30th Jun, 2024
Today (the 15th of July) is world youth skills day. According to the United Nations, the day commemorated since 2014, celebrates the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
Specifically, the day through organised events has been the cornerstone of advocacy, collaboration and dialogue between relevant stakeholders that include the youth, private and public sector firms, employers, policy makers, development partners and education institutions. In the recent past, there has been notable focus on the role of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions.
Moreover, the skill-based development agenda for this group has been anchored in the strategic sustainable development model espoused by the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4)
Specifically, some of the aims of SDG4 include’
4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
The latter aim also alludes to the prevalence of diversity issues and the need for inclusive skill development initiatives when dealing with youth skills development and mobility. Relatedly, some of the widely documented challenges to SDG4 include lack of access to skills and limited opportunities in the labour market for young women. Research from the UN suggests that this trend is projected to be exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic that has been characterised by factors such as school closures and increased inequality in skills based social mobility.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) asserts that skills-based mobility and inequality has been an issue in need of urgent intervention even prior to the pandemic. In 2012 the OECD published a report arguing that;
‘’Skills are key to tackling inequality and promoting social mobility. “urgent need of new strategies and approaches that focus more explicitly on the links and coherence between investments in skills development and employment and productivity’’.
With the issue being recognised as being endemic before the pandemic, there is increasing evidence that this trend has been worsened and is leading to reduced positive outcomes for youth in society. Thus, the increasing calls for more Targeted Social justice in skills-based mobility interventions are founded on the knowledge that there is a time-bomb that needs diffusing by national states during and after the current crisis.
Moreover, a previous report by OECD in 2015 that warned of time running out for generation of unemployed, stating that
’Younger workers struggling to progress or find jobs after a crisis risk a lifetime trapped at the bottom of the economic ladder unless governments move swiftly to improve their skills and boost investment. If left unchecked, this would result in permanent unemployment, low-paid precarious jobs and higher inequality’’
This shows the knock-on effect of the status quo for the youth. The youth in this context are defined as those between the ages of 15 and 35. This group is seen to be of key importance as an alternative simpler definition defines this age bracket as individuals transitioning between being dependent and being independent.
This issue is therefore larger in the current covid-19 era of flux and the dynamic demands of the labor market that has seen emerging re-reprioritised skills in different contexts. A report by the World Economic Forum contends that by 2025, 50% of all employees will need re-skilling with new skills such as analytical thinking, problem solving, creativity and leadership being high in demand. Thus economists have argued that there is a risk of labour market failure, information failure, increasing skills gaps, increasing inequality and labor immobility.
Moreover, this trend is projected to worsen the already highly stratified labor market where diversity and inclusion based on race, age, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation, and a hierarchy still exists whilst also differentiating careers based on prestige and status. Thus, within the tenets of social justice, it is important that we all advocate for skills-based career interventions targeted at inclusion of individuals from diverse backgrounds particularly the youth. This is reported to be an effective way to not only begin to solve the emerging needs of the youth in our society but also an effective tool to address inherent inequalities particularly in the face of the current crisis.
Authored by: Andrew Amayo
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