Download PDF (4.08 MB) - ReliefWeb

110
example is the belief in some societies that working in the informal or micro or small
enterprise sectors is for those who either did not “make it” in the formal system of education
or were forced into self-employment by unfortunate circumstances. Policies and
programmes can be designed to promote attitudinal changes by raising awareness of the
potential value of self-employment and work in the informal sector both for individual
advancement and for local economic recovery. Wherever possible, a coherent and harmonized
coordination mechanism for youth-supportive activities is useful.
Youth Employment Training
Project in Guinea
(Photo by UNDP)
UNDP can help to consolidate stakeholder commitment to youth employment. This process
may include reviewing existing policies and regulations affecting youth, advocating for
needed policy changes and the prioritization of youth employment in national budgets
and recovery and development plans, and assessing and promoting youth participation
in governance processes.
Developing vocational and entrepreneurial training systems and capacity. As
elaborated in section 4.1 of this Guide, UNDP can play an important role in supporting the
development of systems and capacity for vocational and skills training and placement.
Engagement with educational support institutions—such as curriculum development
institutions, polytechnics, vocational training institutions, colleges and universities—can
facilitate the review of existing training approaches and the adoption of a holistic, marketoriented
training model that incorporates new trades while building entrepreneurship
and business skills. Enterprise development training can help to mobilize a socioeconomic
transformation of youth to a greater appreciation of, and capacity for, entrepreneurship
and innovation. Effective training of this sort will build the confidence of young people
to take charge of their own futures and contribute to local economic recovery. Career
guidance and job referral services are key complements to training.
Facilitating the exposure of youth to a wide range of sectors. Youth can benefit from
exposure to employment and income-generation opportunities in an extensive range of
promising sectors, both governmental and non-governmental. A single-sector approach
to youth employment should be avoided. Information on sectors with substantial market
demand will be available in the livelihoods and economic recovery assessment and/or
subsequent market analyses. These sectors may include agriculture, livestock, fisheries,
trading, maintenance/repair services, manufacturing, business services, transportation,
public utilities, information and communication technology, and environmental management.
Social sector opportunities may be present in education, health care, and community
services. NGOs and community-based organizations may also present opportunities.
UNDP can help to extend the exposure of youth to the range of opportunities that are
available to them by coordinating visits to successful youth projects and initiatives, trade
shows, technology commercialization centres, and markets. An assessment of youth
opportunities, its documentation in a user-friendly manner, and its wide dissemination
among youth may be useful. Developing the capacity of young people so as to conduct
market analyses and feasibility studies themselves is also important.
Green jobs and green market development. UNDP and other development partners
are supporting a number of successful youth initiatives for green jobs in both crisis and
post-crisis situations. These initiatives involve, for example, tree planting and reforestation,
waste management, and investment in non-timber forest products. Public-private
partnerships where youth come together with municipalities have provided an effective
Livelihoods & Economic Recovery in Crisis Situations