International education conference explores access to decent jobs for youth
17 October 2023
BRUSSELS (ILO News) - The Educaid international conference explored how and under which conditions education interventions contribute to access to decent work for youth. The event was organized in collaboration with KULeuven, Enabel, VVOB, APEFE and ILO.
In a video message, Caroline Gennez, Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation and of Major Cities, described education as a catalyst for breaking the cycle of poverty. “Education equips individuals with the tools needed to secure decent work, escape low pay and exploitative jobs,” she said.
Christine Hofmann, Team leader on skills for social inclusion at the ILO, gave a keynote address. She explained the four dimensions of decent work: social protection, rights at work, productive employment and social dialogue. The ILO has five Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which its 189 Member states need to uphold, namely freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced labour; the effective abolition of child labour; the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation; and a safe and healthy working environment.
A job can only be decent when it pays a decent wage. In addition to the wage dimension, there is also the personal dimension of fulfilment. “We need an environment that creates decent employment, with policies that work towards the creation of decent jobs and good working conditions,” Hofmann said.
Last month, the ILO released a report on where we stand with the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8) on Decent Work for All. It examines the prospects of achieving SDG 8 by 2030 across 23 indicators, including several indicators from SDGs 4, 10 and 15, along environmental, economic and social dimensions. “The sad truth is that there has been progress for only a couple of indicators," she said.
Every fifth young person is not in education, employment or training (NEET). Young women are twice as likely as young men to be NEET. Women take on more care responsibilities, but there are also other reasons that prevent them to enter the labour market, e.g. in Arab States more than half of the women are out of the labour market.
The ILO’s Youth Employment action plan calls for integrated approaches. It has several pillars including skills and employability, entrepreneurship, employment and protection policies, rights at work and labour market policies. The action plan aims to secure a better future of work for young people by promoting a pro-youth job rich recovery from the COVID-crisis and beyond. Hofmann also pointed to the ILO Strategy on skills and lifelong learning 2030.
The ILO has implemented several projects focussing on skills training and quality apprenticeships. For example, with the support of the Brazilian Public Ministry of Labour, the ILO created a work-based learning programme for transgender people to access the formal labour market. The “Kitchen and Voice” initiative uplifts transgender people in Brazil, and the people who received the training now work as chefs in local restaurants in Brazil.
In a video message, Caroline Gennez, Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation and of Major Cities, described education as a catalyst for breaking the cycle of poverty. “Education equips individuals with the tools needed to secure decent work, escape low pay and exploitative jobs,” she said.
Christine Hofmann, Team leader on skills for social inclusion at the ILO, gave a keynote address. She explained the four dimensions of decent work: social protection, rights at work, productive employment and social dialogue. The ILO has five Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which its 189 Member states need to uphold, namely freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced labour; the effective abolition of child labour; the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation; and a safe and healthy working environment.
A job can only be decent when it pays a decent wage. In addition to the wage dimension, there is also the personal dimension of fulfilment. “We need an environment that creates decent employment, with policies that work towards the creation of decent jobs and good working conditions,” Hofmann said.
Last month, the ILO released a report on where we stand with the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8) on Decent Work for All. It examines the prospects of achieving SDG 8 by 2030 across 23 indicators, including several indicators from SDGs 4, 10 and 15, along environmental, economic and social dimensions. “The sad truth is that there has been progress for only a couple of indicators," she said.
Every fifth young person is not in education, employment or training (NEET). Young women are twice as likely as young men to be NEET. Women take on more care responsibilities, but there are also other reasons that prevent them to enter the labour market, e.g. in Arab States more than half of the women are out of the labour market.
The ILO’s Youth Employment action plan calls for integrated approaches. It has several pillars including skills and employability, entrepreneurship, employment and protection policies, rights at work and labour market policies. The action plan aims to secure a better future of work for young people by promoting a pro-youth job rich recovery from the COVID-crisis and beyond. Hofmann also pointed to the ILO Strategy on skills and lifelong learning 2030.
The ILO has implemented several projects focussing on skills training and quality apprenticeships. For example, with the support of the Brazilian Public Ministry of Labour, the ILO created a work-based learning programme for transgender people to access the formal labour market. The “Kitchen and Voice” initiative uplifts transgender people in Brazil, and the people who received the training now work as chefs in local restaurants in Brazil.