By Goth Mohamed Goth
HARGEISA {MESAF} 15/7/2020-The Ministry of Employment, Social Affairs and Family on Wednesday celebrated International Youth Professional Day.
UNESCO’s theme for WYSD 2020 was “Skills for a Resilient Youth in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond”
Mr. Abdirashid Sheik Abdirahman, the Director-General of the Ministry of Employment, Social Affairs, and Family of the Republic of Somaliland briefed those attending the event on the ministry’s role in developing the skills of young people across the country.
He added that this year’s World Youth Skills Day 2020 takes place in a challenging context. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures have led to the worldwide closure of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, threatening the continuity of skills development.
It is estimated that nearly 70% of the world’s learners are affected by school closures across education levels currently. Respondents to a survey of TVET institutions, jointly collected by UNESCO, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank, reported that distance training has become the most common way of imparting skills, with considerable difficulties regarding, among others, curricula adaptation, trainee and trainer preparedness, connectivity, or assessment and certification processes.
Prior to the current crisis, young people aged 15-24 were three times more likely than adults to be unemployed and often faced a prolonged school-to-work transition period. In post-COVID-19 societies, as young people are called upon to contribute to the recovery effort, they will need to be equipped with the skills to successfully manage evolving challenges and the resilience to adapt to future disruptions.
Among those dignitaries speaking during the commemoration of the World Youth Skills Day were the Director Generals of the Ministries of Constitution Affairs, Investment, and the Deputy Chairman of the Somaliland Civil Service Commission.
The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Social and Family Employment and HAVOYOCO, GAVO, and SAVE THE CHILDREN.
