President Danny Faure chaired a high-level technical forum with key senior officials from Education, Employment and Family Affairs Departments this morning at State House. The meeting sought to find solutions to challenges facing young people in light of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the rising youth unemployment rate.
The youth unemployment rate today is 20.6%, compared to 4% in the same period last year. This represents a rise of 16.6 percentage points, and includes young people aged 15-17 years old who have completed secondary education but have not enrolled in a professional centre or are not actively seeking employment.
Members present discussed the challenges at hand and proposed strategies to lower the youth unemployment rate and support the influx of secondary school leavers and graduates from professional centres, primarily in terms of facilitating higher education enrolment, or work placement through skills development programmes or internships.
The President stressed on the need for all stakeholders to urgently adapt to the current landscape and innovate, to ensure that young people are given the opportunity and support to succeed. He highlighted the need to align skills development programmes with jobs that are in high demand in the country and ensure Seychellois can access job opportunities previously occupied by expatriates. He also gave a directive to harmonise the allowance system to ensure that financial support given to students matches their chosen pathway. The Principal Secretary for Employment, Mr Jules Baker, has been tasked to lead a committee to review the allowance system
Following the meeting, all Professional Centres were directed to revise selection criteria, cohort size, and programme options to cater for the maximum number of young school-leavers. All Heads of Professional Centres will compile the report within the week and present it to the Cabinet of Ministers for approval at the next Cabinet meeting on 26 August 2020.
Present for the meeting at State House was the Designated Minister, who is also the Minister for Local Government Youth, and Sports, Mrs Macsuzy Mondon, the Minister for Family Affairs, Mrs Mitcy Larue, the Minister for Employment, Immigration and Civil Status, Mrs Miriam Telemaque, the Principal Secretary for Employment, Mr Jules Baker, the Principal Secretary for Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary Education Dr Odile de Comarmond, the Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Human Resource Development, Dr Linda Barallon, Special Advisor Department of Employment, Ms Veronique Bresson, the CEO of Agency for Social Protection, Mr Marcus Simeon, the Head of SETS, Mr Guy Morel, the CEO of TEC, Mr Jean Michel Domingue, the CEO of SQA, Mrs Fiona Ernesta, The Head of SBSA, Mrs Josianne Bristol, The Head of CIAD, Mrs Christine Payet, Head of NIHSS, Mrs Mary Anne Marie, Head of SITE, Mrs Rosianna Jules, Head of SIT, Mr Hubert Barbe, The Head of SMA, Mrs Aruna Kotelawala, Representative of ALDEC, Mrs Stella Bergmann, Mrs Marylene Lucas, The Managing Director of STA, Mr Flavien Joubert, the Executive Director for TGMI, Mrs Sheila Mohideen, the Head of SALS, Mr Lester Omondi, the Special Advisor to the Minister of Education, Mr Selby Dora, the Economic Advisor to the President, Mr Bertrand Belle, Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Policy Affairs, Ms Margaret Moumou, the Director General for Employment Promotion, Mrs Letimie Dookley, Chief Policy Analyst at the Department of Employment, Ms Susan Morel and the Communications Advisor, Mrs Laurie-Mae Ansah.