Skills Development Programme |17 December 2022

Participants in a souvenir photograph with guests

83 young people receive certificate

Eighty-three (83) young people from Mahé, Praslin and La Digue have successfully completed their training under the Skills Development Programme (SDP) with the Ministry of Employment & Social Affairs.

They were presented with their certificate in a short ceremony held yesterday afternoon at the Nayopi Restaurant and Business Centre, Providence.

Present were the Minister for Employment & Social Affairs, Patricia Francourt; the principal secretary for Employment, Jules Baker; representatives of work organisations; senior staff of the Employment department and family members of the trainees.

The aim of the programme is to equip the young jobseekers either with a new skill or to upgrade their existing skills, in the aftermath of Covid-19, so as to become more employable in order to address the growing and diversified demand of the labour market in different sectors of the economy, ranging from tourism, agriculture, fisheries, technical and office work among others.

The programme is for young people who have not had the privilege to graduate at either secondary or post-secondary level.

Their training were from 6 to 18 months in various areas of demand on the labour market at various workplaces.

Participants on the 18-month training started the programme in 2021.

Among the graduates was a group of eight young people who followed a newly introduced Reskilling programme which targeted the specific needs, reskilling and training for young people living with disabilities and reskilling and upskilling for young people under rehabilitation treatment with the Division for Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation (DSAPTR).

There were five former students of the Vocational Training Centre (VTC) and three young clients from DSAPTR who graduated under the newly introduced programme of six weeks short courses at post secondary institutions.

The majority of the graduates are employed, mostly at their place of internship.

In her opening remarks, Minister Francourt stated that the Skills Development Programme continues to be one of the main strategies of the Employment department to address unemployment among Seychellois people, particularly our youth given that it is a stepping stone for easier access to gain skills and compete on the labour market.

Minister Francourt said that for the past two years, a total of 563 participants were registered on the programme and 436 among them were placed on the job training. From these, 165 have successfully completed their training, including the 76 who completed during the course of this year and who received their certificate yesterday. Overall, 131 participants have secured employment and 170 are still currently on training.

Given that the proramme is also for young people with disabilities and those undergoing drug rehabilitation treatment, Minister Francourt said, “I want to reassure the people of Seychelles that the ministry is more than ever committed in making sure that no one is left behind”.

“For the year 2023 the government has approved a budget of R6.46 million for the scheme, an increase of 20% over the year 2022,which we are grateful for as it will help us support the group of people to join the programme next year,” she added.

Minister Francourt encouraged the young graduates to focus on their future and to continue to invest in their professional development with regard to the careers they have chosen.

She also called on them to demonstrate positive attitudes in their work given that it is not easy to find a job with negative attitudes even if at the moment there are more jobs in the country than people seeking for jobs.

“I appeal to you to be good role models to other youths by encouraging those who are not in schools or in employment to enroll on the programme to develop their capacity,” said Minister Francourt, who noted that the ministry will ensure the capacity development of our youths including the inclusion of targeted vulnerable groups.
Minister Francourt also called on other partners not on the programme to join in to help develop the capacity of our youths hence to supply them (partners) also with skilled and qualified young workers to develop their businesses.

She thanked the youths for embarking on the programme to develop their careers and all those who have helped to support them in achieving their dream career for their own benefit and the benefit of the country.

Aaron Rose, a 20-year-old from the Cascade district, presented a testimony on his journey on the programme where he stated that he learned about it through a friend of his, after which he got the support of his parents to enter onto the programme to develop his career choice, which he enjoyed very much. He is now employed as an assistant mechanic at Oceanic Motors, Providence.

All of the participants who spoke to Seychelles NATION said they really enjoyed the training that will allow them to provide for themselves.

Eighteen-year-old Mikael Raoul, a young man living with a disability, said that he learned a lot from his training at the Seychelles Institute of Technology (SIT) and he will soon be employed as an assistant mechanic also at a motor vehicle garage at Ile Perseverance. He stated that he chose to be a mechanic because of his love for cars since he was a child.

In her vote of thanks, Nirra Landriy thanked the ministry, workplaces and everyone who have helped to equip them with new skills, increase their knowledge and develop the attitude they needed to pursue their future careers.  

This was the second group of SDP graduates to receive their certificate this year following a group of 89 young people who received theirs in July.

Text & photos by Patrick Joubert