Youth Employment through Skills Enhancement (YES)

Achieving success with professional and social skills

Barely out of school – with or without qualifications – many young people in the underdeveloped interior of Tanzania have little choice but to cultivate a small plot of land, either their own or someone elseʼs. Around 70 per cent of the working population of Tanzania live, for better or worse, from agriculture. Secondary school qualifications are required in order to learn a trade, but many families cannot afford this or the schools are too far away. Moreover, for many people the existing training opportunities are prohibitively expensive and not geared to the local labour market.

In view of the growing population, the number of young, unqualified jobseekers is expected to rise sharply over the coming years. Helvetas in Tanzania has therefore launched a series of practical short training courses for 11 trades so far that do not require the young women and men to have school qualifications. The aim of the courses is to provide them with the skills and competences they need to gain a foothold in the employment market. In the practical part of the training, they learn practical skills such as installing electrical circuits, breeding bees or erecting walls. In the theoretical part of the training, they learn how to, for example, design circuits, prevent dampness in walls using damp-proof courses, or the basics of modern honey production.

In addition to professional skills, the young women and men also have the opportunity in the courses to improve their social and personal skills. Following their schooling, which is based mainly on rote learning, they now have to learn to develop ideas, communicate clearly and think independently. Reliability, initiative and self-confidence are also key elements of the courses, as making a positive impression is crucial to finding a job. Those wishing to start their own business must be able to market and sell their own product. The young trainees therefore also learn entrepreneurial skills such as business planning, marketing and finance management. In this way, the short courses inspire entrepreneurship – as well as a sense of optimism for a brighter future.