Ilo evaluation

The walk-throughs show clear effects at the company level, but in some aspects changes seem to be more difficult. There are still challenges to improve workers safety in the furniture industry, because of the use of many quite dangerous machinery and the use of paint and chemicals. Due to the nature of furniture production, workers come in constant close contacts with these aspects. The two furniture companies (one with a formal walk-though and one informally) visited in this evaluation still clearly faced challenges in this respects. Also gender specific provisions in companies were not very visible during the company walk-throughs although the overall improvements also benefited women.

Appreciation of workers on the application of SCORE in their companies are presented below on a five-point scale (1=not at all/very low, 2=low; 3=sufficient, 4=high, 5=very high):

Survey workers in SME’s benefiting from SCORE	Score
1. Awareness ILO/SCORE	4,22
2. Participation in SCORE	4,55
3. Quality SCORE	4,10
4. Performance trainers	4,10
5. Effects on Management-Workers dialogue	4,18
6. Changes in company after SCORE	4,55
7. Effects on labour conditions	4,40
8. Effects on worker’s organization & unionization	4,00
9. Effects on women participation	3,45

2. 
   Opinions and Appreciations of SCORE by partners and beneficiaries
   

2.1 SCORE team

• 
  The Score team Vietnam consists of three members and together they are able to keep the project implementation quite well on track, even despite the slow start of phase II;
  
• 
  The SCORE team is satisfied with the orientation and support received from the global SCORE team;
  
• 
  
  
• 
  Problems and bottlenecks identified by the SCORE team are:
  
• 
  Delay of certification of trainers;
  
• 
  Still weak perspectives for sustainability of SCORE in Vietnam,
  
• 
  Difficulties in dialogue, communication and coordination with the Government,
  
• 
  Relevance and applicability of the Key Performance Indicators in the context of the SME’s.
  

A small survey among SCORE staff shows the following appreciations on a five-point scale:

	Score
1. Integration SCORE in ILO policies & plans	4,33
2. Appreciation SCORE by Government (as perceived by SCORE officers)	3,00
3. Appreciation SCORE by Employers	4,33
4. Appreciation SCORE by Trade Unions	3,67
5. Appreciation technical support from central SCORE team by national teams	4,67
6. Perspectives future sustainability	3,33
7. Change behaviour SME’s after SCORE	4,67
8. Gender equity in SME's after SCORE	4,33

2.2 SCORE trainer’s and SCORE training service organizations
The trainers in SCORE in Vietnam are managed and coordinated by the ILO SCORE team, but they are contracted by the Sector Associations that are also responsible for the organization of the training. This approach is time-consuming because the SCORE team in this way had to be directly involved in the preparation and follow up of the training activities. In practice, cooperation is good and the trainers express a general satisfaction with the support and coordination received by ILO.
Critical remarks are made on the fact that in Vietnam until recently no trainers were certified, but now that procedures have changed it is expected that this will improve shortly.

A small survey among SCORE trainers shows the following appreciations on a five-point scale:

	Score
1. Growth SME demand for SCORE	4,80
2. Tailoring SCORE to SME needs	4,20
3. Appreciation SCORE by SME owners	4,60
4. Appreciation SCORE by SME workers	4,50
5. Quality SCORE modules & materials	4,60
6. Technical support from HEADQUARTERS SCORE team	4,40
7. Perspectives future sustainability	4,40
8. Change behaviour SME’s after SCORE	4,40
9. Gender equity in SME's after SCORE	4,40
10. Willingness & capacity SME’s to pay for SCORE	4,00

2.3 Government

• 
  The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and its departmental representations (DOLISA) is aware of SCORE and it participates in the NTAC, but otherwise is not very much involved in the project. The project receives moral support but no other supports. No links have been established with labour inspection services within MOLISA at the central level to consider developing joint activities (such as for example in China). At the departmental level, DOLISA observes what the project does in the furniture sector but it does not take an active role;
  
• 
  The country strategy for SCORE in Vietnam anticipated contacts and negotiations with the Ministry Planning and Investments (MPI) to establish a partnership with its SME support provision activities (SME-TAC), but this cooperation has not yet materialized.
  

2.4 Employer’s organizations

• 
  The project partner VCCI-HCMC should be considered the most representative employers organization in Vietnam. It is a strong institution active at the national level and particularly the Chambers in HCMC and Hanoi are strong. VCCI-HCMC during phase I of SCORE was the implementing partner of the SCORE project in Vietnam. With phase II arrangements were changed and ILO established a small SCORE team outside VCCI HCMC and a staff member of VCCI-HCMC moved out to become the core coordinator of SCORE In Vietnam. During phase II, the relations with the HCMC continued and the agreement of cooperation remained in place. VCCI-HCMC is involved t in promoting the SCORE project and by providing trainers, and a sizeable budget (60% in the entire period) was allocated to implementation of SCORE by VCCI-HCMC. The moving out of the SCORE team has created a less intensive cooperation between ILO-SCORE and VCCI-HCMC and ownership of SCORE at VCCI-HCMC is currently not as strong as in the past. VCCI-HCMC is now waiting until ILO will transfer the SCORE project in the hands of VCCI-HCMC. This is planned for next year. VCCI-HCMC is interested and willing to receive the SCORE project but it sees the need to adapt the SCORE training supply so it matches better in the VCCI-HCMC service portfolio. Also sustainability perspectives need to improve considerably in order to be able to take over SCORE. VCCI-HCMC indicates that it has experience in commercial service provision and it also has possibilities for introducing other pricing and payment mechanisms to increase the attractiveness of the supply of SCORE (receive now-pay later, or combined packages with SME loans).
  

2.5 Trade Unions

• 
  The VGCL participates in the NTAC and it is also benefiting from training. In the clusters around HCMC both DOLISA and VGCL are aware of the SCORE activities and also at this level representatives participate in training activities;
  
• 
  VGCL is supportive to the project, but in practice and particularly at the company level the trade union activities are limited and often not clearly separated from company management. While in all companies unions exists, the SCORE project is not formally linked to activities of these unions, although this could be a means for institutional sustainability for the EIT’s and it could also be a means to empower trade unions at the company level. Because of the weak capacity in trade unions these processes of involving them more at best can take place at a slow pace.
  

2.6 Private sector support organizations

• 
  Cooperation with private sector support organizations is limited. There are no ongoing agreements with SCORE training providing institutions. Individual trainers are hired and deployed by the associations and the SCORE team provides monitoring and quality control of these individual trainers, which is quite time-consuming;
  
• 
  The membership partner organizations (VCCI, HAWA, BIFA) are in the first place responsible for marketing and promotion of SCORE. Because the focus is on furniture and because of the fact that the SCORE team has moved out of VCCI and is now done directly by ILO, the cooperation with VCCI is not intensive. These partners provide trainers among their ranks for the SCORE project.
  
• 
  SCORE in Vietnam has cooperated with the National Cleaner Production Centre’s network of UNIDO in the development of the cleaner production and energy module. A continuation was foreseen in the strategy for phase II, but it appears not to take place. The evaluators have not seen evidence of this;
  
• 
  The Better Work program of ILO can be considered the bigger sister of the SCORE project. There is coordination of information but cooperation remains limited because both projects operate in different sectors. However, there are plans to move SCORE also to the garment sector and in that case more coordination and coordination will be needed. At present it seems that the two programmes coordinate by a clear separation of sectors. This is a pity, because both projects have information and experience to share than can benefit the implementation of the other programme. Cooperation in the future can become also strategic in integrated the supply chain and lead buyer approach into the SCORE project in Vietnam;
  
• 
  The direct working relations of SCORE until present are largely confined to the furniture sector only and to a limited number of partners.
  

2.7 Companies/Enterprises

A small survey under SME’s that have benefited from SCORE shows the following appreciations on a five-point scale:

	Score
1. Relevance SCORE	4,33
2. Quality SCORE	4,67
3. Performance trainers	4,33
4. Effects on Management-Workers dialogue	4,67
5. Effects on productivity & profitability	4,33
6. Willingness to pay costs	4,67
7. Capacity to pay costs	4,33
8. Effects on worker’s organization & unionization	4,00
9. Effects on women participation	4,33