ILO and Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs soft skills and re-skilling programme |21 May 2022
Participants and guests in a souvenir photograph (Photo: Louis Toussaint)
Building resilience, responsibility and preparedness to join and stay in employment
The government of Seychelles remains engaged in its efforts to ensure that the youths receive the necessary support and assistance not only to secure employment, but to also remain in employment in order to become self-dependent and able to become productive citizens of society.
It was Minister for Employment and Social Affairs Patricia Francourt who made the declaration yesterday during the certificate presentation ceremony to a group of participants who attended re-skilling and skills development programme during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
The programme was hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs, in collaboration with several partners including the Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority (SMSA), The Guy Morel Institute (TGMI), the Seychelles Institute of Technology (SIT), the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA) and the Seychelles Institute of Distance and Open Learning (Sidol), with the financial support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The training was conducted to impart skills to young people and build their competencies to ease their entry into jobs during the Covid-19 crisis.
Training institutions provided formal training to the youths on the different employment programmes in various areas in demand on the local labour market, while some participants were up-skilled through short courses to improve their employability and also soft skills sessions to build on their resilience and get them ready to enter the world of work amid the pandemic.
The certificate presentation ceremony held at the STORY Hotel and Resorts at Beau Vallon was attended by director for the ILO Country Office for Seychelles Coffi Agossou, programme officer for the ILO Country Office for Seychelles Clara Ramaromanana, principal secretary for employment Jules Baker among other guests.
Minister Francourt noted that the training opportunities came at an opportune time when there were economic uncertainties locally and worldwide that could have persistently impacted the labour market.
She said we can all attest to the many social ills that many of our young people are exposed to nowadays, all of which have an adverse effect on education and employment and as a result impacting on our country’s economy.
Therefore, she added, more than ever before, we need to work together to educate and empower them with necessary technical and vocational skills and competencies to build resilience, responsibility, and preparedness to join and remain in employment.
Minister Francourt also advised the participants to set their goals and to use it as a compass to lead them in the right direction.
Addressing the training participants, Mr Agossousaid the programme is in line with many frameworks, including the Agenda 2030 which is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom recognising that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.
He said the programme is also in line with the Agenda 2063 which is Africa's development blueprint to achieve inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development over a 50-year period.
Mr Agossou also described it as tangible proof of the importance given by the ILO to human-centred approach.
