Youth Employment and Social Dialogue

Background

India has experienced strong economic growth for more than a decade. Such growth has not benefitted all parts of the population. Considerable attention is now being given to ensure that growth is sufficiently inclusive. In Southern India, urban centers have grown rapidly creating employment for their residents. One such centre is Chennai and its satellite base of Kancheepuram District. Young people who have few skills find it difficult to secure decent employment. This is despite the fact that the growth of industry and commerce has created a demand for skilled labour in the manufacturing and service sectors and these enterprises are faced with acute skill shortage.

This project undertaken by the ILO Employers Activities Bureau (ACT/EMP) is part of the Joint ACTRAV - ACT/EMP Programme Frame Work (Social Dialogue component) agreed by ILO and the Government of Norway.

Objectives

Strategically, this project is aimed at enhancing the capacity of EFSI, the principal employers' organization in South India to address youth employment issues with a view to enhancing the employability of youth, in dialogue with other stake holders and the trade unions in particular. The identified project objectives are:

• Situational assessment of Youth Employment
• social Dialogue
• Skills Training
• Apprenticeship
• Certification of Graduates
• entrepreneurship Training

Strategy

In collaboration with the Employers' Federation of Southern India, after a number of meetings with representatives of the social partners with a view to identifying employer led initiatives, it was decided to work in Kancheepuram District of the State of Tamil Nadu and the project activities started in May 2008. Specifically, the following strategy will be adopted:

• Foster social dialogue on youth employment among representatives of workers, employers and government (including training institutes) to provide more and better work opportunities for young people (who have education between 8th standard and 12th standard) in the selected district of Tamil Nadu.
• Expand the training available for young people (who have education between 8th standard and 12th standard) and improve its relevance so as to increase their employability.
• Support the expansion of apprenticeship places in enterprises for young women and men so that they gain the experience necessary to develop rewarding careers in their chosen fields.
• Improve the system of certification for skills training given at public and private ITIs and industrial schools.
• Offer business training (Start, Improve or Expand Your Business, globalization, productivity) of 2-4 days to youth.
• Promote core ILO conventions through sensitization programmes.
• Foster donations of machinery from employers and machine producers to upgrade the facilities for training in government-run or other ITIs to ensure that training is relevant to the contemporary needs of employers in the state.