‘’Where you seat when you are old, shows where you stood in youth.’’ African Proverbs.
In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15th July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
‘’Since then, World Youth Skills Day events have provided a unique opportunity for dialogue between young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, firms, employers’ and workers’ organizations, policymakers and development partners’’ UN 2021
The 2021 theme is: Reimagining Youth Skills Post Pandemic. It aims at celebrating the resilience and creativity of youth throughout the crisis.
Participants will share how through TVET systems, they were able to adapt to the pandemic and subsequent recession; consider how those systems could participate in a possible recovery phase, and brainstorm on priorities they should adopt for a successful post-COVID-19 world.
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19, young people between the ages of 15 to 24 have been particularly exposed to the socio-economic outcomes of the pandemic. The closing of schools and workplace activities, have led to considerable losses in learning and training. Young people are said to have been even more affected by the COVID-19 crisis than adults. This is in line with the fact that globally, youth employment fell by 8.7 per cent in 2020, compared to 3.7 per cent for adults.
Respondents to a survey conducted by TVET institutions in collaboration with UNESCO, the International Labor Organization and the World Bank, reported that distance training had become the most common way of imparting knowledge, with considerable difficulties, included but not limited to: curricula adaptation, trainee and trainer preparedness, connectivity, or assessment and certification processes. ILO 2021
The objectives of the 2021 World Youth Skills Day are to:
- Assess the situation of young people regarding skills and work during and after the COVID-19 pandemic; learn how they have been living through the crisis; highlight success stories of youth innovation and resilience
- Debate on prospects for skills development and the world of work as economies recover, and on the effectiveness of national recovery plans, and support from development partners
- Reflect on how TVET stakeholders can collaborate to scale up skills development and help reconcile the short-term need for economic recovery with the urgent need for accelerating the transition to sustainable development.
Transolution Services has been contributing to the World Youth Skills Day through its programme dubbed ‘Shifting Landscape’ (SL). SL is a vocational program designed to help young people between the ages of 15 to 24 years old understand themselves and others better, and guide their thoughts and decision making. From self-awareness and perception to mental and emotional health, the programme helps young people fly to the right altitude. Registration is currently ongoing here: https://forms.gle/bGCAywbhWoiEqxkE8