Learning for Life, Work and the Future Initial ... - Unesco-Unevoc

Page 46 Participants’ Papers Learning for Life, Work and the Future
5. Summary
The Malawi Government attaches great importance to
education and training for employment. Consequently,
the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training is
determined to fulfil its objectives through developing
and ensuring an adequate supply of the skilled manpower
necessary for national development through
technical and vocational training and the provision of
trades testing services. Whereas our past education
planners were happy to educate clerks for employment
in the public sector, among its broad objectives and
through TEVET, this Ministry is determined to promote
an integrated, demand-driven, competency-based
modular technical education and training system.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Labour and
Vocational Training understands that human resource
development and training benefits individual men and
women by developing and maintaining their employability
and adaptability in labour markets that change
continuously under the influence of globalization,
technological change and new ways of organizing
work. While education and initial training provide the
fundamental employability requirements of individuals,
continuous training and lifelong learning give
them the means to maintain it over their working lives.
Human resource development and training improves
their prospects of finding and retaining a job; it
improves their productivity at work, their incomeearning
capacity and their living standards; and it
widens their career choices and opportunities. By
developing the capabilities of workers to pursue collective
and individual interests, education and training
foster an environment that is conducive to economic
and political democracy. They are tools for developing
the new social skills, competencies and attitudes, and
the tolerance and solidarity needed for economic,
social and political participation in an increasing integrated
and mobile world. Finally, education and
training are indispensable to enable individuals to
thrive in a society driven by knowledge, communications
and technology.
7 KAMANGA, Andrew Bonani (Botswana): Youth Unemployment
1. Introduction
Youth unemployment is an area of great concern to
many governments in the Southern African Development
Community (SADC). The rates of economic
growth in the respective countries are not sustainable
enough to match the ever-increasing numbers of young
people graduating from the high schools, technical and
vocational colleges.
There is therefore the need for a wide range of technical
and vocational educational training with a greater
focus on self-employment, entrepreneurship and
exploration of potential new sectors of employment.
There have not been any reliable statistics published on
the unemployment situation within SADC. However,
it is generally accepted that there is chronic youth
unemployment in all the SADC member states, with all
the psychosocial and economic consequences that this
entails.
2. Limited Job Opportunities in the Informal
Sector
Due to the increasing calls for reduction in public
sector expenditure by many governments, employment
in this area is becoming more precarious than ever.
The situation in the subregion is further compounded
by the fact that there is very little foreign direct investment
(FDI) to kick-start other economic activities that
generate employment in the formal sector for both
public and private set-ups.
The sport, recreation, leisure and fitness industry has
become a multi-billion dollar business all over the
world, generating millions of jobs in both the formal
and non-formal sector.
Despite great potential in Africa as a whole, and
particularly in the southern Africa region, there are
very few benefits accruing to the young people of the
region in this lucrative sector.
There is need for a comprehensive technical and
vocational education programme to address the chronic
shortage of skilled personnel in the delivery of sport,
recreation, leisure and fitness services.
At present, sport education and training programmes
are haphazard. They are left to the discretion of the
relevant national sports associations. There is no
standardization of sport coaching and administration
training.
There are some physical education and sport programmes
at various colleges, universities and technikons
(especially in South Africa). These are usually
tailor-made for producing graduates for schools and
sports associations. The unavailability of Institutes of
Sport or Sports Academies means that professionalisation
and career development is affected. In some
cases, interested individuals have to go abroad for
training in specialized areas.