In Sub-Saharan Africa, half the eligible school age population is not enrolled, and fewer than half of those who complete
the primary school cycle. Unemployment and underemployment are causing crime and social problems. In many countries,
the workforce is being decimated by HIV/AIDS and thousands of children are being orphaned by the disease and leaving school.
Youth and workforce development are emerging, critical issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. The ability of African nations to gain
or maintain a competitive market niche is often constrained by the inadequacy of available skills to match labor market
demand. Universal primary education policies have paid high dividends; nevertheless, they have also produced a more capable
labor force with greater expectations but little skill focus and limited employability. In short, the gap between basic skills
and labor market needs continues to widen.
What has to been done:
There is increasing interest in youth and workforce development. One country has launched a comprehensive program for youth, including basic skills training, and other countries have shown interest in developing youth and workforce development objectives. In one country, businesses within each industry sector are taxed to provide training resources, which are managed by stakeholder-led sector education and training authorities. While basic education remains the Education Sub-Saharan Africa ESSA education team's highest priority, it will devote increasing attention to sharpening the relevance of skills necessary for economic and social development – as appropriate to local circumstances and subject to market demand.
Challenges
There are two major approaches to youth and workforce development. First is the development of workplace foundations skills for children in school, and nonformal education for at-risk children outside of schools. In these programs, all children should learn basic skills (reading, writing, mathematics, speaking and listening), critical thinking skills (ability to learn, reason, think creatively, make decisions, and solve problems) personal qualities (individual responsibility, self-esteem and self management, sociability, and integrity), health, peace and environment and employment skills (ability to identify and then navigate the culture of different workplaces).
A second approach, which would be closely associated with the work of the economic growth teams in Education Sub-Saharan Africa ESSA missions and with the Global Bureau's Center for Human capacity Development, would treat workforce development as part of a larger strategy of improving the economic competitiveness of an industry cluster (tourism, agribusiness, mining, etc). A cluster would consist of the demand side (education/training suppliers such as schools, training organizations, and universities). The education and training needs of micro-enterprise will also be addressed so that they could evolve into small business and create further employment.