Mr. President,It is an honor to be here today to discuss with you one of the most serious challenges for Senegal: youth unemployment.
All of us here from the Labsy Ababacar Sy English Club are committed to tackling it, as students and change-makers ourselves.Youth unemployment is an issue very important to us. It is clear that Senegal’s growth and success is based upon our greatest asset: our youth.
This is why our first priority should be to make sure that Senegal is a place where our young people can grow and reach their full potential.Youth unemployment has more and more become a threat to the stability and peace in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the recent positive growth observed in many African countries, no job opportunities opened up for younger generations. The unemployment crisis has taken a major toll on our economies and societies. Young people have had to bear an unfair burden — faced with high rates of unemployment while also struggling with unpredictable and low-income work. Poverty — it seems — is chronic in our country.
Our English Club Members are committed to advocating for government intervention to provide young people with a good quality offering of employment, higher education, or an apprenticeship after leaving formal education.The question that we want to address today is: How do we do this?We first need to take note of where we stand.Other countries are adapting education and training systems to increase the number of quality apprenticeships. Closer partnerships with the business community are being built in this process.In France, for example, the law on lifelong learning increases support for apprenticeships for those with fewer qualifications. These efforts are showing definite results and creating opportunities for young people.
Best services for writing your paper according to Trustpilot
Mr. President, youth unemployment remains very high, over 12% (twelve percent). Today, in Senegal, young women are more negatively affected by unemployment than young men. Nationally, 71 (seventy-one) out of 100 (one hundred) young unemployed are women.The job market for youth is dominated by unskilled labor.
Of the unemployed youth, 46% (forty-six percent) are uneducated and 28% (twenty-eight percent) have only received primary schooling.Senegal can learn some things from these facts.First: We must do more to reach out to the young people furthest away from the labor market so that they are not forgotten. We must guarantee that the government helps them to get a hold in the job market.Second: Work needs to continue to ensure the good quality of all the government offers; these offers must be personalized and adapted to each individual — including their skills and qualifications.For apprenticeships in particular, we need programs providing useful guidance on quality work. The core aim is to help young people to get into and to stay in the job market.Third: Effective partnerships are the strongest factors of success.
Broader, more inclusive change is required as well as communication with employers and others around training and employment opportunities for young people.Mr. President, the helping the youth into the workfield is by no means a cure-all. It must be complemented by the right policies focusing on job creation and the investment in human assets.Our English Club has some proposals to help address these issues:Youth unemployment cannot be solved unless there are new, quality jobs created. We need a plan that aims at increasing growth and job creation.
The social aspect will be sustained by increasing support for local businesses with the money put into Senegal’s workforce.Focusing on increasing skills, employability and entrepreneurship is necessary to the fight against youth unemployment. Advancing nationally with better social investment is key to help get more young people into work.Mr. President, every day that a young person cannot find a job is a day too many. We know a world without jobs is a world without a future, which is then a world that is unable to develop. Though we still have a long way to go before our success is definite, we believe we are on the right path.
We owe people in Senegal, today and tomorrow, to work with determination and to do everything to combat this issue. Our club is confident that with continued political commitment, sufficient resources, and determination, we will have the results we are all striving for.Thank you.
