Job creation for 107disadvantaged Youth through skills development and trainings in Musanze region

Rwanda is one of the growing economies in Africa. Currently, its principal goal is to decrease the population dependent on agricultural activities from the current 72% in 2006 to 50%. Considering the current population growth, this would mean creating 2.2million jobs in the off-agriculture sector. The uninterrupted high economic growth that Rwanda has registered since 2000 has been a noteworthy achievement. However, the weak point of economic performance has been the limited shift from a low productivity, primary-based economy to a high-productivity economy based on industry and services. Majority of the jobs created have been in agriculture, most of which (over 60%) are poor jobs, and majority of Youth (over 60%) are unemployed. The purpose of this project is to build Youth skills in promising careers of technical capacities to operate in Rwandan job market. At this point, we should remember that growing industries and factories don't have qualified staff to perform their tasks at this moment.

That is why there is a need to come up with a project to help Youth finding jobs and reduce poverty. Based on our community needs assessment, eight major areas of skills development were identified including: 1) Tailoring (30 Youth); 2) Handcraft sewing (30 Youth); 3) Carpentry (10 Youth); 4) Motorbike driving (5 Youth); 5) Basic kitchen techniques (5 Youth); 6) Elementary building skills (10 Youth as Aide-builders); 7) Welding (12 Youth) and 8) Tourism Guiders (5 Youth).

Those gaps in skills were identified based on the local realities of Youth living in Musanze and employability potentials. Musanze is considered as a second city behind Kigali the Rwandan capital and there is lack of skilled labor in welding, elementary Aide-builders (Brick/stone Mason), and carpentry (for upcoming constructions and housing), in Tailoring (for clothes in the city), in basic kitchen techniques, Hospitality and Tourists guides, handcrafts (because it is a home to gorillas, a first destination for international tourists in Rwanda) and in Motorbike riding for transports in and out of the city.

There is a high demand of labor in those skills, but youth are still unemployed because they don't have those required skills. The main objective of this project is to create jobs for youth through skills development and trainings.

Specifically, it has six strategic objectives:

- To organize short course and apprenticeship for youth as required by the job market

- To support 107 youth (post-training) with tools, equipment's and materials to start technical business

- To ensure job linkages and placement with employers

- To diversify economic activities by creating off-farm business

- To reduce poverty at family level through income generating activities among youth

- To assist youth in creating eight cooperatives related to the acquired skills

The youth are committed and ready to start business as soon as they finished their trainings.