Vocational training lightens up lives of marginalized youth through YEE project

At the age of 23, Allan Martin a form four graduate at Ifakara district in Morogoro region did not expect that he would one day wake up and find a free and clear path just out of his door to board and change his life and at the same time fulfill his dream.

After graduating from his o-level education in 2013 at Kibaoni Secondary school, he wanted to be a heavy truck driver but had no means to pay fees for his driving lessons.

He says his father died when he was just five years old and his mother who was doing small businesses had to take care of him and his three siblings struggling to ensure they all go to school but the situation was tough thanks to the government for establishing the ward schools in which his mother could afford to pay for his fees.

In 2014, he went to live with his brother but he had to be casual laborer until September, 2015 when the project namely Youth Economic Empowerment (YEE) project arrived at his district.

YEE project was launched on September, 2015 by the former Vice-President of United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilal aiming at improving and increasing access to employment opportunities and promotes economic empowerment for particularly 9,100 marginalized young women and men (age 15-35) in nine districts of Tanzania.

In doing so, it will contribute to wider efforts to reduce poverty and exclusion among vulnerable groups dependent on the informal sector in Tanzania by ensuring that they have market-relevant skills and improved links to services which will enhance their ability to access self and wage employment.

The project is funded by European Union (EU) who have injected more than 3 million Euros and implemented by Plan International Tanzania, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Community Development and Relief Trust (CODERT), Uhamasisha Hifadhi Kisarawe (UHIKI), and Tanzania’s Vocational Educational and Training Authority (VETA).

The project involve 53 per cent girls, 47 per cent boys and 10 per cent disabled in Dar es Salaam, Pwani, Morogoro, Lindi and Mtwara regions.

Allan Martin is one of the beneficiaries who was enrolled in a free six months driving course at his area and is now employed as a Bajaj driver.

“After obtaining a driving license and recognized that I have attended a course at VETA, everything changed completely as I was able to be trusted and given a Bajaj by a certain boss in February, 2016, “He said.

In their contract, Martin must present to his boss a total of Tshs 18,000 in a daily basis and the remaining amount is his profit.

He earns a maximum of Tshs 30,000 and a minimum of Tshs 22,000 daily as his profit after presenting his boss`s return.

He says life has improved and he is assured of fulfilling his basic needs and support his brother`s family with no doubt.

Allan believes that by 2017 he will be owning his own Bajaj and serve for his further studies until he possess a license allowing him to drive the heavy trucks and one day own his own truck and become a successful businessman in the country.

He advises other youth to effectively use the opportunities that comes around their areas and find ways to get rid of unemployment situation.

He tells youth to invest the little that they earn from their activities in attending training in Vocational Training centres to obtain skills which will enhance their employability.

YEE Project Manager Simon Ndembeka said that the implementation of the project started in July, 2015 and has so far benefited a total of 2030 youth in the districts of Mtwara rural, Mtwara municipal, Lindi rural, Lindi municipal, Temeke, Ilala, Kibaha rural, Kibaha, Kisarawe and Kilombero.

The occupations which these youth have been enrolled include Motor Vehicle Mechanics, Electrical Installation, Carpentry, Masonry, Welding and Fabrication, Tailoring, Catering and Driving.

Mr Ndembeka says that many youth have responded positively to the program and the turnout is more than 800 youth in a district while the project accommodates a maximum of 150 youth.

“Youth have shown interest on the project because it impart them with skills to allow them get employment…It is even more interesting to see a big turnout of girls who are the most vulnerable group,” He said.

He says 51 percent of the youth enrolled in the project are girls and 49 percent are boys adding that most of them are those who failed to continue with studies due to early pregnancies and others due to the failure of their parents to pay for their school fees.

Among the challenges Mr Ndembeka pointed out include minimal turnout of people with disability into the project while 10 percent of project beneficiaries were people with disability.

According to Mr. Ndembeka, some contributing factors to the situation include poor infrastructures to enable them move from one point to another, inadequate teachers to train the group and the misperception by their families and society that people with disability are to be kept inside and could not perform any duty for their livelihood.

Youth are identified by the local government leaders at their areas and the YEE team organize a training by VET teachers at their areas using the available VET centres or other government buildings such as primary and secondary schools.

During the project launching Dr Bilal called upon youth to find proper ways to exploit employment opportunities available in the country especially by acquiring relevant skills.

"We have many vocational colleges in our country where the youth can enroll to gain important skills on how to exploit available resources to get employment, instead of waiting for the government to do it for them," he said.

Plan International Deputy Director, Mr Gerald Magashi, said they believe it was crucial that young people have the knowledge and skills to indulge in life in order to break the cycle of poverty.

EU delegation Head of Cooperation, Mr Erick Beaume, said development partners were committed to see Tanzania grow economically and as it does so increases the number of jobs.

Mr Beaume said the low skill content of jobs held by Tanzanian youth was to a large extent determined by their still low level of education achievements. Expounding further, he said more efforts should be made on the quality and access of secondary education, adding it will be critical to develop strategies ensuring better matching between the need of the formal sector and the demand of youth for jobs.

VETA Director General Eng. Zebadiah Moshi said that the mode of training will be outreach training where by the beneficiaries would be provided with VET training at their respective areas.

He urged youth to use the opportunity in an effective way to ensure that they achieve their dreams hence improve their lives and the life of the people around them.

On her side, the VSO Acting Country Director Ms Rose Tesha said VSO was very pleased to be part of an initiative to improve life of more than 9000 marginalized young women and men and help them to improve their market - relevant skills and knowledge.

She said VSO was committed to work closely with the YEE project partners to make it successful.

The National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (MKUKUTA I from 2006-2010 and MKUKUTA II from 2011-2015) insists on creation of productive and decent employment for more vulnerable group such as youth and women through focusing on skills development.

Ends

 

By Dora Tesha