How to keep them out of trouble:
Out-of-school youth to get skills training
Young people are most vulnerable when they are out of
school and are not prepared for the job market. Their vulnerability
could lead to social problems such as juvenile delinquency, drug
abuse and other forms of anti-social behaviour.
In view of this, a seminar convened by the ASEAN Sub-
Committee on Youth in Hanoi in December 1997 endorsed a
draft Regional Work Programme on Skills Training for Out-of-
School Youth (OSY).
The key elements of the proposed Work Programme are:
- Information exchange. This would be implemented through
an Out-of-School Youth (OSY) newsletter, Internet website,
a regional directory of OSY training institutions and
programmes, a roster of OSY skills training experts and
supervisors, and exchange of national OSY training curricula.
- ASEAN dialogues. This would consist of periodic policy
review dialogues for heads and senior staff of national OSY
skills training institutions and programmes; regional skills
training and policy training round-tables among government,
business and NGO decision-makers; ASEAN inter-agency
dialogues on vocational training and ASEAN inter-agency
dialogues on job placement of OSY skills training graduates.
- Training of trainors.
This would consist of a regional
workshop on OSY entrepreneurship training with special
emphasis on the export sector, a regional workshop on OSY
entrepreneurship training with special emphasis on the
agribusiness sector, a regional workshop on financial
management training for self-employed OSY, and national
workshops on selected aspects of training of
trainers and an exchange programme for
OSY skills trainers.
- Research and curriculum development.
This would include an analysis of the cost
effectiveness of OSY skills training
institutions and programmes, an analysis of
job placement and income-earning suppose
mechanisms for OSY skills training
graduates, a study on techniques of job
placement follow-up to OSY training courses,
a study of coordinating OSY skils institutions
and programmes with formal education, a
study on OSY labour market demand trends
and employment prospects, monitoring of national OSY
skills training programmes and development of OSY skills
training curricula.
- Regional networking. This would include identification
and establishment of national OSY skills training
coordination centres and national networks; identification
and establishment of a regional OSY skills training
coordination centre, formulation of regional networking
activities and projects; establishment of regional networking
procedures; and linking the regional network with other
concerned international entities.
The seminar was a follow-up to the Second ASEAN
Ministerial Meeting on Youth in Kuala Lumpur in November 1997
which signed the Kuala Lumpur Agenda for Youth Development
in ASEAN. The implementation of the agenda has been assigned
to the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Youth which at its 15th Meeting
adopted the work plan with the following priority areas and
programme coordinators:
- ASEAN Awareness/Science and Technology: the
Philippines;
- ASEAN Youth Award and Family Values: Brunei
Darussalam;
- Sustainable Development for Rural Youth: Thailand;
- Social Responsibility: Laos;
- Youth Human Resources Development: Malaysia;
- Skill Training For Out-of-School Youth: Vietnam; and
- Entrepreneurship: Indonesia.