Skill Development and Regional Mobility: Lessons from the Australia-Pacific Technical College

Development Policy Centre Discussion Paper No. 34

38 Pages Posted: 23 May 2014

See all articles by Michael A. Clemens

Michael A. Clemens

George Mason University; Peterson Institute for International Economics; IZA-Institute for the Study of Labor; Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration; Center for Global Development

Colum Graham

Australian National University (ANU) - Development Policy Centre

Stephen Howes

Australian National University (ANU) - Development Policy Centre; Australian National University (ANU) - Crawford School of Public Policy

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: May 1, 2014

Abstract

Developing countries invest in training skilled workers and can lose part of their investment if those workers emigrate. One response is for the destination countries to design ways to participate in financing skilled emigrants’ training before they migrate — linking skill creation and skill mobility. Such designs can learn from the experience of the Australian-aid-funded Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC). The APTC is financing and conducting vocational training in five Pacific island developing countries for thousands of workers with the objective of providing them with opportunities to find employment at home and abroad — including in Australia. With thousands of graduates across the region the APTC has attained its goal of skill creation, but has not attained its goal of skill mobility. This paper establishes and explains this finding, and draws lessons for future initiatives that may seek to link skill creation with higher levels of skill mobility.

Keywords: Regional mobility, migration, foreign aid, Pacific, skill mobility

JEL Classification: F22, F35, O10, O19

Suggested Citation

Clemens, Michael Andrew and Graham, Colum and Howes, Stephen, Skill Development and Regional Mobility: Lessons from the Australia-Pacific Technical College (May 1, 2014). Development Policy Centre Discussion Paper No. 34, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2439558 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2439558

Michael Andrew Clemens (Contact Author)

George Mason University ( email )

4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
United States

HOME PAGE: http://mclem.org

Peterson Institute for International Economics ( email )

1750 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
United States

HOME PAGE: http://mclem.org

IZA-Institute for the Study of Labor ( email )

HOME PAGE: http://www.iza.org/profile?key=4270

Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration ( email )

Drayton House
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London, WC1H 0AX
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://mclem.org

Center for Global Development ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://mclem.org

Colum Graham

Australian National University (ANU) - Development Policy Centre ( email )

7 Liversidge Street (Bld 70)
Lennox Crossing
Canberra, 0200
Australia

Stephen Howes

Australian National University (ANU) - Development Policy Centre ( email )

7 Liversidge Street (Bld 70)
Lennox Crossing
Canberra, 0200
Australia

Australian National University (ANU) - Crawford School of Public Policy

ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
J.G. Crawford Building, #132, Lennox Crossing
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200
Australia

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