions under the SPIA in conjunction with the upgrading of equipment and the learning environment. The DPEF16 delegated implementation of activities related to SPIAs and training programs to INAP-FTP. These activities were captured (amongst other aspects) in the subsidiary agreement signed by the two institutions, and outlined roles and responsibilities. Twelve SPIAs received a total amount of $US 20,051,29117 (table 2) during the lifetime of the project, of which $US 20,002,549, or 99,7 percent, was dispersed. The DFTP was in charge of reviewing the pedagogical framework and consistency of activities with the National TVET Policy, while the Directorate for Private Training verified appropriate links to private sector needs (based on employment data). Together, this was intended to ensure that: (i) the PBC was feasible, matched the skills needs of the private and public sector and was in line with the government's policy; and (ii) that participating TVET institution had the implementation capacity and infrastructure to carry out the "Projet d'établissement". If the review committee found that the PBC was satisfactory, it was formally submitted for funding consideration. Rehabilitation and moderate expansion of four training institutions. As described above, the AF supported the rehabilitation and moderate expansion of four TVET training institutions: one in Nouakchott and three in secondary cities (LFTPI in Néma, CFPP in Kaédi, LFTPI in Boghé LFTPI in Nouakchott). Rehabilitation and equipping of the four TVET institutions was part of a broader program of rehabilitation of TVET centers launched by the government to improve the learning environment for TVET. The AF covered four of the 18 TVET centers under the auspices of the MEFPTIC (22 percent), but other DPs – particularly AFD and GIZ – supported the program. This rehabilitation and moderate expansion can be summarized as follows: 2,600 m² LFTPI Nema, 4,000 m² LFTPI Nouakchott, 3,997 m² CFPP Kaedi and 3,200 m² LFTPI Boghé. Main Outputs under this Sub-component: • 12 High Technical School prepared strong market-driven SPIA focusing on quality and relevance with high level support from INAP-FTP and the DFTP; and • 13,797 m² of new accommodation capacity was added to the TVET System. 16 At the appraisal stage this Directorate (DPEF) was under the supervision of the Ministry of State for National Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOS-E). The DPEF handled fiduciary aspects of the project. 17 Rate used for the conversion: As of 01-Feb-2018, 1.00 United States Dollars = 35.26 Mauritanian Ouguiyas Page 87 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Sub-component 1.2: Increasing apprenticeship and short-term programs This sub-component aimed to increase apprenticeship and short-term training programs through the provision of goods, technical assistance and sub-grants for the preparation, implementation and the financing of the following activities: (i) the design and costing of apprenticeship or short- term training sub-projects; (ii) the appraisal and selection of proposals for apprenticeships or short-term training sub-projects; (iii) the provision of sub-grants for the financing of apprenticeships or short-term training sub-projects; and (iv) the monitoring and evaluation of the results of apprenticeships or short-term training sub-projects. Short-term training for out-of-school youth. Short-term training for youth was introduced to respond to the needs of local small private firms and cooperatives for qualified workers, and to respond to youth unemployment, particularly among youth who drop out of the education system. Short-term training was expected to diversify the supply of training by focusing on areas not covered by formal vocational training and at lower cost. Trainings were conducted between vocational training centers (50 percent of time) and firms or cooperatives, targeted out-of-school youth (ages 14-25) and covered a wide range of vocations such as construction, industry, fisheries, livestock farming, paramedical sector, tertiary trade, media, urban and rural crafts. Multiple rounds of sub-grants were provided to public, non-governmental, and private training providers to conduct training in partnership with prospective employers and cooperatives. For both initial and AF projects, the selection criteria were the same, based on the relevance of training provided, particularly relating to high demand sectors such as construction, agriculture, services and mining. The initial project created momentum that justified the scaling up of the pilot under the AF. At the beginning of the project, six MOUs were signed between the project and five professional national organizations plus Tasiast (an Australia-based international mining firm) to train 5,000 young people, surpassing the project’s target of 4,760, and reflecting high demand for this type of training. In fact, there were strong demand from enterprises to enroll an additional 5,000 youth, and the signed agreements cover only those proposals put forth by 5 out of the 9 employers' organizations in Mauritania, and are limited to Nouakchott. The AF aimed to scale up of apprenticeship programs from 4,780 to reach 6,500 beneficiaries. Main Outputs under this Sub-component: • The program approved funding to support 436 qualifying training courses benefitting 8,590 young people (of which 8,390 completed short-term training programs supported by the project); and • Among these training courses, 426 actions were implemented which benefited 8042 out- of-school youth throughout the national territory. Figure 1 below presents the number of training actions by sector as of November 2017. The ICR took the latest available figure (see section efficacy). Page 88 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Figure 1: Number of training actions by sector at national level 59 60 54 49 47 50 43 43 40 36 30 23 17 18 20 14 11 9 10 6 0 Sources: Report of the Project beneficiary satisfaction survey of the qualifying training program (December 2017); INAP/DPEF The mobilization of the Bank's services, the DPEF and INAP-FTP has kept a suitable rate of provision of funds: from Bank to DPEF, from DPEF to INAP-FTP and from INAP-FTP to training providers. TVET institutions provided follow-up that mainly concerned internships in training courses in private workshops, apprenticeships and holiday internships. However, follow-up with regard to graduates was entrusted to INAP-FTP which conducts periodic surveys on job placement. Two tracer surveys have been conducted to assess the project’s impact: one in 2015 that covered three cohorts (2012,13, 14) and another in 2016 for the 2015 cohort. INAP-FTP has also developed a successful conditional disbursement system that has been successful as follows: i.Approval by the CAF18 (Committee for funds allocation) of the Projet d’établissement, together with the estimated overall actions and budgets per action broken down by year; ii. A 30 percent advance was disbursed against submission and validation of the terms of reference of the planned activities and/or technical specification of equipment to purchase; iii. A second tranche of 50 percent was dispersed after submission of a mid-term report describing progress and the preliminary results; iv. The final 20 percent of funds were dispersed against submission and validation of a final report presenting the final outcomes. Approval of the final report was a condition for eligibility for funds in the following year presentation. In total, $US 2,112,720 of sub-grant was provided to 52 public and private sector 18 CAF is the Committee set up to decide the allocation of funds. It was composed in equal parts of representatives of the administration and employers from the private sector. Page 89 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) training providers (see List of providers of qualifying training under the Skills Development Project). The initial project allocated $US 1,690,000 and disbursed $US 1,683,107.84, and the AF provided $US 900,000.00 and disbursed $US 429,613.10. Achievement of Component 1 Intermediate indicators ➢ Number of TVET institutions rehabilitated and equipped. This indicator was fully achieved. The project supported the rehabilitation and moderate expansion of four training institutions (Kaédi, Néma, Boghé and Nouakchott) to improve the learning environment and increase accommodation capacity. The civil works have been completed with newly constructed operational buildings which include workshop rooms, classrooms, labs, offices, documentation centers, housing and latrines. Existing building within selected TVET institutions have also been rehabilitated. A significant increase in registration capacity was recorded with rates ranging from 22 to 100 percent at the four beneficiary institutions. This extension of supply to remote areas of the country has benefited young girls whose access to several channels of FTP had been limited to families living in Nouakchott. It has also made institutions capable of offering more specialties to out-of-school youth from poor backgrounds. The extension works carried out can be summarized as follows: LFTPI de LFTPI de Néma CFPP de Kaédi LFTPI de Boghé Nouakchott 3 200 m² 2 600 m² 3 997m² 4 000m² ➢ Increased enrollment in participating TVET institutions (annually). The enrollment rate at participating TVET institution increased by 47,2 percent (target of 45 percent) and the number of graduates reached 8,367 (89 percent of the target) at completion from 12 TVET institutions. The ICR considers that this indicator has been achieved. The supportive arguments are, as described above, that in 2016 the Nouadhibou School of Fisheries status was changed to that of a Military Naval Academy. As a consequence, the agreement with this institution was suspended before it commences implementation of project activities. Moreover, the School of Mines was closed in 2016 (one year before project closing), and its assets were transferred to a newly created polytechnic school, with joint oversight from the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Defense. Consequently, instead of 14 TVET institutions initially planned, 12 implemented the SPIA. The project would have reached the target if the fishery and mines institutes had continued under the project, as these students had been included in the target during the negotiation of the project.19 19 The mining school which executed under the Project 80% of its SPIA. Page 90 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Table 3: Impact of the PBCs on the Quality of TVET Institutions Capacité Taux de Capacité d’accueil Taux de réussite Taux Taux Nombre de d’accueil en Avant la réussite en Avant la d’insertion d’insertion Nombre de filière Avant 2017 subvention 2017 subvention 2016 2015 filière en 2017 la subvention LFTPC Nouakchott 640 365 89% 64% 64% 41% 7 6 CFPP Aleg 200 122 80% 63% 36% 72% 6 4 LFTP Boghé 513 375 79% 71% 47% 40% 5 3 cfpp Néma 500 200 90% 50% 50% 70% 8 4 LFTPP Néma 500 200 90% 60% 52% 45% 8 4 LFTPI Nouakchott 1400 883 91% 75% 57% 48% 9 9 CFPP Nouakchott 400 300 90% 73% 55% 80% 10 9 ENFVA Kaedi 200 40 99% 100% 46% 0% 4 2 CFPP Kaedi 300 100 75% 75% 72% 77% 6 3 LFTP Nouadhibou 850 564 91% 86% 39% 39% 23 9 CFPM Atar 700 560 80% 70% 16% 45% 24 19 CFPP Tidjikja 140 120 72% 65% 0% 0% 8 6 Total 6 343 3 829 86% 71% 44% 46% 118 78 % de variation 65,66% 15% 51,28% Source: Report of “Technical Assistance for the Impact Evaluation of the Grant on the Activities of the Technical Training Support Project”, November 2017. ➢ Training programs certified to meet international standards. None of the TVET institutions supported by the project adopted international standards for certification as planned in the PAD. This was perhaps too ambitious as International standards appear misaligned or are not compatible with the standards sought by the labor market. The project, however, organized four training sessions on international standards of certification for TVET management to raise awareness and prepare for the future, particularly as it applies to the prospect of the Gaz exploitation in approximately 2022. Furthermore, to introduce quality assurance in the TVET system, four training sessions were organized by international expertise for the benefit of 80 TVET officials including inspectors and directors of training institutions and trainers whose courses are best placed for certification preparation. ➢ Resources generated from services provided by TVET institutions as part of recurrent budget. This indicator target was largely met due to competition between TVET institutions for the awarding of project resources to support short-term training courses under the apprenticeships and short-term training program. Sustainability issues may arise if the apprenticeships and short-term training programs end, but it is expected that these programs will continue with support from development partners (BIT, GIZ, BM) in the medium term. ➢ Student/Teacher Ratio. This indicator has been fully achieved. Page 91 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ➢ TVET institutions provided detailed and timely reports with information on agreed performance indicators. The indicator has been achieved successfully. All TVET institutions supported by the project provided timely and detailed reports on their performance to the INAP- FTP, which monitors the program. ➢ Student unit cost in apprenticeship and training programs. This indicator has been achieved and the target was exceeded. The average unit cost per training for skills training (long term training) implemented by the project was US$653, a larger reduction than the US$715 targeted. However, the baseline for this indicator was not reliable (only tentative), and as a consequence assessed progress may not be accurate. Figure 2: Breakdown of Beneficiaries by Sector 1850 783 820 674 744 718 533 600 569 260 183 116 92 101 Sources: INAP-FTP: Report of the Tracer Survey (2012-2015), ESUFOQ, July 2017 Non-project targeted indicator achieved: While not listed as an indicator in the results framework, the number of TVET teachers, management authorities and technical staffs trained in needed specialized areas is a useful output for which to assess quality. The project supported training for TVET teachers, management authorities and technical staff in Mauritania. They have benefited from training sessions in Morocco and Tunisia in diverse specialties (agriculture (15); Construction (55); Mechanics (127); services (79); Electrical (65); technical education (41); IT (18)) among others. Component 2: Improving the institutional environment for Technical and Vocational Education Training (original project US$4.6 million, estimated AF cost of US$ 0.7) Component 2 supported the government’s TVET strategy to adapt the training system to the specific qualitative and quantitative needs of productive sectors, and to create a more demand- Page 92 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) driven TVET system through the by enhancement of capacity at MDEFPNT (sub-component 2.1) and strengthening of capacity at the National Institute for the Promotion of Vocational and Technical Training (INAP-FTP)20. The goal of this component was in line with the PDO’s sub- objective to create an enabling environment for a more market-driven TVET System. The AF proposed to scale up the training program by increasing targeted beneficiaries to 6,500 youth (an additional 1,720 individuals). The estimated cost to enroll additional youth was approximately US$1.4 (calculated on the basis of a unit cost of approximately US$ 715 per trainee plus INAP- FTP administrative costs) for short-term training programs. Progress toward the achievement of these objectives was tracked by measuring the project’s impact on the following intermediate- level indicators as specified in the table below. By and large these intermediate-level indicators were achieved. More detail for each indicator can be found in Annex 1. A detailed description of achievements, outputs and outcomes by sub-component follows. Table 1: Component 2 Intermediate-Level Indicators Original Revised Final Level of Indicators Baseline Target Target(AF) Achievement Achievement Number of TVET Target institutions conducting 0 6 12 26 exceeded tracer studies (216%) MDEFPNT produces an Target fully annual statistical yearbook No Yes Yes Yes achieved with updated information (100%) on key TVET indicators Share of government Target fully contribution to FAP-FTP’s 0 25% 25% 25% achieved budget (%) (100%) Share of students enrolled Target fully in new private TVET 0 25% 25% 25% achieved training providers (100%) 20 INAP-FTP is established by and operating in accordance with the Recipient's Decree No. 053/02 of 16 June 2002 dated June 16, 2002. It is a public institution of Administrative character. It is a consulting firm and decision support missions having to work to match demand and the training offer. Page 93 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Sub-component 2.1: Enhancing the capacity of the Ministry of Technical and Vocational Training (MDEFPNT) to create a more demand-driven TVET system This sub-component was intended to support activities that aimed to improve the system by assisting the MDEFPNT through: (i) updating the TVET regulatory framework; (ii) defining the strategic vision for the TVET sector and building capacity for strategic planning and budgeting; (iii) monitoring and evaluating the performances of the TVET sector; (iv) designing a plan to develop human resources and teacher training; (v) implementing a communications strategy to increase demand for TVET; and (vi) conducting a survey to identify bottlenecks inhibiting the participation of women in training and the labor market. Eligible activities financed under this sub-component included technical assistance, training, study tours and equipment. The following capacity-building activities were carried out during the project’s lifetime: (i) a training needs assessment of TVET institutions (based on the training needs and HRD plan, several training programs were completed); (ii) TA to support the updating of the legal framework for skills development; (iii) the development of an Human Resource Development Plan to support capacity development within the Ministry of Vocational Training to enable a more demand-driven TVET system and capacity strengthening of the TVET system; and (iv) training of staff of INAP-FTP and MDEFPNT, most of whom benefited from study tours in Morocco, Tunisia, and Senegal. Main Outputs under this sub-component: - 500 instructors, teacher, administrators and managerial staff completed TVET training programs in 40 specialties. Trainees from centers have benefited from training sessions in Morocco and Tunisia in diverse specialties as highlighted in table 5 below. Table 5: Numbers of staff trained in each training area Number of Area of training Staffs and HR Agriculture 15 Construction 55 Mechanics 127 Services 79 Electrical 65 Technical education 41 IT 18 - An update to the legal and procedural framework for skills development has been developed: a draft law and implementing decrees were drafted and approved by the Page 94 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Council of Ministers for submission to the National Assembly. It is currently under review by the National Assembly and pending adoption; - Seven trainee assessment missions were conducted by CTF inspectors with the support of the project which helped to strengthen the capacity of trainers and supervisors in technical and pedagogical management of resources allocated to them; - A number of consultancy/TA activities are in the process of being implemented, including: the development of a regulatory framework for the certification of competencies; and the development of a communications strategy; - 28 specialized programs were renovated; - The provision of new specialized training programs increased by 51,28 percent in line with labor market demand; - 52 training providers from both the public and private sectors supported the implementation and supervision of the process (see in annex list of providers of qualifying training under the Skills Development Project). Sub-component 2.2. Strengthening the capacity of the National Institute for the Promotion of Vocational and Technical Training (INAP-FTP) to support the TVET system Under the Original Project, this sub-component supported: capacity development for the INAPFTP to support the TVET system, including M&E of contract programs; the development of a normative framework for the certification of skills; and the development of short-term training programs for TVET teachers. This sub-component remined unchanged. To achieve its aims, supported activities focused largely on: (i) supervision of the expansion and diversification of FAP- FTP’s mandate; (ii) M&E of SPIAs; (iii) the elaboration of modular and competency-based curriculum content for TVET institutions and associated pedagogical support; (iv) the elaboration of a normative framework for the certification of skills; (v) the design of teacher training for short- term programs; (vi) strengthening of the M&E system and financial management capacity for INAP-FTP; and (vii) the provision of technical assistance to TVET institutions to carry out employment tracer studies of graduates. The project financed technical assistance, training and equipment. Main Outputs under this Sub-component: The INAP-FTP’s capacity has been reinforced as planned to monitor PBCs with TVET institutions, to conduct tracer studies and to develop competencies-based curriculum content and pedagogical support for TVET institutions. INAP-FTP received technical and financial support to more effectively carry out its mandate and the project mobilized technical assistance to support the smooth running of its mission. All INAP-FTP staff and senior executives received capacity building assistance and an international consultant was mobilized in the framework of program development and training supervision of the Human Resources Development Plan. The budget for INAP-FTP increased significantly from 40 to 120 million Ouguiya (MRO). Page 95 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Implementation of training was closely monitored by INAP-FTP, which conducts three (3) supervision missions per year. The first mission, conducted at the beginning of the program, took stock of the initial conditions and readiness for implementation; a second, mid-term supervision mission is conducted during implementation to take stock of progress and support for implementation; and a final supervision mission is conducted at the end of the implementation period to assess progress and the preliminary outcomes. INAP-FTP has monitored the insertion of graduates in the labor market through tracer studies. Under the supervision of INAP-FTP and the leadership of TVET Ministry (DFTP), a number of high- level studies have been undertaken to assess the progress, impact and sustainability of the project, including: - A study on the insertion of TVET graduates for 2012, 2013 & 2014 promotions (study conducted between July and September 2015); - A study on the insertion of TVET graduates for 2015 promotion (study carried out between September-December 2016); - The evaluation of the satisfaction of the beneficiaries of a qualifying training program (2017) - An impact evaluation of the grant (SPIA) on the activities of the Technical Training Support project; - A study monitoring the insertion of beneficiaries of qualifying training courses from 2012 to 2015 (study conducted between January and April 2016); - A study on the insertion of graduates of the TVET for the promotion 2016 (study carried out between September-December 2017); DPEF conducted another flagship study on funding mechanisms for vocational and technical training entitled: "Identification of a financing mechanism for technical and vocational training". Page 96 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Table 5: Situation of activities by area of evaluation; Tracer Survey (2012-2015) waiting for first Other inactive Labor market Unemployed unemployed unemployed unemployed Area of the Integrated inactive in Inactive training training worked Total Job Hodh Chargui 54,3% 1,4% 5,7% 7,1% 21,4% 17,1% 38,6% 100% Hodh El Gharbi 68,6% 0,0% 8,0% 8,0% 12,8% 10,6% 23,4% 100% Assaba 94,7% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 5,3% 5,3% 100% Gorgol 88,6% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 7,6% 3,8% 11,4% 100% Brakna 63,8% 2,7% 16,4% 19,1% 10,9% 6,1% 17,0% 100% Trarza 72,0% 0,0% 7,7% 7,7% 15,7% 4,6% 20,3% 100% Adrar 31,9% 8,5% 3,1% 11,7% 39,0% 17,5% 56,5% 100% Dakhlett 65,6% 2,4% 10,3% 12,6% 19,4% 2,4% 21,7% 100% Nouadhibou Tagant 96,4% 1,0% 1,0% 2,1% 1,0% ,5% 1,6% 100% Guidimagha 95,4% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 2,3% 2,3% 4,6% 100% Inchiri 45,5% 4,5% 9,1% 13,6% 9,1% 31,8% 40,9% 100% Nouakchott 80,9% 4,0% 7,9% 11,9% 3,6% 3,6% 7,2% 100% Total 76,1% 3,2% 7,5% 10,7% 8,2% 5,1% 13,3% 100% An assessment of the activities carried out by INAP-FTP during the implementation phase of the project shows the impact that the project has had on the capacity building of INAP-FTP. These activities go beyond those envisaged by the project and include those of other partners who are asking INAP to develop similar approaches to those used by the Skills Development Project. Page 97 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Table 6: Review of activities carried out by INAP-FTP within the lifetime of the Skills Development Projects comments and Projects Achievement Report additional information Projet d’Appui Le Projet d’Appui à la Formation Technique et à la Formation Professionnelle, financement Etat et Banque mondiale, Technique et est destiné au renforcement des capacités de 13 Professionnelle établissements de FTP, le projet est programmé sur la (2011-2017) période 2011/2017. Le bilan des réalisations porte sur : L’INAP-FTP a signé avec -Acquisition de plusieurs lots d’équipements la DPEF une Convention destinés aux établissements bénéficiaires du de délégation de projet, maitrise d’ouvrage pour - Mobilisation de subventions annuelles d’appui la mise en œuvre des aux 13 établissements bénéficiaires ; composantes - Elaboration de nouveaux programmes de subventions aux formation ; établissements et - Financement de plus de 440 actions de formations qualifiantes formation qualifiantes au profit de 8040 bénéficiaires ; - La mise en œuvre d’un plan de formation au profit de 400 formateurs et personnels d’encadrement - Réalisation d’une étude pour la mise en place d'un système de pilotage et de suivi de la FTP ; l’acquisition des équipements pour l’installation du système est en cours - L’organisation de missions conjointes avec la direction de la formation et l’inspection générale pour le suivi et l’assistance aux établissements de formation ; - La participation avec la direction de la formation et l’inspection générale à un audit qualité pour tous les établissements de formation sous tutelle du Ministère. Projet Démarrage en 2010 le projet a permis à ce jour : En 2016 et 2017, aucune d’Equipement - La production de 86.872 Tables Bancs. production faute de des mobilisation de Etablissements ressources Scolaires en tables bancs (2010-2016) Appui AFD Appui financé dans le cadre du C2D3, destiné au C2D3 renforcement des capacités en formation de 05 Convention avec la DPEF établissements. Le bilan se présente come suit : pour une assistance Page 98 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) (2014- à nos technique aux jours) - Elaboration des projets d’établissement : établissements définition des besoins en équipements, en bénéficiaires formation des formateurs et personnels, en assistance technique ; - L’acquisition de lots d’équipements - Réalisation de la formation des formateurs Appui AFD - Assistance technique au LFTP NDB et CFPP de Signature de la C2DIV Kaédi dans le cadre du C2DIV : élaboration Convention de (signature des TDRs des études sur les besoins en financement prévue en convention qualifications des secteurs des pêches à 2018 prévue 2018) Nouadhibou et de l’eau à Kaédi Projet - Elaboration de 9 programmes de formation Convention avec le BIT Entretien dans le domaine de l'entretien routier et des routier BIT BTP (partenariat avec BIT, projet chantier (prestations de école courtes durées) PA-FTP/KFW Mise en œuvre du programme d’appui à 05 -Convention avec la (2014-en établissements de formation financé par le DFTP et la DPEF pour la cours) Gouvernement et la KFW (coopération financière mise en œuvre des allemande) : composantes relatives - Elaboration des projets d’établissement aux primes de - Réalisation du bilan de compétence des performance et les formateurs et des personnels d’encadrement formations qualifiante des établissements bénéficiaires ; -Convention avec la - 05 subventions d’appui aux projets DFTP pour l’élaboration d’établissement mobilisées du Bilan de - 35 projets de formation qualifiante au profit Compétences de 880 jeunes en cours d’exécution ; - Elaboration de 04 programmes de formation en cours de validation avec l’INAP-FTP ; Projet PAFEJ - Elaboration des TDRs de l’étude sectorielle (Projet d’Appui sur les besoins en qualifications du secteur du à la Formation BTP, de l’étude sur le suivi de l’insertion des et l’Emploi des sortants de la FTP, le diagnostic du FAP-FTP jeunes) et le dispositif innovant de formation des (2014- en formateurs. cours) Projet PRAPS - Identification des besoins en formation au Convention cadre avec (Projet niveau de 30 localités réparties sur sept le PRAPS pour la mise Régional wilayas en œuvre des d’Appui au formations qualifiantes Pastoralisme au profit des pasteurs et au Sahel) des agropasteurs Page 99 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) (2016- en cours) Box 1: The Tricycle program - Programme des Tricycles The “Programme des Tricycles”, a join partnership between China and Mauritania, contributed significantly to the achievement of the project's objectives. As part of a project to modernize urban transport, TADAMOUN Agency, has provided the National Agency for the Promotion of Youth Employment (ANAPEJ) a batch of 1,215 tricycles cars. ANAPEJ subsequently issued a call for applications to young jobseekers for the award of these tricycles in the form of refundable credit, supported by a network of credit and savings banks (PROCAPEC). In this context, the project supported INAP-FTP to train 1,224 young people as Tricycle Drivers. These young people were then accompanied by ANAPEJ and PROCAPEC to obtain a Tricycle and commence economic activity. Each tricycle is managed by a GIE of four youth, and has contributed to the creation of approximately 4,000 direct and indirect jobs for out-of-school youth. (a) Achievement of Component 2 Intermediate indicators Four intermediate indicators were selected to measure the achievement of this component following the 2014 AF. The results are follows: ➢ Number of TVET institutions conducting tracer studies. This indicator has been successfully achieved. The out-of-school survey targeted 26 TVET institutions, including all institutions supported by the SPIA under the Skills Development Project. Two tracer studies were carried out during the lifetime of the project covering beneficiaries from 2012 to 2016. ➢ MDEFPNT produces an annual statistical yearbook with updated information on key TVET indicators. This indicator has been successfully achieved. The statistical yearbook is published in electronic format. However, the yearbook does not currently include training programs and staff outside the Ministry of Vocational Training (other ministries and private), which would give a broader picture of the TVET system in Mauritania. ➢ Share of government contribution to FAP-FTP’s budget (%). This indicator has been successfully achieved. Government funds of US$ 1.6 Million, equivalent to 25 percent of FAP- FTP’s budget, is paid quarterly. Moreover, the government has decided to maintain this allocation in the budget of INAP-FTP to continue support for the reform. It must be emphasized, however, that these funds are still insufficient to meet demand for on-going training. A study was conducted to inform a strategy for ensuring the sustainability of funding for the TVET sub- Page 100 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) sector.21 Possible solutions include that the state pay the entire apprenticeship tax to the sector, a practice adopted by several countries in the sub-region such as Morocco and Senegal. The government is studying how to implement the report’s recommendations. The main conclusions of the study is presented in diagram below. ➢ Share of students enrolled in new private TVET training providers. This indicator has been successfully achieved. Directorate of Training in collaboration with INAP-FTP provided this figures from the private training service. 21 Identification of a financing mechanism for technical and vocational training, conducted in 2017 by the Cabinet CID under the supervision of the DPEF. “Rapport Diagnostic : Identification d’un mécanisme de financement de la formation technique et professionnelle (FTP) » Page 101 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Page 102 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) 1.1. Component 3: Prevention of the Ebola Epidemic (Estimated Cost of US$0.70 M) Context for the inclusion of this component. In the context of activities undertaken through the Ebola Virus Prevention and Project Restructuring in April 2015, the Bank and the government proposed the inclusion of a new sub-component for the allocation of US$ 0.7 million to the Ministry of Health. A Level 2 restructuring was approved in March 2015 to introduce this component and three intermediate indicators were added to the Results Framework to monitor progress under Component 3: (1) Percentage of health facilities that have case definition/guidelines for Ebola; (2) Presence of an isolation unit for Ebola case investigation and management; and (3) Establishment of a functioning rapid-response team. Objectives: (i) Dissemination of case-definition of Ebola Virus Disease (EBV) nationwide (including training and guidelines); (ii) setting up an isolation unit that can deal with eventual EBV cases; and (iii) setting up, and making operational, a rapid-response team. Progress toward achievement of these objectives was tracked by measuring the projects impact on the following intermediate-level indicators as specified in Table 9 which shows baseline, target, and achievement. All intermediate-level indicators were achieved. Details for each indicator can be found in Annex 1. A detailed description of achievements, outputs and outcomes by sub- component follows. Table 7 : Component 3 Intermediate-Level Indicators Original Target Final Baselin level of Indicators (1strestructuring, as Achievement (as e Achievement of March 2015) of 31 Dec 2017) Establishment of a functioning rapid- Target exceeded No Yes Yes response team (Ebola (216%) prevention) Presence of an isolation unit for Ebola case Target fully No Yes Yes investigation and achieved (100%) management Percentage of Health facilities that have case Target fully 0 95% 100% definition/guidelines for achieved (105%) Ebola Activities. All programmed activities have been completed and an implementation report has been prepared by the Ministry of Health, which managed this sub-component. An action plan has been proposed by the Department of Health and approved by the Bank. To facilitate implementation, support was divided into three parts (acquisition of specific kits entrusted to the WHO, carrying out training and sensitization entrusted to the Ministry of Health by convention and acquisition of light equipment for the hospital center Nouakchott carried out by Page 103 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) the DPEF). The Ministry of Health (MOH) nominated a coordinator for this component. There was also a signed Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for technical assistance in devising Guidelines on Ebola for dissemination and application at decentralized levels. Main Outputs under this Sub-component. All targeted Intermediate-level indicators under this component have been fully achieved and were exceeded in one case by 5 percent (Percentage of Health facilities that have case definition/guidelines for Ebola). These achievements resulted, inter alia, in: (i) the operationalization of epidemic management committees at all levels for the improved coordination of activities; (ii) the strengthening of the technical capacity through several training seminars of health teams to effectively respond to the management of the Ebola virus and to reduce mortality and morbidity; (iii) the repositioning of quantities of drugs and medical equipment for the organization of a response prepared and adapted to the reported cases of EVD; (iv) extensive poster production and distribution for the promotion of practical hygiene measures to reduce risk of spreading diseases (Ebola, cholera and others); and (v) the establishment of favorable conditions for the collection and transport of blood samples. In addition, implementation of this component ensured: (a) dissemination of case definitions of EBV at the national level, (b) the conduct of training activities and the printing of guidelines; (c) the establishment of an isolation unit that can handle possible cases of EBV; and (c) the setting up and maintenance of a rapid response team. Based on all the above, the efficacy is rated substantial both for the original project and the AF. Page 104 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ANNEX 7. TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN MAURITANIA Table 1 : Mapping of main youth employment programs in Mauritania22 ANNUAL MINISTERE NO. PROGRAM REGIONS BUDGET* PARTNERS TYPE** (USD M) CAPEC, PATRONA, Supply-Side/Entrep. 1 Auto-emploi (ANAPEJ) Urban 0.6 Direction de (micro) MINISTERE DE L'EMPLOI Développement des placement, CDD, 2 Urban 0.3 Supply-side/Skills - EMPLOI compétences (ANAPEJ) Ministère de Placement et orientation l’agriculture, AFD. 3 Urban 0.5 Supply-side/Job search des demandeurs d’emploi . Certification 4 National 0.6 Supply-side/VT professionnelle Nouakchott, Appui aux sortants des Ambassade 5 Atar, Kaedi, 0.3 Supply-side/VT mahadras americaine Aleg Programme d'Appui à la Union européen, 6 Formation par Urban 0.3 Supply-side/VT AFD Apprentissage (PAFPA) Projet d’Appui à la Union européen, Institutional (Policy/VT 7 Formation et l’Emploi des Urban 0.6 BIT, BAD, CDD. capacity-building) Jeunes (PAFEJ) MINISTERE DE L'EMPLOI Nouakchott, - FORMATION Projet d’Appui à la Bogué, Néma, PROFESSIONELLE 8 Formation Technique 3.5 IDA Supply-Side/VT Kaédi, Tijikja, Professionnelle (PA-FTP) Atar Projet d’Appui à la l’Agence Française Formation 9 Urban 0.6 de Développement Supply-Side/VT Professionnelle AFD (AFD) (C2D3) Coopération financière germano-mauritanienne 10 dans le secteur de la Urban 2.7 Allemagne Supply-Side/VT Formation Technique et Professionnelle MEF (Ministère de L’économie et de CAISSE DES DEPOTS ET Fonds de Soutien à Finance), MIDEC Demand+Supply- 11 National 3.8 DE DEVELOPPEMENT l’emploi (FSE) (Ministère de Side/Enterprise (SME) l’Intérieur et de la décentralisation) MINISTERE DE LA Caravane sur Supply-Side/Entrep. 12 National 1.0 JEUNESSE ET DES l'Entrepreneuriat (micro) SPORTS 13 Stage de Premier Emploi Urban 0.3 Supply-Side/Wage sub. Programme national MINISTERE DE intégré d'appui à la National (100 Banque mondiale, L'ECONOMIE ET DES 14 décentralisation, au 11.7 Other (local services) communes) Union européen FINANCES développement local et à l'Emploi (PNIDDLE) TOTAL 26.7 Source: World Bank staff; Centre Mauritanien d’Analyses des Politiques. Notes: *Estimated annual expenditure for 2013-2015. **Types include institutional (policy/capacity); Demand-side (Growth/Entreprise/entrepreneurship development (SME)/direct employment); and Supply-side [Entrepreneurship (micro)/Job search/Skills/VT]. 22 The sources of this table is below but the ICR team took it from the Mauritania transforming the jobs trajectory for youth Policy Note (2017). Page 105 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Table 2: List of providers of qualifying training under the Skills Development Project Trainers Area of intervention Status BEFCA-Boghé Agropastoral Private BFE Agropastoral Private BFPM Tertiaire métiers de bureau Private BFSA Agropastoral Private Boulangérie Principe Boulangerie Private Centre de Nouvelles Techniques Agricoles de Rosso (CNTA) Agropastoral Private Centre d'Education et de Formation informatique Tertiaire métiers de bureau Private CFIP- ONG Caritatas BTP, artisanat et automobile Private CFP Mokhtar Daddah BTP, artisanat et automobile Private Coopérative EL Kheir,Henné Adrar agricole et artisanat Private DTA Hotellerie Tourisme et Restauration Private Ets Yacine Coiffure coifure et esthétique Private FMTA Metiers de l'automobile Private I NAJAH Tertiaire métiers de bureau Private IEPI BTP automobile métiers de bureau Private IFMI Tertiaire audio visuel Private IMA Tertiaire métiers de bureau Private Institut Cheikh EL Hadi Artisanat et agriculture Private Institut Technique Miftah BTP Private Interlink Tertiaire Private Intitut des techniques Audiovisuelles (ITA) Audio visuel Private Maison des sourds Artisanat Private MATIS Tissage Private NASR Artisanat Private ONG AFEDLCP agricole Private ONG CAMM Artisanat et l'agropastoral Private ONG GLOBE Agropastoral Private ONG MAQAM Artisanat Private ONG Terre vivante Artisanat et agriculture Private ONG Tewvik we Tessir Artisanat Private Univ. Sup Management Tertiaire métiers de bureau Private CASAMPAC Pêche Public Centre de Formation de la Direction des transports terrestres Transport terrestre Public CFPF de NKTT BTP, artisanat et automobile Public CFPM Atar BTP agricole Public CFPP Aioun BTP, artisanat et automobile Public CFPP Aleg BTP, artisanat et automobile Public CFPP de Nktt BTP, artisanat et automobile Public Page 106 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) CFPP KAEDI BTP, artisanat et automobile Public CFPP KIFFA BTP, artisanat et automobile Public CFPP Rosso BTP, artisanat et automobile Public CFPP Sélibaby BTP, artisanat et automobile Public CFPP Tidjikja BTP, artisanat et automobile Public CFPP-Aioun BTP, artisanat et automobile Public CFPP-Nouakchott BTP, artisanat et automobile Public CQFMP/Nouakchott Peche Public LFTP Boghé Agrpopastorale et artisanat Public LFTP NDB Pêche Industrie et BTP Public LFTPC de Nouakchott Tertiaire métiers de bureau Public LFTPI-Nouakchott Industrie BTP et metier de l'automibile Public LFTPP-Néma Agropastoral BTP Public LFTPP-d'Atar Agropastoral BTP Public Page 107 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) ANNEX 8. Supporting Documents INAP- FTP, Report of the Study on the insertion of TVET graduates for 2012, 2013 & 2014 promotions (study conducted between July and September 2015). INAP- FTP, Report of the Study on the insertion of TVET graduates for 2015 promotion (study carried out between September-December 2016). INAP- FTP, Report of the Evaluation of the satisfaction of the beneficiaries of a qualifying training program (2017). INAP- FTP, Report of the Impact Evaluation of the grant (SPIA) on the activities of the Technical Training Support project. INAP- FTP, Report of the Study on monitoring the insertion of beneficiaries of qualifying training courses from 2012 to 2015 (study conducted between January and April 2016). INAP- FTP, Report of the Study on the insertion of the graduates of the TVET for the promotion 2016 (study carried out between September-December 2017). Mauritania Country Assistance Strategy (2014-2016), September 5, 2013. Mauritania - Systematic Country Diagnostics, June 2017. PAD of the Mauritania Skills development Project, 2011. Completion and Learning Review (CLR) of the Country Partnership Strategy FY2014-2016. République Islamique de Mauritanie; Projet de loi relatif à la formation technique et professionnelle D.G.L.T.E.J.O ; Draft du 28 décembre 2016. Mauritania, Transforming the Jobs Trajectory for Youth, Policy Note. Draft not for circulation, June 24, 2017. Mauritania Jobs Platform - WB Mapping, 2017. Rapport final CID : DP N° 153/DPEF/17 Assistance technique pour l’évaluation d’impact du projet d’appui à la formation technique et professionnelle, Rapport final/212/2017 . Ministère Délégué auprès du Ministère d’Etat à l’Education Nationale chargé de l’Emploi, de la formation professionnelle et des technologies nouvelles, projet de convention de financement Page 108 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) et de mise en œuvre du projet d’établissement du lycée de formation technique et professionnelle industrielle (LFTPI) de Nouakchott, 2011. Rapport d’audit externe du projet d’appui à la formation technique et professionnelle (Crédit 4921 et Don H-9650 – Financement Additionnel); 2016, 2015, 2014. Rapports de suivi financier projet d’appui a la formation technique et professionnelle (2011- 2017). Direction des projet éducation - formation (DPEF) ; plan de passation des marches (PPM) ; Projet PA-FTP (fond initial -IDA 4921 et additionnel-IDA H9650) 2015 & 2017. Films documentaires sur le projet PA-FTP (cf. lien sur le OneDrive). Guidelines for Reviewing World Bank Implementation Completion and Results Reports; A Manual for Evaluators, Last updated: August 1, 2014. School Program Implementation Agreement – SPIA convention de mise en œuvre de la subvention du projet d'établissement, 2011. Direction des projets éducation et formation (DPEF), rapport d’achèvement du projet d’appui à la formation technique et professionnelle (crédit 4921 et don h-9650 – financement additionnel). Carte prévisionnelle des CFPPs 2016 -2017. Evolution des effectifs des formés 2008-2017. Stratégie nationale de développement de la formation technique et professionnelle 2010/2020, (SNDFTP), ministère de l’emploi, de la formation professionnelle et des nouvelles technologies. Ministère des affaires économiques et du développement ; Profil de la pauvreté en Mauritanie – 2014, Aout 2015 Profil de Pauvreté de la Mauritanie - 2014 Page 2 / 158. Institut National de Promotion de la Formation Technique et Professionnelle ; Note de présentation et bilan d’activités ; Décembre 2017. Note synthèse sur l’ouverture de l’année de formation 2017-2018 ; ministère de l’emploi, de la formation professionnelle et des technologies de l'information et de la communication. Page 109 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Résultats des examens de sortie 2017. Implementation completion and results report: Guidelines OPCS, August 2006 Last updated. Financing Agreement of the Mauritania Skills Development Support Project, June 13, 2011. Financing Agreement of the Mauritania Skills Development Support Project Additional financing, October 1st, 2014. Project paper of the Mauritania Skills Development Support Project Additional financing, April 7, 2014. Mauritania Skills Development Support Project ISRs (2011, 2012,2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017). Mauritania Skills Development Support Project Aide-mémoires MTR (March 2015). Mauritania Skills Development Support Project Aide-mémoires (July 2017 and December 2017). Implementation Completion and Results Report of India: Technical Engineering Educational Quality Improvement II (P102549) September 28, 2017. Implementation Completion and Results Report of Rwanda Skills Development Project, November 28, 2016. Implementation Completion and Results Report of UG Science and Technology Support (P125288); March 29, 2018. Implementation Completion and Results Report of Pakistan: Tertiary Education Support Project (P118779); December 29, 2017. Implementation Completion and Results Report of Liberia Youth, Employment, Skills Project; December 14, 2016. Implementation Completion and Results Report of Croatia EU Natura 2000 Integration Project (P111205); October 27, 2017. Implementation Completion and Results Report of Lagos Eko Secondary Education Project; February 28, 2017. Implementation Completion and Results Report of Senegal Education for All-Fast Track Initiative Catalytic Fund; July 29, 2015. Page 110 of 111 The World Bank Skills Development Support Project ( P118974 ) Implementation Completion and Results Report of Technical and Vocational Education Project; March 31, 2016. Page 111 of 111