Apprenticeships as a Path for Youth Employment in Malawi, Tanzania, and South Africa
GAN Global worked with employers’ federations in Malawi and Tanzania to promote apprenticeships as a means to facilitate entry into the workforce in countries with high levels of youth unemployment. A high-level conference on Pathways to Youth Employment – Apprenticeships and Work-Based Training offered a platform in South Africa to discuss challenges, as well as share and develop innovative ideas and solutions. Participants also explored strategies to build inclusive, future-proof labour markets that offer opportunities for all, including youth, women and other vulnerable groups.
Timeline
2015-2017
Countries involved
Malawi
Tanzania
South Africa
Partners & funders
Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM)
Partner
Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE)
Partner
IOE
Partner
OECD
Partner
ILO
Partner
The MasterCard Foundation
Donor
The challenge
Businesses in the target countries report that they lack the skills required for many job roles, highlighting the need for innovative skills development strategies such as apprenticeships and work-based learning to develop individuals to meet market needs. In addition, while apprenticeships exist in SE Africa, they mostly operate in the context of informal work. Current apprenticeships are reported as fragmented, poorly regulated, and rarely incorporating best practices. This challenge is critical because Africa has the youngest population in the world with 200 million people aged between 15 and 24 (the youth bracket). The current trend indicates that this figure will double by 2045, according to the 2012 African Economic Outlook report prepared by experts from the African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), among others.
What we did
We brought together various partners, including International Labour Organization (ILO) country offices, to provide guidance, expertise, and technical support on workshops and toolkits for employers. Building upon previous research in the targeted countries, we led a national scoping exercise assessing the social, political, and economic context of youth to understand how underrepresented populations needs will be represented through apprenticeship and documented good practices. Code of Conducts for employers and toolkits for private sector engagement in apprenticeship programs, along with a high-level conference and site visits, were launched.
Outcomes
Supported two employer-led networks in two countries which carried out activities over a 3-year period. The activities led to employers having a better understanding of the basics of quality apprenticeship programs and country-specific. In addition, we convened the South African government, the OECD, the IOE, G20 (government), B20 (business) and L20 (labor unions) at a high-level conference that brought together 150 participants from the private sector, government, employer and business organizations, unions, international organizations, foundations, NGOs, educational institutions, and youth. Representing 20 countries, the majority of attendees came from South Africa (65%) and the region (Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe), followed by Europe, North and Latin America.
Evidence & Outputs
Conference Summary
Pathways to Youth Employment: Apprenticeships and Work-Based Training
Apprenticeships and work-based training are the building blocks of generations to come; we cannot fail them.
Nkosi Sango Patekile Holomisa
Deputy Minister of Labour, South Africa
Formal accreditation should not be overemphasized; qualifications should speak for themselves.
Nick Louw
Director of Assessment and ARPL South African Department of Higher Education and Labour
