Arm youths with life skills

SKILLS and jobs for youths are a prominent aspect of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) or Agenda 2030. It emphasises the crucial need for substantially increasing the number of youths who possess skills essential for their lives and livelihoods.

Countries (for example, New Zealand, Denmark, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, the Netherlands and Singapore) that invest considerable resources to provide their youths (both girls and boys) with quality education and skills to fully use their talents and potential, give opportunities for gainful work and economic activities and participation in political and developmental processes that affect their lives, are those that have progressed and prospered in conditions of peace and security.

But unfortunately, existing systems in most countries are failing to address the learning needs of many young people. Surveys of learning outcomes and skills show that a large number of youths have low levels of achievement in basic literacy and numeracy.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to lower quality jobs, greater labour market inequalities and longer and more insecure schooltowork transitions.

In addition, women are more likely to be underemployed and underpaid, and to undertake parttime jobs or work under temporary contracts.

It is in this context that the UN World Youth Skills Day, which is on July 15 every year, was established by the UN General Assembly in 2014.

The day is observed around the world to highlight the importance of youth skills development at the global level. While the majority of young people without suitable employment live in developing countries, recognition of this problem and implementation of different programmes is aimed at enhancing the ability of youths to make informed life and work choices.

It will be both necessary and immensely beneficial in Malaysia for government departments, educational institutions and volunteer organisations to focus on policies and schemes that can help young people overcome obstacles to employment and skills improvement so that they can pursue lives that are satisfying and rewarding for themselves and the nation.

Countries that invest considerable resources to provide their youths with quality education and skills are those that have progressed and prospered in conditions of peace and security.