Working for IFC as a labor consultant – a new training course

In April 2006, the International Finance Corporation adopted Performance Standards for managing environmental and social risks. One of them is Performance Standard 2 (PS2), which deals with labor and working conditions.

In response to the growing demand for PS 2 related consulting services, IFC is keen to develop the competencies of consultants who would be able to work for both IFC and other FIs applying Performance Standards on labor issues and, in order to do so, has developed a specific training course for potential contractors and consultants.

The course is a three-day event and will be held at the following locations:

Lima, Peru – 9-11 June
Istanbul , Turkey – 1-3 July

The course will be delivered by IFC staff and leading practitioners in the field of labor standards and the financial sector from Ergon Associates. Guest speakers from the ILO and trade unions will also be invited.

Likely participants will include:

• Social experts who are used to consulting for the financial community, but do not have substantial experience on labor issues
• Labor or social auditing experts who do not have substantial experience working for the financial sector
• Non-governmental or non-profit actors who are experienced in providing collaborative audits and other means of compliance verification
• Members of national labor inspectorates who wish to create a common understanding of private sector financing conditions on labor

The expected learning outcomes from the course will be the following:

• A clear understanding of the IFC requirements on labor issues
• An ability to identify sources of guidance and support on interpretation of the standards
• Knowledge of the requirements of the financial sector, including client confidentiality, and the peculiarities of a project cycle and due diligence process
• An understanding of the methods and techniques of seeking out information on labor standards compliance and national law prior to a site visit
• An understanding of the techniques and approaches for preparing and carrying out a site visit – including detailed methodology for information gathering and interviewing trade unions and other key stakeholders
• The ability to draft terms of reference, reports and other client communications in the context of the financial sector
• An understanding of the key stakeholders around labor issues and the ability to start to work with these stakeholders, including local labor inspectorates and trade unions
• The ability to work with IFC and other financial sector organizations on labor-related aspects of project work

The registration fee is $1,500 per participant. It covers the training, training materials, and lunches. It does not cover any other costs such as travel or accomodation.

For more details please contact Piotr Mazurkiewicz at pmazurkiewicz@ifc.org.