Giving our youth a better shot at life

The National Weekender

By ELLEN TIAMU

POVERTY and the marginalisation of young people continue to be a huge problem in Papua New Guinea, which unless addressed effectively now can hamper the future growth and development of the country.
This was recognised by the government when it decided to pilot an approach that would get youths back to learning, training and short-term work   – even when long-term job opportunities were hard too come by.
In the National Capital District, the government’s Urban Youth Employment Project (UYEP) is doing just that, with funding from the World Bank and Australian Aid under a concession loan agreement and implemented by the National Capital District Commission (NCDC).
The UYEP provides a unique response to a complex social and economic problem, and has demonstrated that it can operate at scale and deliver significant impact.
UYEP focuses on disadvantaged urban youths between the ages of 16 and 35 who have limited social and economic opportunities.
The actual implementation of the project began in June, 2012, and covers the whole of the National Capital District.
UYEP’s project manager, Tom Gilis, said the project kicked off with an initial funding of US$15.8 million.  He said the five-year project cycle ended on April  30, 2016, before an   additional grant of US$10.8 million from the Australian government extended it for a further 18 months.
Up till the end of March this year, a total of 13,265 young people have benefitted from this programme which gives young people an opportunity to learn basic skills that can help them find work.
The different stages of the programme involves the:

  • eligibility screening of applicants covering eight different locations throughout the NCD,
  • registration, orientation, issuance of ID cards, issuance of mobile phones and opening of BSP Kundu bank accounts,
  • attending five days of basic life skills training
  • split – 80 per cent of youth participate in Youth Job Corps for 35 days are paid a minimum national labour rate and earning an income. At the end of the 35 days they attend another five  days of Basic life Skills training (part 2) then do 10 days of practical extended skill work.
  • 20 per cent attend pre-employment training sessions on customer service and hospitality with IEA TAFE college, or technical skills training with Port Moresby Business College. At the end of the 20 days they are placed with employers for five months for on-the-job training with the project paying their stipend fortnightly based on the national labour minimum wage rate.

The youths are selected from all sectors of the city, targeting mostly highly populated areas that have people largely living on low incomes and in poverty.
Once the applicants are interviewed and accepted, they spend 55 days on the Youth Job Corps and another 20 days on PET.  On-the-job training takes another five months. It costs around K1000 to train each person.
Up till June this year, a total of 2006 young people, comprising of 1140 males, and 866 females have passed through the programme.
The projects that they have been involved in include the construction of more than eight kilometres of roads, stonewall and drainage, apart from other community-based projects.
Gilis has no doubt that the young people who have passed through this programme have learnt a lot from it.  “UYEP has had a very big impact with promising results,” he said.
The current Australian funding assistance ends in October next year. It is hoped that the PNG government will continue the youth project that has helped so many acquire skills, find jobs and even get university-level education.
While working out on the streets, the trainees are supervised by medium-term contractors who provide management and supervision with the support of the project engineering unit, giving the trainees a real feel of a real work situation.
Gilis wants to see more help coming from the NCD Members of Parliament, especially with the project facing the threat of ending next October.
UYEP has proposed to the MPs to provide a percentage of their district budget funding to the project.
However, this has not happened but Gilis remains hopeful that the MPs who get elected this year will feel differently about it.
Let’s hope so.