According to a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that is being emphasized on International Youth Day, a green transition might produce 8.4 million jobs for young people by 2030. Green jobs are defined as positions that help protect or improve the environment.
The UN is urging young people to participate in training and skill development programs in order to better prepare them for coping with these new green opportunities in the run-up to the SDG Summit in September, which will mark the halfway point for implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This concept has already been put into practice by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which provides funding for youth centers in nine African nations to provide young people with the skills they need to find sustainable employment. In specially designed polytunnels, these young ladies in Abeokuta, Nigeria, are busy cultivating vegetables. They claim to feel lucky to have a job and a reliable income.In Nigeria, the youth unemployment rate is 13%, making employment difficult for millions of young people. Rural areas are where nearly half of Nigerians reside.
Young people make up a large portion of individuals who relocate to already crowded cities in quest of employment due to the dismal job prospects in these places. The goal of projects like this one, which employ green smart technology, is to develop long-term employment prospects in rural areas.The International sponsor for Agricultural Development, or IFAD, of the UN collaborates with local governments to sponsor youth centres, which offer rural young people apprenticeships for on-the-job training.
The foundation of the agricultural youth centers is the notion that training by itself cannot help young people realize their career potential. Instead, they help them link with private businesses and enterprises, giving them access to commodities, services, and training in fields like commodity value chains and post-harvest management that would be challenging for them to otherwise obtain. There are already youth centres operating in nine African nations, including Cameroon, Algeria, and Nigeria. According to Rahul Antao, technical specialist on youth for IFAD, agribusiness centers are essential for addressing the enormous problem of youth mass unemployment in rural areas.
The focus of hubs is therefore on closing the gaps and mismatches between the supply of youth talents and the demands of the labor markets, the speaker continued. It also emphasizes enhancing young people’s ability to launch new businesses or grow current ones.
Over 9000 rural kids have been trained and placed in more than 2255 businesses throughout Africa thanks to the hubs. The hubs make strategic investments in training in digitization, green skills, and renewable energies to address the rising demand in green economies.