This section of the site contains a sampling of some youth employment projects from around the world that are being implemented by the YEN. A more comprehensive database of youth employment projects underway by the Core Partners and the YEN’s partner organisations including youth groups can be found in this sites best practice database

ILO GENPROM Project: More and better jobs for young women in Vietnam

Vietnam is a country that places youth at the core of its national development agenda. This project aims to: (i) implement practical interventions for improving employment o pportunities for young women in selected provinces; and (ii) strengthen the institutional capacity of the employment services centers of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), the Women's Union, youth and labour unions, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other partner organizations to more effectively address the issues of young people entering the labour market.

The project started off with a survey, which was conducted to determine how well the education/training system prepares young people for the labour market, their perceptions and aspirations for entering the labour market, how they actually conduct the job search, the influence of the family in choice of occupations, whether they prefer wage or self employment, the barriers to and supports for entry into the labour market, attitudes of employers towards hiring young workers, how young people view work, marriage and family responsibilities, and the gender differentials - especially why it is harder for young women than for young men to make the transition from school to work. The survey was implemented between April and July 2002 and covered 1,200 female and male interviewees from five target groups: in-school youth, job seekers, young employees, young self-employed and own-account workers, and employers and managers of young people. The questionnaires have been printed in the GENPROM Series on Gender in the Life Cycle, so as to be widely available for adaptation by other countries. The school-to-work transition survey is being currently being replicated in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Bahrain.

Currently, training materials on gender issues, women workers' rights, and business start-up are being adapted and translated. The materials will be used to provide awareness raising and skills training for young women in export processing zones and rural areas. The next phase of the project will look at involving the private sector in providing youth with access to skills development, e-learning and information communications technology. In a workshop to review the findings of the survey , the social partners highlighted the importance of the project because roughly 65 per cent of the country's population is aged between 15-34 years and also pinpointed quality education and training for youth as a key priority for the country to reach its goals of modernization and industrialization. The survey yielded useful information for planning policy and programme interventions. For example, many young people indicated that a job offering career and personal development was more valuable than a job simply offering a good salary and that marriage should come after having a stable job. The gender differentials were also evident in that many more young women than young men were leaving school because of lack of financial resources or to start earning incomes to support their families.

Youth Business Foundation, The Philippines

YEN worked with Youth Business International in the Philippines and with local business leaders to launch the Philippine Youth Business Foundation (PYBF) in March 2003, a seed funding and support programme for young entrepreneurs. The Foundation has now helped start seven young people in business will members of the Rotary Club Manila providing them with mentoring support.
For further information please contact:
John Walter S. Baybay
Executive Director, PYBF
jwsb@angelfire.com

Indonesian Youth Employment Network (I-YEN)

In 2001, the total number of unemployed young people in Indonesia reached 6.1 million, representing 76 percent of the unemployed population. In May 2003, the Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs established an Indonesian Youth Employment Network (I-YEN), involving all major stakeholders in government, the private sector and civil society. The I-YEN is working at the provincial and district levels, among other activities, mobilizing technical and financial resources, monitoring and evaluating action programmes and providing feedback to the government as it develops a National Youth Employment Action Plan.
To support the I-YEN, the ILO is undertaking a series of activities ranging from school to work transition surveys, development of vocational training policy guidelines to provision of support to young workers in the informal sector. The World Bank and UNDP are working with the Ministry of Education focussing on the special needs of marginalized youth and to develop life-skills programmes for in-school and out-of-school youth, especially those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.
For further information on I-YEN please read their information sheet or contact:
Gita Lingga
Media Relations/Public Information Officer
ILO Jakarta Office
 

Related Project: Young Workers and HIV/AIDS - The need for a strategic response

There is a growing recognition that preventing HIV/AIDS among young workers is critical to achieving decent work. The work experiences gained by 15-24-year-olds are one of the most important determinants of behaviour and attitudes that persist throughout life. Targeted interventions are urgently needed to minimize the sources of vulnerability faced by young workers and to strengthen their role in the workplace as the key to preventing the spread of the epidemic.

ILO is currently developing strategies to adapt the ILO Code of practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work to the circumstances and requirements of young workers. ICFTU, in collaboration with ACTRAV, ILO/AIDS and other partners are developing a 'tool box' on HIV/AIDS for young workers. Based on the ILO Code of Practice, the issues covered by the tool box will include workers rights, gender equality, occupational safety and health and non-discrimination. The final product will be in a 'youth-friendly' format, and will be useful for both information and campaign purposes containing knowledge building, awareness raising and advocacy.
Contact:
Sonia Smith
smiths@ilo.org