Creating Opportunities for Productive and Decent Work for Out of School Young People

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Project :-Creating Opportunities for Productive and Decent Work for Youth 1.0 Rationale The socio-economic situation for the vast majority of young people in Somalia is characterised by high level of unemployment and poverty; the lack of productive work, a poor enabling environment and weak governance systems. The most vulnerable groups are young persons , characterized as having very low literacy and numeracy skills having had little or no elementary education, and largely unskilled as a result of the collapse of education and training institutions during the years of war. Without skills and alternative means to earn a living, a significant proportion of the disenfranchised young Somali men, some of whom are former combatants and militia, are drawn towards a crime/conflict related means of living. ILO contribution to the project will be on enhancing entrepreneurship skills among the youth as a means of creating self-employment opportunities. It will also provide immediate short-term waged employment in employment intensive infrastructure projects which will also contribute to an injection of money into the local economy. Furthermore, critical joint support services to the youth will be provided in UNICEF-ILO youth centres. These will provide careers counselling, job matching and mentorship services. The target locations for ILO component will be Bosasso and Garowe in Puntland and Hargeisa in Somaliland (though only the entrepreneurship component). 1.1 Objective The objective of the youth employment component is twofold: (i) Create immediate short-term employment opportunities for the youth (ii) Enhance youth prospects for self-employment. 1.2 Activities Employment Intensive Infrastructure Projects (EIIP) Youth employment opportunities will be created within labour intensive infrastructure projects. This will provide the youth with basic skills training in road and environmental projects, as well as a much needed cash injection to support basic needs and other livelihood opportunities and prevent the youth from entering into anti-social or illegal activities. Projects will be identified and selected on the basis that they contribute to the restoration of economic livelihoods, and fit in line with infrastructure investment priorities set by the relevant national and local administrations. Entrepreneurship Training and Youth Employment Services The enterprise-based training is aimed at encouraging an entrepreneurial culture among the youth in Puntland and Somaliland and guiding those with an aptitude for business to realise their opportunity of starting their own business.

Project symbol

SOM/09/02/CEF

Admin unit

CO-Dar es Salaam

Start date

15/10/2009

End date

30/06/2010

Total allocation

705861

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

705861

Development Partners

United Nations Children's Fund

Country/Countries

Somalia

Outcomes

Employment Promotion