Promoting social entrepreneurship and social capital. A practice guide to supporting social entrepreneurship and inclusiveness in rural communities
English
ILO
The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org
Participation of employers' and workers' organizations
The world of learning and the world of work are separate but linked. While one involves learning, the other produces goods and services. Neither can thrive without the other. Strong partnerships between government, employers and workers help ensure the relevance of training to the changing needs of enterprises and labour markets.
Youth employability
Globally, nearly 68 million young women and men are looking for and available for work, and an estimated 123 million young people are working but living in poverty. The number who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) stands at 267 million, a majority of whom are young women. Significantly, young people are three times as likely as adults (25 years and older) to be unemployed.
Skills development is a primary means of enabling young people to make a smooth transition to work. A comprehensive approach is required to integrate young women and men in the labour market, including relevant and quality skills training, labour market information, career guidance and employment services, recognition of prior learning, incorporating entrepreneurship with training and effective skills forecasting. Improved basic education and core work skills are particularly important to enable youth to engage in lifelong learning as well as transition to the labour market.
Case studies and good practices
Case studies that document good practices and illustrate the benefits and lessons learnt of particular approaches or methods in real practice.
In Egypt, a consortium of United Nations agencies worked with government stakeholders, international and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to address stark economic and community insecurity in two districts in the Upper Egyptian Governorate of Minya. The ‘Human Security through Inclusive Socioeconomic Development in Upper Egypt – Hayat’ project was designed to strengthen economic security through job creation and increased skills within the local labour force. At the same time, the project enhanced community and personal security through development of social capital and enhanced cohesion and inclusiveness. The ILO component of Hayat focused on the role of youth, particularly in light of high rates of unemployment among those 18 to 35 years of age. This component’s unique design sought to create new opportunities for decent work for young women and men through a combination of vocational and entrepreneurial skills training with activities designed to waken their engagement in community building, thereby creating an enabling environment for nurturing potential social entrepreneurs.
This Guide has been developed to share the ILO’s experience in introducing the concept of social entrepreneurship in a challenging environment, highlighting opportunities, success factors and lessons to be learned.
Community development
Rural development
Youth
Africa
