We Have to Include Youth & Gender in Workforce Development Discussions
Read All PostsKim R. McCormick recently joined IYF’s editorial team. She attended USAID's Education Summit yesterday in Washington DC, and offers an insider's look at what was discussed on a number of lively panels—with a particular focus on workforce development issues.
Yesterday I attended USAID’s Education Summit in Washington, DC, which addressed a subject of great interest to IYF: youth workforce development. Especially as we near International Youth Day, I was pleased to see a number of familiar faces engaged in such critical conversations about meaningful and effective education and training for young people around the world.
In one of the sessions, IYF board member Dina Buchbinder of Mexico joined representatives from South Sudan and Sierra Leone in adding a refreshing youth perspective to the day’s agenda. I appreciated their emphasis on the fact that educating young people and training them for jobs cannot be separated from instilling values and preparing youth to be global citizens. “From what we have seen, it does make a dramatic difference when youth have a sense of belonging, have a sense of empowerment, have a sense of what they’re capable of,” said Buchbinder. “If we have this and then technical skills, we will be competitive.”
Buchbinder, who is a former YouthActionNet® global fellow for her entrepreneurial work with children in Mexico, continued, saying, “We need to create change-makers.” She highlighted IYF’s Passport to Success® curriculum as a way to prepare young people with entrepreneurial and life skills training.
Fellow panelist Abraham Awolich of the Sudd Institute used his home country of South Sudan as a striking example of the value—economic and civic—of youth entrepreneurship. More than 72% of the country’s population is under the age of 30, and job openings (other than in the nascent government) simply do not exist. “We have to train youth not only to have skills but to create jobs, to create the private sector that does not exist…allowing the youth to believe in their own society,” said Awolich.
He summarized by saying, “I think it’s critical that youth are not just beneficiaries. They should be part of the process.” In reply, Buchbinder used her position on IYF’s Board of Directors as an example of how institutions can and should engage young people in the decision-making process. “IYF listens to my voice as a young entrepreneur. It’s truly motivating to see that there are institutions that truly believe in youth—not only in the discourse but also in action,” she said.
Another familiar face yesterday led the discussion on gender issues in the workforce. Kate Carpenter, IYF’s Vice President, Public Sector Business Development, spoke about how IYF programs’ content and design have successfully addressed USAID’s concerns about gender bias.
“At IYF, we integrate gender throughout the program cycle—planning, program design and implementation, life skills training, and monitoring and evaluation,” Carpenter said. Referencing a June 2012 IYF report entitled Improving Gender Equality in Youth Livelihood Programs, she cited IYF programs in the Caribbean and Jordan that have worked to reduce gender inequalities and reshape gender norms.
Rather than reinforcing stereotypes through programs that focus on handicrafts, for example, Carpenter emphasized, “It’s important to be able to show women pursuing nontraditional career paths.” In Jordan, she pointed out, the program draws on women’s higher education levels to help sell families on the idea of young women taking non-physical, higher-paying jobs such as bookkeeping.
Carpenter added that IYF’s life skills training is an important factor in preparing young men and women to take on new jobs. If you get a job in a hotel, Carpenter said, “They can train you in how to make a bed, but they can’t necessarily train you to show up on time, dress appropriately, or handle conflict. So, we integrate it in an employability-focused way, but it’s also a very good way to open up a conversation about gender dynamics.”
After hearing these discussions, especially Buchbinder’s and Carpenter’s contributions, I felt a renewed pride that I, as a twenty-something, work for an organization whose work so thoughtfully incorporates young men and women’s voices, challenges, and strengths.