nngu007
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 2, 2010
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With a bulging youth population, Tanzania is undoubtedly a country with enormous potential. Yet despite steady economic growth, much of this potential remains untapped, with young people – particularly the most marginalised – struggling to find decent, productive work.
Often with poor education, lacking market information and without relevant skills, young men and women are in danger of becoming trapped in low-paid, precarious jobs, with little or no protection against health and safety risks. Many are unable to find a job at all – the unemployment rate for 15 to 24 year olds is 13.4%.
This is something Rahija knows only too well. "I completed my secondary education at the level of form 4, unfortunately my education ended there," he says. "I am a casual labourer in building and construction. In this trade you can work hard and end up paid less than what you agreed on."
With 800,000 young people entering the labour market every year, doubling the country's labour force by 2030, creating more decent employment opportunities is critical to Tanzania's long term efforts towards reducing poverty and inequality. The country may be hurtling towards middle-income status, but it remains poor by both regional and international standards – 9 out of 10 Tanzanians earn less than $3 per day.
Empowering the most marginalised
Working with economically, socially and politically marginalised young people, Plan International and the European Commission have therefore teamed up to implement a three-year project which aims to improve and increase access to employment opportunities and promote economic empowerment for 9,100 young women and men in 9 districts across the country.
"We are focusing on vulnerable and marginalised groups – those with low levels of formal education, people with disabilities, those affected by HIV/Aids, youth-headed households and particularly poor families," explains Jorgen Haldorsen, Country Director of Plan International Tanzania. "These are the people who face the greatest challenges in finding decent, safe work, and this is where we must redouble our efforts."
Improving market skills
In Tanzania, as in many countries, young people's ability to secure successful livelihoods via wage or self-employment is limited by a lack of market-relevant skills.
While many lack the formal education required to enrol in vocational courses, others are prevented from attending as a result of distance and cost – particularly young mothers and single parents. Low-cost ways to link these young mothers and single parents – around a quarter of the project's direct beneficiaries – to childcare options close to the location of their training is a simple solution addressing this practical problem.
Those who are able to participate in vocational training do not always learn the skills – be they financial literacy, business skills, or general employability skills such as good customer service, communication and computer skills - needed to succeed in the workplace.
By conducting market and skills analysis, the project aims to ensure courses are relevant and accessible, addressing the mismatch between skills acquired and skills desired.
Economic empowerment is not only about building a person's technical skills. It also means providing them with important life-skills – from leadership and problem solving to conflict resolution, communication skills, negotiation and confidence building. "Transferable skills are important to employers, and are crucial to ensuring young people are not only able to find a job, but are able to keep it," says Haldorsen.
Challenging stereotypes
It is not only physical and financial barriers which hold young Tanzanians back - young women face additional social barriers, such as domestic work, early marriage and pregnancy, which curtail their prospects.
"Working with communities and young people to challenge discrimination and stereotypes and increase recognition of women's right to decent work is crucial to the success and long-term sustainability of the project," Haldorsen adds.
From experience, a major challenge to youth finding decent work is the negative perceptions of employers, clients and communities. "Stereotypes which portray young people as being lazy, unruly and irresponsible mean many employers and sectors of government are reluctant to recruit or engage with them," explains Haldorsen.
"We need to challenge and change these perceptions, creating a demand for youth labour and services. By doing so, we can provide an important contribution to local economic growth and productivity, as well as longer-term social and policy change."
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