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Promotion of youth employment is one of the most critical challenges Sri Lanka is facing today. ILO works for national and local economic developments that give young people a better chance in life.

The youth unemployment rate in Sri Lanka is an alarming 22% with another 30% estimated to be underemployed.

To address these challenges, the Government of Sri Lanka established the Youth Employment Network (YEN) involving senior policy-makers from government agencies and institutions, the private sector and the civil society. With the technical support of the ILO, the YEN developed a National Action Plan for Youth.

Through the Youth Employment Project, the ILO contributes to address the challenges of youth unemployment. Funded by the Government of Japan, the project strengthens the capacity of social partners and government institutions in developing national and district policies that are youth-inclusive and sustain employment-rich and pro-poor growth.

In districts local economic development (LED) approaches to pro-youth employment creation and growth are key.

Short title	Youth Employment Project (ILO/Japan)
Long title	Decent Work for Young Women and Men in Sri Lanka (ILO/Japan).
Project Number	SRL0701MJPN, SRL0704MJPN, SRL0801MJPN
Government Counterpart	Ministry of Youth Affairs (MoYA)
Partners/Donors	Government of Japan (ILO/Japan)
Total pledge	USD 1.6 million (plus)
Location	Sabaragamuwa Province’s two Districts of Ratnapura and Kegalle
Duration	2008-2011
Sector(s)	Employment
UNDAF/MDG:	MDG 8 (partnerships – productive work for youth)
Contacts	Henrik Vistisen, Chief Technical Adviser, vistisen–at-ilo.org

Background
Unemployment and underemployment seriously affects youth in Sri Lanka. Young women and men make up 40 % of the unemployed on the island.

The province of Sabaragamuwa with its districts of Ratnapura and Kegalle is particularly hard hit by poverty and unemployment. Youth in plantations and adjacent villages are particularly at risk for labour market exclusion.

Successful social and labour market inclusion of young women and men is key to social stability in Sri Lanka. The 1971 and 1988 youth unrests in Sri Lanka bears this out.

Objectives
A well functioning, efficient and growth generating plantation sector is key to Sri Lanka’s economy. Consequently, the project will promote Corporate Social Responsibility by i.e. a) generating more attractive labour conditions through improved Occupational Safety an Health (OSH) b) upgrading work functions, c) promoting social recognition by management for the plantation workers, and d) incentives to young women and men in the estates.

The project will offer a) non-formal and remedial education, b) life skills and career guidance, c) vocational and technical skills and d) start and improve your business and other business development services to the youth.

Vocational training options are minimal for young women and men as are employment opportunities. Plantations cannot absorb them into the labour force due to excessive labour on the plantations. The project will support vocational training institutions and the provision of labour market information to boost the prospect of employment outside the plantations. This will be conducted in partnership with the plantation management companies and also through GO and NGO vocational training service providers identified and accredited to the Vocational Training Education Commission.

Enterprise development – is another option that will be provided to young men and women who are interested and have an aptitude to be self-employed and start their own business. A mentorship programme model successfully developed in another part of Sri Lanka will be replicated with adaptation to suit the enterprise environment of the plantation sector. An strategic intervention of introducing an attitudinal change (from negative to positive) in respect of entrepreneurship will be done through the formal schools system using the established KAB (Know About Business) ILO tool in partnership with the Ministry of Education.

Strategy
In conclusion, downstream the project will support and build capacity in key labour market institutions and with key service providers. This will enhance their capacity to reach out to and assist young women and men for labour market inclusion.

Upstream, the project will contribute to ILO’s Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) and consequently support the Government’s labour market reform strategy. The project will provide youth employment policy advice with specific reference to ILO Convention 122 on Employment Policy – a Convention yet to be ratified by Sri Lanka.