Youth and development

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Clare Warner
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1 Youth and development The Youth Employment National Action Plan (YE NAP) is prepared to develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work Young people have the potential to make a positive and vital contribution to the social and economic development of Sri Lanka GoSL Cabinet Memomorandum, Serial No: 2006/15, Min.of Skills Dev. & Public Ent.Reform In terms of employment, the expected inflow of young people into the labour market, rather than being viewed as a problem, should be recognized as presenting an enormous opportunity and potential for economic and social development. Juan Somavia, Director-General, ILO "We cannot always build the future of our youth, but we can build our youth for the future" Franklin D Roosevelt ( ) There can be no keener revelation of a society s soul, than the way it treats its young people. Nelson Mandela 1

2 Youth Employment Project (ILO/Japan) Knowledge - Capacity - Access Project background, idea, objectives & Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) SIYB WS - ToT 31 March-9 April 2009, Wattala, Sri Lanka ILO Colombo, Sri Lanka Henrik Vistisen (CTA) 2

plantations Importance of inclusion Project

3 Outline of presentation Situation analysis Poverty and employment Young women and men Tea and rubber plantations Importance of inclusion Project response SIYB approach Why How SIYB Association, Sri Lanka 3

4 Poverty in Sri Lanka National poverty rate of 23% (2002) falling to 15% (2007) However, significantly higher and increasing poverty rates in plantation areas Increasing poverty in plantations Higher poverty rates in project area - Province of Sabaragamuwa - than in most of the country (Source: SL s Department of Census & Statistics (DSS) Household Income & Expenditure Survey (HIES)) 4

5 Poverty figures: 2002 and Country Sabarag. Province Plantations 5

6 Special concerns for plantations Education (literacy at 74% against a national average of 91%) Housing and other social issues (fewer resources) Gender equity (exclusion of women) Ethnicity and equity 1 mill. Tamils in the South of the country Lack of labour market inclusion and services for youth: Employment services Vocational training Education Job opportunities Self employment and entrepreneurship 6

7 Youth in Sri Lanka Civil unrests in 80s and 90s generated by exclusion of youth 22% of youth presently unemployed First-time job seekers constitute a large proportion of the total unemployed in Sri Lanka (some 80%) 86% of the unemployed are from rural areas Around 60% of the job seeking youth are searching for a job for more than a year Only 7.3% undertook some training while looking for a job Only 1.8% did volunteer work without payment while looking for a job 7

8 Youth unemployment rate On average, youth five times more likely than adults to be unemployed Lower income and growth levels provide less job creation especially for Youth Youth unemployment S Asia average: 10 pct India: 11 Pakistan 15 Sri Lanka: 22 Youth unemployment World 13 pct (ILO - KILM 9: youth unemployment as a percentage of the youth labour force) 8

9 Project strategy Build capacity in labour market institutions and increase their access to rural areas and outreach to rural youth Enhance employability of rural youth Focus on productivity enhancement and improved labour conditions in the plantation sector Entrepreneurship and self-employment Rural diversification, and Private sector wage employment 9

10 YE building blocks Vocational training Career Counseling Business English and ICT skills Self employment Information on Micro-credit and BDS NFE Plantations HRM Productivity CSR OSH 10

11 Self-employment Employment Livelihood Economic benefit and growth Local economic development Inclusion Women entrepreneurship 11

12 Target group: potential and existing micro- and small-scale entrepreneurs have a business idea are forced into finding self-employment possess, or have access to, vocational skills can read and write want to start a business want to improve their business want to expand their business 12

13 Learning Skills Knowledge Attitude Behavior 13

14 Power Person P Technical P Position P 14

15 Levels of performance Perfect Acceptable Actual How do we reduce the performance gap? Zero 15