EDITORIAL: Let's talk about the needs of young people on 'World Youth Skills Day'

Today, July 15, is ‘World Youth Skills Day,’ intended to raise awareness on the importance of investing in skills development among the world’s youth - as per the UN General Assembly Resolution number 69/145 of December 18, 2014.

Unfortunately, existing systems have failed to address effectively enough the learning needs of young people.

Indeed, survey findings on learning outcomes and skills conducted by various institutions determined that a large number of youth across the globe have low levels of achievement in basic literacy and numeracy.

So,what’s to be expected of the state and levels of acquired and/or accessible functional skills among the world’s teeming youth, pray?

Youths are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. In any case, they’re continuously exposed to lower-quality jobs and greater labor market inequalities, as well as longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions.

In addition to that, females - both girls and older women - are more likely to be underemployed and/or underpaid more often than not. They undertake part-time jobs, or work on temporary contracts rather than on permanent terms that mean more lucrative retirement benefits.

So, that’s why top-quality education and other forms of training are generally acknowledged the world over as key determinants to success in the labor market for youths of both sexes, as well as their older brothers and sisters.

Exploring suitable ways of increasing youth prospects

This is partly wherein comes UN’s ‘World Youth Skills Day,’ an annual opportunity for governments and other relevant authorities worldwide to explore suitable ways of increasing prospects for the youth to gain access to quality training and skills development as a matter of course.

Generally, productive participation in current and emerging dynamic labour markets have concentrated a unique focus on ‘technical and vocational education and training’ (TVET) as a critical source of responsively-skilled human capital.

Employment trends and outlooks signify that today’s youth need functional competencies and higher-order transversal skills that would enable them to effectively respond to continuing changes in the workplace.

Hence the dire need for youths to acquire the right skills that would enhance their ability to take informed decisions - thus empowering them to readily access the rapidly changing global labour markets. Hence also the corresponding need for the relevant Tanzanian authorities - including especially the government - to step up efforts to impart the right skills upon its youth by taking action at every opportunity.

Indeed, Tanzaniahad already put in place a vocational education and training authority (Veta) as per the Vocational Training Act of 1974 - replaced by the 1994 Vocational Educational and Training Act.

What Tanzanians need now is a ramping-up of efforts by the relevant authorities to provide new skills - as well as upskill with additional skillsthose already skilled. Over to you, DrMagufuli... A better future for successive generations of Tanzanian youth is in your presidential hands, so to speak.