May

Australia Samoa Newspaper
Press release
02 May 2016
15
Youth get ready for employment in the cultural industries
Apia, 13th April 2016 -Twenty youth
graduated yesterday from a threeweek
skills training course delivered
by the Samoa Culture Centre, a recognized
centre of expertise in the cultural heritage of
Samoa and a non formal education provider
accredited by the Samoa Qualifications Authority.
Eleven female and nine male learned the
traditional skills of siapo production, mat
weaving, wood carving and canoe making.
The skills training course was implemented
as part of the Government of Samoa and
One-UN Youth Employment Programme, with
financial support being provided by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) and the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The training course was designed and
delivered in response to market demand for
an increased supply of skills and knowledge
in the cultural heritage of Samoa, from the
international tourism sector as well as from
school programmes and general public, and
for showcasing in national and regional cultural
events.
The One-UN Youth Employment Programme
will provide post-training support for
the youth graduating from the Samoa Culture
Centre, to ensure they can apply their skills
and knowledge to access the employment
opportunities which exist in the cultural industries
and tourism sector.
The One-UN Youth Employment Programme
is led by the Division for Youth of the
Ministry of Women, Social Community and
Developmen, with support from five United
Nations agencies (UNDP, ILO, FAO, UNESCO
and UNV) coordinated in a UN ‘Delivering as
One’ approach.
Ms. Fuimapoao Naea Beth Onesemo
Tuilaepa, CEO at MWCSD, was the keynote
speaker at the graduation ceremony, held at
the Samoa Culture Centre in Falelauniu. Her
speech was preceded by some encouraging
words to the youth from Mr. Alain Godonou,
Director of UNESCO, acknowledging the efforts
of the youth in preserving and promoting
the cultural heritage of Samoa.
As Tofa Maulolo Tavita Amosa - Director of
Samoa Culture Centre - said: “This programs
easily create an enabling environment that
motivates the vulnerable youths to learn and
apply the skills acquired from the trainings as
an initial mean of earning some income for
themselves.”And then he added: “We thank
the MWCSD and the UN Agencies for donating
the money for the training. We are very
happy with the outcome of this project and
we look forward to scaling it up.”
Mr. Alain Godonou - Director of UNESCO
- highlighted: “We acknowledge the Samoa
Culture Centre for its very important role in
building the capacities of this group of youth.
We now expect at least fifteen of them to secure
paid employment as a result of their improved
skills. This is a very positive result for
our UN Joint programme, because it means
that our efforts are resulting in better employment
opportunities for the Samoan youth.”
Media enquiries should be directed to:
• Mrs. Francesca Mondello, UN Communication
Specialist, United Nations Resident
Coordinator Office - Phone: +685 23670 ext.
29 - Email: francesca.mondello@one.un.org
About the One-UN Youth Employment
Programme
The Samoa One United Nations Youth Employment
Programme (One-UN YEP) aims to
address in a holistic manner, the challenges
of youth unemployment. This three-year programme
is the result of a partnership between
the Government of Samoa, through
the Ministry of Women, Community and Social
Development (MWCSD), and five United
Nations (UN) agencies namely: the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
the International Labour Organization (ILO),
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
the United Nations Educational Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United
Nations Volunteers (UNV).
The programme, signed in June 2015,
works across the following main areas: (1)
Improving the employability of youth by closing
the gap between labour market demand
for skills and the supply from education and
training providers; (2) Strengthening the capacities
of youth to make sure they have the
skills required to access employment opportunities
within the sectors of agriculture, intensive
manufacturing, tourism and creative
industries; (3) Fostering young entrepreneurship
and micro-enterprise development by
creating an enabling environment for young
entrepreneurs through policies, strategies
and partnerships with the public and private
sector.
The programme activities are aligned with
the National Youth Policy 2016 – 2020 and
the National Action Plan for Youth Employment
2016 – 2020.
More information on the One-UN YEP can
be found here: http://www.ws.undp.org/content/dam/samoa/docs/UNDP_WS_ONE_
UN_YEP_brochure_Eng.pdf?download
About the Ministry of Women, Community
and Social Development (MWCSD)
The Ministry of Women, Community and
Social Development is committed to the
achievement of the community and social
development outcomes underscored in the
Government's national and sectoral strategicpriorities.
The mission of the MWCSD is ‘to
lead community development to enable social
and economic wellbeing for all’. Its core
functions include policy advice, monitoring
and evaluating social development and sustainable
economic development initiatives in
partnership with community stakeholders,
and promoting the principles of good governance.
http://www.mwcsd.gov.ws/
About the United Nations Multi-Country
Team in Samoa
The United Nations Multi-Country Office
Team (UNMCT) based in Samoa coordinates
the work of sixteen UN Agencies working in
the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau,
under the leadership of the United Nations
Resident Coordinator (UNRC). The Resident
Coordinator´s key functions are to ensure
the coordination, harmonization and simplification
of the UN System´s support to
countries in order to achieve national development
goals and in support of response to
emergencies and national security issues.
The UNMCT collectively works with the governments
and civil societies to ensure commitments
made in International Declarations
and Conventions become a reality for people
in the Pacific, especially for the most vulnerable
and marginalised.
http://www.ws.undp.org
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