Person:
Valerio, Alexandria
Author Name Variants
Fields of Specialization
Early childhood development,
Skills development,
TVET,
Entrepreneurships,
Primary education,
Secondary education,
Skills measurement surveys
Degrees
Departments
Education Global Practice
Externally Hosted Work
Contact Information
Last updated
January 31, 2023
Biography
Alexandria is currently leading global research agendas focused on measuring adult skills using large-scale household and employer surveys in 17 countries, analyzing the impact of different types of skill sets on employment and development outcomes, and identifying the characteristics of effective entrepreneurship education and training programs. Alexandria is also a currently a Global Lead for the Skills Global Solutions Group and a core member of the global inter-agency group on Technical Vocational Education and Training/Skills and the technical working group on Human Resource Development for the G20. She has over 15 years of experience leading and managing large-scale research projects, multi-disciplinary teams and senior-level client relationships, with a policy focus on education reform, entrepreneurship, skills, and training in diverse country contexts. Alexandria has led multi-disciplinary teams in the analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation of investment operations. Prior to joining the Global Engagement and Knowledge unit in the Education Global Practice, she was responsible for the World Bank’s education policy dialogue and lending portfolios in the Latin America and the Caribbean region (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Panama), as well as in Angola and Mozambique. Alexandria‘s work extends beyond the education sector, covering a wide range of issues including social protection and labor, jobs, growth and competitiveness, child development and school health. Her published work includes peer‐reviewed papers on workforce development policy, technical and vocational training, entrepreneurship training, tools to measure skills in adult populations, cost and financing of early childhood education, social impact analysis of school fees, and school health programs to prevent HIV/AIDS in school-age populations. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Education and Economics of Education from Columbia University and a master’s degree in Public Administration in Economic Development Policy from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. She is fluent in Spanish and English and has a working knowledge of Portuguese.
Publication Search Results
1 - 10 of 17
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Publication
Entrepreneurship Education and Training Programs around the World : Dimensions for Success
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2014-04-23)Entrepreneurship has attracted global interest for its potential to catalyze economic and social development. Research suggesting that certain entrepreneurial mindsets and skills can be learned has given rise to the field of entrepreneurship education and training (EET). Despite the growth of EET, global knowledge about these programs and their impact remains thin. In response, this study surveys the available literature and program evaluations to propose a Conceptual Framework for understanding the EET program landscape. The study finds that EET today consists of a heterogeneous mix of programs that can be broken into two groups: entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship training. These programs target a range of participants: secondary and post-secondary education students, as well as potential and practicing entrepreneurs. The outcomes measured by program evaluations are equally diverse but generally fall under the domains of entrepreneurial mindsets and capabilities, entrepreneurial status, and entrepreneurial performance. The dimensions of EET programs vary according the particular target group. Programs targeting secondary education students focus on the development of foundational skills linked to entrepreneurship, while post-secondary education programs emphasize skills related to strategic business planning. Programs targeting potential entrepreneurs generally are embedded within broader support programs and tend to target vulnerable populations for whom employment alternatives may be limited. While programs serving practicing entrepreneurs focus on strengthening entrepreneurs’ knowledge, skills and business practices, which while unlikely to transform an enterprise in the near term, may accrue benefits to entrepreneurs over time. The study also offers implications for policy and program implementation, emphasizing the importance of clarity about target groups and desired outcomes when making program choices, and sound understanding of extent to which publicly-supported programs offer a broader public good, and compare favorably to policy alternatives for supporting the targeted individuals as well as the overall economic and social objectives. -
Publication
Decentralizing Education in Guatemala : School Management by Local Communities
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-02)Guatemala set out in 1992 to increase access to education in remote areas. Its National Community-managed Program for Educational Development (PRONADE) has evolved from a small, innovative pilot program in 19 rural communities, to a nationwide program reaching over 4,100 communities and 445,000 children. PRONADE is one of the most proactive managerial, administrative, and financial decentralization measures taken in Latin America. Isolated rural communities have been truly empowered to administer and manage the schools. Following are some remaining challenges to be resolved for PRONADE continued success : quality issues and students learning outcomes must be dealt more systematically; PRONADE teachers have not received consistent training in multi-grade and bilingual classroom practices; impact evaluation are needed to determine how PRONADE is affecting student achievement, repetition, and drop-out rates, as well as teacher effectiveness; finally, there have been frequent delays in payment of teacher salaries, as well as transfer of funds for school snacks, educational and teaching materials. -
Publication
Entrepreneurship Education and Training : Insights from Ghana, Kenya, and Mozambique
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2014-06-17)This report summarizes the key themes and findings from three in-depth case studies of EET programs in Ghana, Kenya, and Mozambique. Each case study produced rich information on the programs context, the landscape of programs in each country, and the qualitative insights from local EET stakeholders. This report synthesizes information from across the case studies to analyze the extent to which these countries programs are meeting the needs of local entrepreneurs. It also introduces findings from global EET research to show how programs in the case-study countries relate to what is known about global practice in EET. From this synthesis, the report presents a set of key findings intended to illuminate how EET programs can be better aligned with local needs and promising EET practices globally. -
Publication
STEP Skills Measurement Surveys : Innovative Tools for Assessing Skills
(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2014-07)The Skills Towards Employability and Productivity (STEP) program was designed to better understand the interplay between skills on the one hand and employability and productivity on the other. The STEP program developed survey instruments tailored to collect data on skills in low- and middle-income country contexts. The present note is a reference document for readers seeking background information on the STEP surveys and for users of the data, which is publicly available through the World Bank s Microdata Catalog. The note describes the design of the survey instruments and the constructs measured as well as the technical standards and implementation protocols adopted to ensure data quality and comparability across countries. It also provides guidance to users for the construction of aggregated skills indicators and for the use of the reading literacy assessment data. -
Publication
Education, Skills, and Labor Market Outcomes: Results from Large-Scale Adult Skills Surveys in Urban Areas in 12 Countries
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-05)In recent years, skills development has become a priority among developed and developing countries alike. The World Bank Group, in its quest to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity, has joined efforts with countries and multilateral development partners to ensure that individuals have access to quality education and training opportunities and that employers can find the skills they need to operate. The skills towards employability and productivity (STEP) skills measurement program is part of the World Bank’s portfolio of analytical products on skills. The STEP program consists of two survey instruments that collect information on the supply and demand for skills in urban areas: a household survey and an employer survey. STEP has been implemented in waves, the first surveys being implemented in seven countries in 2012 (Bolivia, Colombia, Ghana, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR), Ukraine, Vietnam, and the Yunnan Province in China), and the second in five countries in 2013 (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kenya, and Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of (FYR)). The data presented in this publication correspond to these countries. It illustrates the similarities and differences among groups that have completed different education levels on a wide range of issues and outcomes. Section one analyzes the trajectory of skills acquisition: participation in early childhood education programs, educational attainment by gender, and participation in training and apprenticeship programs. Section two explores background conditions associated with educational attainment, including the socioeconomic status of survey respondents at age 15, the educational attainment of their parents, their households’ asset levels, their health (as expressed by the presence of chronic illness), and their overall satisfaction with life. Section three covers cognitive skills: writing, numeracy, and reading (which is also evaluated through a direct reading assessment). Section four covers job-relevant skills, which are task-specific and which respondents possess or use on the job; and section five covers socio-emotional skills, using established metrics to measure personality and behavior. Section six covers the status of survey respondents in the labor market: whether they are employed, unemployed, or inactive. -
Publication
A Sourcebook of HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs : Education Sector-Wide Approaches
( 2008)This sourcebook aims to support efforts by countries to strengthen the role of the education sector in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. It was developed in response to numerous requests for a simple forum to help countries share their practical experiences of designing and implementing programs that are targeted at school-age children. The sourcebook seeks to fulfill this role by providing concise summaries of programs, using a standard format that highlights the main elements of the programs and makes it easier to compare the programs with each other. All the programs are summarized in section two, which allows those seeking advice on program design to browse through the various options and identify those that might reward further study. The full program reports for each country are given in section three. Each program report follows the same format, so the reader can more easily find those aspects of the program that are of specific interest. The consistent design also allows for ease of comparison between programs. There are four main sections within each full program report. Part A gives an overview of the program, describing the rationale, the aims and objectives, the target audience, the components, and the main approaches. Part B describes the process from the initial needs assessment, through the development of materials and training, to the practical details of implementation. There is an attempt made to estimate unit costs, but these should be seen only as indicative, because the number of beneficiaries is often uncertain and because costs in newly implemented programs may be artificially high. Part C provides an assessment and comprises lessons learned. This section begins with comments from implementers on the challenges faced and the lessons learned, followed in a few cases by a description of any formal evaluation of the program. The final part explores the extent to which the program complies with a set of benchmarks that, on the basis of expert opinion, contribute to an effective program. Part D gives details of the organizations involved with the program, including their contact information. It lists all the materials that are available to the reader, along with an order code number. -
Publication
Employer Survey Snapshot 2016: Highlights from Six Low and Middle-Income Countries
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016)The Employer Survey Snapshot features a descriptive analysis of the data collected during the first two waves of the Skills Towards Employment and Productivity (STEP) Employer Surveys. Key objectives of the Snapshot are (1) to explain the motivation and relevance behind the implementation of employer skills surveys and (2) to highlight some of the observed cross-country patterns from six participating countries, namely, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and China (Yunnan Province). The Snapshot provides information on how employers view jobs mismatch and how they identify and value worker skills sets. In addition, it includes insights from innovative firms and examples of training provisions. A section on survey methodology has also been included as an annex. -
Publication
Accounting for Mismatch in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Measurement, Magnitudes, and Explanations
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2016-08-23)To stimulate economic advancement, low- and middle-income countries need well-educated and trained workforces to fill the types of skilled jobs that drive economic growth. Improving educational quality and attainment and providing better training are all rightly put forth as policy recommendations to leverage economic growth and job creation. However, new findings based on large scale surveys of adult skills from the World Bank Group’s STEP (Skills toward Employment and Productivity) Skills Measurement Program suggest that many workers are overqualified for their current jobs (based on the education those jobs require). The results of this study suggest that countries may not reap as much benefit from their investments in quality education and training if weak job creation leaves workers’ skills underutilized. Most of the literature on mismatch focuses on higher-income countries and rates of over-education among college graduates. Accounting for Mismatch in Low- and Middle-Income Countries uses new STEP Skills Survey data from 12 low- and middle-income countries, representing a range of economic and educational and training climates, to better understand the scope and patterns of education and skills mismatch. STEP collects information not only on workers’ level of education and employment status, but also on the types, frequency, and durations of tasks they carry out at their jobs as well as some of the cognitive skills they use. The study also explores additional factors such as gender, health, career stage, and participation in the informal labor sector that may help explain the degree of mismatch rates. The study’s findings indicate that over-education is common in low and middle income countries with both lower and higher rates of educational attainment. There is also evidence that over-educated tertiary workers do not use all of their skills, potentially wasting valuable human capital and educational resources. Aimed at policy makers, business and education leaders, and employers, Accounting for Mismatch in Low- and Middle-Income Countries suggests that job growth must go hand-in-hand with investments in education and training. -
Publication
Armenia Skills toward Employment and Productivity: Survey Findings (Urban Areas)
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-01-31)Governments around the world assign top priority to job creation and productivity growth. Developing the right skills among potential and actual workers not only makes capital and labor more productive, it also makes the adoption and invention of new technologies possible. Recent research also indicates that skill acquisition has a long-lasting impact on the trajectory of a person’s life and that inequality in skills is associated with inequality in income. Moreover, the proportion of non-agricultural low-earning jobs is high in Armenia. Low-earning jobs are defined as those that earn less than two-thirds of the median wage. By this criterion, one in four jobs in Armenia falls into this category, which represents a significantly higher share than that in most European countries, where the incidence of low pay is within the 15-20 percent range. The significant presence of informality in non-agricultural sectors is another factor that contributes to the low-productivity and low-earnings employment. To better understand skill shortages in Armenia, this report looks into the current demand for skills from the labor market, together with the landscape of skills formation and utilization in the country, using the newly available data from the World Bank’s Skills Toward Employment and Productivity (STEP) household and employer surveys, which were undertaken in the country between 2012 and 2013. These extensive surveys sampled Armenia’s urban population and firms. Based on these surveys, this report aims to provide a key diagnosis of skills demand and supply issues in Armenia, highlighting a few initial steps that need to be taken to build a highly productive Armenian labor force, one that can contribute to as well as benefit from the accelerated economic growth. -
Publication
Taking Stock of Programs to Develop Socioemotional Skills: A Systematic Review of Program Evidence
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2016-08-01)This book represents a systematic review of the documented impacts of programs aimed at fostering socio-emotional skills in developed and developing countries. It uses a life-cycle approach to organize the findings from rigorous evaluations of more than 80 programs. This includes programs for toddlers and young children before primary school, programs for students enrolled in formal education, and programs targeted at the out-of-school population. The book develops a conceptual framework that helps to identify the program characteristics and participants’ profiles associated with a range of program outcomes. These include health-related, behavioral, academic or cognitive, and economic-related outcomes. The review finds that few of the programs studied focus exclusively on the development of socio-emotional skills. In fact, most efforts to develop socio-emotional skills are embedded within innovative education and training curricula, as well as pedagogical and classroom practices. Evidence shows that programs are particularly effective when targeted to highly vulnerable populations and, in particular, to young children. Overall, findings indicate that high-quality programs for young children tend to foster cognitive abilities in the short run and to impact socio-emotional skills over the long run. Programs for students enrolled in formal education (primary and secondary levels) show positive and significant impacts on the outcomes reviewed. The most successful of these programs are implemented school-wide and follow the SAFE approach: that is, they are appropriately sequenced, active, focused, and explicit. Finally, the review finds that programs for out-of-school children and youth are usually designed as a means of achieving immediate labor market outcomes (e.g., job-placement, formal employment, and higher wages). While some of these programs show positive and statistically significant impacts on socio-emotional skills, the impacts tend to be small.