Employment promotion programme: Needs-oriented qualification for youth
English
Governments
Governments hold a wealth of knowledge on skills development, and are increasingly realizing the value of learning from each others’ experiences. Their policy documents, programme evaluations, and research findings contain their experience and ideas on how to better link skills to employment
Rural employment
Eight out of 10 of the world’s working poor who live on US $1.25 per day live in rural areas, where many are caught in vulnerable employment, especially in agriculture.Flourishing rural areas are vital to regional and national development. Yet, rural economies tend to face a wide range of challenges that urban areas are more likely to overcome. These include access to transportation, sanitation and health services, and a consumer base in close proximity to support small and medium enterprise development. Women and men working in rural areas also face difficulties associated with a paucity of economic opportunities, under investment, poor infrastructure and public services, including education, and, in many cases, weak governance and underdeveloped markets.
Education, entrepreneurship, and physical and social infrastructure all play an important role in developing rural regions. Skills are central to improving employability and livelihood opportunities, reducing poverty, enhancing productivity and promoting environmentally sustainable development.
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.
Promotional material
Presentations, discussion papers, meeting reports, promotional materials, videos, fact sheets, brochures and newsletters on skills development for employment.
Youth employment is a source of great economic potential. Yet in the twelve years since the end of the armed conflict, the country’s production and employment potential has still not been fully tapped, especially in the rural private sector. Skilled workers are in short supply. And after a decade of civil war and poor government funding, the education situation also remains inadequate. Around half of Sierra Leone’s population is unable to read or write. Without needs-oriented training and practical work experience, it is difficult for young people in particular to find productive employment. This factsheet presents the context, objectives, approach and achievements of the project ‘Promoting youth employment through agricultural development’ (2005-2016) commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in Sierra Leone.
Disadvantaged youth
Employability
Poverty
Poverty alleviation
Rural development
Rural employment
Youth
Africa
