The International Rescue Committee and Fundacion Paraguaya invite you to engage in a participatory learning event, the School-based Businesses workshop, to be held on Thursday September 10th, 2009 at the International Rescue Committee offices in Washington DC.
International Rescue Committee, Conference Room,
1730 M Street, NW - Suite 505, Washington DC
Thursday September 10th, 2009
The goal of the School-based Businesses workshop is to empower practitioners through learning and exchange to design programs that incorporate enterprise development initiatives that respond to market opportunities and are appropriate and feasible in educational programs. The objective of this workshop is to identify, promote and disseminate replicable approaches for market-based education provision and to consider the effectiveness of these strategies.
The IRC and the Fundacion Paraguaya are accepting proposals to present at this workshop until Monday, August 17th. For more information about presenting or attending this workshop, download the announcement attached below.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| School-based Businesses workshop.pdf | 113.14 KB |
For many youth in Africa, the educational systems in African nations are not adequate preparation for the workplace, as the curriculum is mostly theoretical. There is often a mismatch of skills, with most educational institutions still offering courses that are no longer relevant to the current job market, given current economic trends. This raises the following questions:
- How is the skills gap defined more specifically, a prerequisite for designing and implementing adequate solutions?
- How would private sector employment evolve if the match between skills and private sector needs were better synchronized?
- What is the responsibility of the private sector in promoting youth employment?
This study, done in Ghana and Senegal, seeks to address these questions. It finds that the markets for entry-level labor in both countries have great potential, but need to address issues of attrition (turnover rates), literacy efforts, gender disparities, IT and leadership skills, and so-called "soft skills" (especially professional maturity). The report contains extensive detail for each market. Download the full report below.
