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| Friday, 23 January 2004 |
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Youth employment and career planning by George Mendis I refer to the critical problems of the day affecting poverty, security and harmony:- * Unemployment and Under-employment of the economically active people * Tension among the educated youth, the most capable of Job-seekers, failing to find job openings to match their interests, education levels and socio-economic needs.
Hence two issues of urgent concern to the youth and powers that be are: (i) the search for satisfying work by job-seekers and (ii) efforts by the job providers-state/private sector to supply jobs that match the demand in production/marketing. As a part remedy I stress on promotion of entrepreneurship and self-employment to cater to the youth-school-leavers/university graduates-the job-hunters getting together on a look-out for jobs, being disappointed and forced into harmful ventures--resulting in undue frustration and indiscipline that can cause injury to peace-building as the lot is from higher-circles having done 10-13 years at school and/or 3-4 years in the university. A big load of educational wastage is also the outcome. R and D - We need to diagnose these problems by knowing the interests of the job-seekers, on their strengths and weaknesses, the demands of the labour market now and later and resources that are available to realise the production demands of the job-providers using modern industrial technology... For example:- in 1999 the writer was detailed to do a evaluative study for the World University Service on the employment demands of the Job-Seekers and the employment opportunities in the two highly deficit districts of Hambantota and Batticaloa. As evidence in the feedback recorded at the 2CSCs (Career Service Centres-an extended Job-Information Centre proposed by the writer about 12 years ago) - the main findings-on the critical aspects of employment were briefly:- *Inadequate Awareness on Job-prospects in the outlandish villages-; i.e. youth in remote areas in neglect.! * Job-Seekers: Up to March '99 - H'Tota:- 1058 (50% females); Bt; 29 (49% Females) Job placements were done for 23% in H and 15% in Bt - i.e. total outcomes poor. Job skills: In H below grade; Bt.-16 skilled in technical - i.e. Lack needed Skills. Spl. Note: face to face interviews with 18 in H, 19 in Bt indicated poor aspirations-a lack of self-confidence and reliance on genuine external support. * Vocational Training programs are scarce and scanty, few and far between. Vocational authority leads the programs in H, while WUS had 9 centres in Bt - i.e. Impact/Extension Poor. Entrepreneurship programs in vision only-have not borne fruit-no push-not well organised. New trends in VT: The initial need for Job-Seekers is motivation advice, orientation, 'mind-and skills-set' to realise work attitudes and fit themselves as the potential workers to match the existing and future Job-Openings in the Labour Market. Edl. Tuition in special work skills may be necessary. Strategy- My submission is directed at- (i) Job-Trainers on curriculum renewal to include more non-formal education practises, develop work concepts in improving their capacity for advanced work to match in a broad way the specific and general job demands as job-mobility and repeated preparation for matching hired/wage labour openings in public/private sectors may be needed. (ii) Motivation, Career Education and personal Guidance of the Job-Seekers, the Youth in exit classes in School/University on self assessment of their own strengths and weaknesses and plan their careers to fit the available, now and later, job opportunities and especially the broad demand available for self employment and may be better self earned incomes in time to come, say in agriculture and agro-industrial ventures. A functional education system on work and income generation say on Corporative/Collective/Small Company group dynamics need to be included in career guidance modules. (iii) Our emphasis is on entrepreneurs/self-employment and on possibilities individually, within their own areas/families or collectively, in groups/partnerships with other capable interested peers/friends on enterprises that can be successfully worked out, may be in their own familiar areas/villages, dependent on the resources and raw material needed/available and based 100% on their own strengths, initiatives and genuine efforts; there can be situations wherein conditions in climate, land tenure, conflicts in community may not be conducive to the businesses. Reliable genuine advice of the experienced self-workers and teachers/elders need to be followed. We note: Employment is a large problem, unemployed in number/quality wise is still larger. For the sake of economising on space let be comment briefly on the main issues for action. * What may be done * Coordinating authority - a setup of the Labour Dept. on approved policy/planning, collecting and analysing details on the unemployed/job seekers, employers/job providers, vocational trainers, labour market/present and future and other allied information with a network in all districts. The Employment Exchange, that did valuable service about 50 years ago, can also be modernised in consultation with trade unions/worker educators/funding agencies on a time scale-immediate, short-term, mid-term, long term with scope to monitor and for formative and cumulative evaluation. * Developing Entrepreneurship and self employment prospects - Issue of advisory notes on business-possible income-generating activities say in agriculture/agro-industries, on organisation/management, partnership, financial aid/control and other advice needed by the interested on production/sales etc. * Publicising Worker-Education - say on specific/on the job training, short term non-formal edn. and skills training, and long term formal worker edn. courses on a mission to develop an educated work-force skilled in modern technology, with positive work attitudes, morally mind-set satisfied at work. * Career guidance and training on employment of the youth in exit classes in schools/universities etc joint collaboration by the employment exchanges with the authorities of the secondary schools and higher education systems need to be developed for issue of training guides/job-information papers. In this respect central support centred on developing of a solid, honest QWL (Quality of Work and Life) of a potential worker has to be a sound vision of the organisers of employment services. Other aid in the form of expertise, bank loans, land, equipment and work techniques may be needed by the target job-seekers trying to get out of the school gates and enter the security bound work places. We have so far stressed on the need for the said youth to take a lead in doing a self search on their strengths and weaknesses, interests and shortcomings to enter the world of work; it may be on an individual/family basis, or in partnership with peers on a cooperative small scale company system. Special interest on the areas in neglect I am prioritising this aspect also as the remote rural areas, the old still living villages in the Dry Zones have been given step motherly treatment-they have missed being beneficiaries of many of the services provided to job-hunters in the urban/suburban areas. Into the category of those 'out of sight and out of mind' fall the jobless, otherwise occupied in good or bad work in the shanty gardens in the cities. It had been reported that the general unemployment ratio was around 20% of the economically active labour force, this figure may be treble that number among the youth in the rural areas-this is a factor needing attention as unemployment can adversely affect the all important drive on the spread of the culture of peace in the villages. While we appreciate highly the genuine efforts being planned by the Labour Ministry paying heed to the need of the hour on unemployment it is our urge that more productive possible job opportunities be opened up instead of the mere white collar positions; - the grey colour and more the practical and field openings should be well planned ahead. It is in this context that I heavily urge a proper plan be drawn up on estimating the actual numbers of job-seekers in the various areas-the potential workers in urban, sub-urban, coastline, rural and remote village based, and estate areas and employment possibilities. A tripartite body of worker educators, employers/job-providers, worker-student leaders steered by the Labour Dept to plan, monitor and evaluate the progress terminally is my simple suggestion to plan out realistic systems in the solution of recurrent problems of unemployment/new job seekers. |
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