The Challenge: The Republic of Somaliland’s economy remains heavily dependent on livestock, trade, and commerce. Both the private and public sectors are small, leading to significant levels of unemployment, particularly among the youth. Much of the youth who do seek employment lack the requisite skills to be able to bring value to employers.
Our response: Pharo Foundation has established its own Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centre in Hargeisa, which equips the youth with the relevant skills and knowledge required to perform specific tasks and take on jobs in various industries such as construction, power, telecommunication, energy, and water agencies. Our TVET program aims to ensure that the education and skill training system responds adequately to the needs of employers by producing graduates with appropriate and relevant competencies or skills through the implementation of national TVET policy, strategy, and the new revised technical and vocational qualification framework (TVQA). Beyond its role in global education policy, the value of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is emphasised in Somaliland's Vision 2030 and its National Development Plan, which aim to improve human capital as a bedrock of development. Ultimately, our TVET Centre opens up a path for lifelong opportunities for individual growth at large, but also specifically career growth. We aim for the groups we upskill to have greater long-term employment opportunities in urban areas as well as a greater propensity for entrepreneurship.
Major Activities include:
- Access to quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training: We ensure that youth aged 18 to 30 years have equitable access to quality TVET courses, paying particular attention to those out of education, training, and employment.
- Improving the relevance of skill development: our TVET centre provides the youth with relevant, job-specific skills that are in demand by employers. This makes them more attractive to potential employers, as they have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform specific tasks and take on jobs in various industries or Trades.
- Entrepreneurship and employability skills: Our program provides youth with the skills and knowledge they need to start and run their own businesses, as well as employability skills to succeed in the workplace and the ability to adapt to changing job markets.
- Work-placement /Internship: Our program provides an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills learned in real-world situations, to develop new skills, and to gain a better understanding of the industry, the workplace, and the mandatory portion of our vocational training. Ideally, this leads to a direct job offer for those who perform well.