Global Sub Theme under Child Poverty Sector: Adolescent skills for successful transitions

Education for Youth Empowerment (EYE) Program, Save the Children

Results of Adolescent Skills for Successful Transitions:

The Skills Development sector in Bangladesh has made significant progress in the last decade, with the approval of the National Skills Development Policy (2010) and the National Technical Vocational Qualification Framework (2013). As these policies and guidelines are rolled out, it is of critical importance that this is done in a way that is accessible to vulnerable youth, who may face barriers to accessing vocational training such as their educational qualifications, existing employment in the informal sector, and other social and economic factors. At the same time, the growth of the private sector in Bangladesh provides opportunities to maximize the potential of young people and strengthen skills development through Corporate Social Responsibility.

Save the Children will be a leader in demonstrating pathways for vulnerable youth to become empowered citizens through basic education, vocational training, and soft skills. We will identify specific groups of deprived young people, including adolescent girls, children engaged in hazardous work, child domestic workers, children working in agriculture, and street children, and will develop tailored opportunities for their training and development, breaking the cycle of poverty. Programs will be designed with strategic linkages to result 4.2.2 under the Education theme.

We will demonstrate innovative partnerships that engage the private sector in vocational education and apprenticeships/employment, and will also provide opportunities for young people to develop entrepreneurial skills and to save for their futures. In partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, SC will support the approval and implementation of the National CSR Policy for Children.  Furthermore, programs will be documented and shared widely, so that our approaches to skills development for vulnerable youth can be taken to scale nationally by the government and other actors.

Innovation:

• • Conduct evidence based research and documentation on comprehensive program approach for reaching working children and adolescents with Basic Education, Technical Education and Soft Skills.
  • Demonstrate Win-Win business case to promote Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for preparing and creating decent employment opportunities for RMG, electric and electronics and ICT sectors.
  • Contextualize SC global (Skills to Succeed) labor market assessment guidelines and share with other actors for wider use.
  • Identify demand driven trades for three sectors (RMG, Electric and Electronics and ICT), develop market-driven curriculum and upgrade training institutions.
  • Piloting on the informal sector work places in the value chain (particularly leather and RMG) to transform them into training institutions and link to formal sector.
  • Demonstrate and test an approach to rural TVET for the agricultural sector.
  • Strengthen soft employability skills through adolescent networks, children and youth clubs, and youth led research and advocacy.

Partnership:

• • Partnership with business, trade association and foreign buying houses for developing ‘business case’ model based on shared value principles.
  • Maintain partnership with government to approve and implement National CSR Policy for Children, National Skills Development Policy and National Apprenticeships Rule.
  • Contribute to National Skills Development Working Group to align SC and partner programs in light of NSDP and NTVQF.
  • Build capacity of TVET service providers (NGOs, private, government) to deliver quality TVET and soft employability skills for the marginalised adolescent, in line with national standards and qualifications framework.
  • Document process and outcome of multi-stakeholders based partnership model.

Voice:

• • Work with CRG to maximize NCTF (National Children’s Task Force) as a national platform for adolescent boys and girls to advocate for decent skills development and employment opportunities for young people.
  • Develop alternative monitoring mechanism whereby corporations identify good practices on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that support quality vocational skills training and soft skills.
  • Strengthen the civil society network, ‘Together with Working Children’ (TWC) to influence the pro youth policies for creating safe and decent employment for adolescents through integration with livelihoods and social protection programs.
  • Build partnerships between civil society and corporate sector to advocate for sustainable development for vulnerable children and youth.
  • Ensure the implementation of Wage policy
    • Ensuring equal wage for 15-18 age group.
    • Advocate with the formal sector to ensure age appropriate salary for youth and create decent work environment at extended supply chain
    • Proper implementation of National CSR policy including Apprentice management
  • Campaign on ‘Work Place Improvement in the Informal Sector’ and ‘Early Marriage’ through cross-sectoral integration.

Scale:

• • Support the replication of a comprehensive adolescents’ skills development model (work place improvement, soft skills and private sector engagement) through government and other institutions at national and regional level.
  • Provide technical support to scale up the ROSC II pilot on pre-vocational education in selected geographical areas.
  • Demonstrate strategies to reach the most vulnerable adolescents aged 9-18 years (urban slum and working children and youth, children of sex workers, indigenous children) through analyzing needs and constraint of these group for better successful transition.