USAID/Djibouti Workforce Development Project FY19 Q2 Report

The program aims to improve workforce readiness and competitiveness in Djibouti based on market needs. With an unemployment rate hovering between 45-50 percent, and a youth unemployment rate close to 60 percent, Djibouti faces a significant challenge in its economic and social development. The program has three Sub-Intermediate Results (SIR): 1) Quality vocational workforce readiness programs expanded; 2) Sustainable, productive linkages between technical/vocational education institutions and employment providers developed; and, 3) Job placement, retention, and advancement services strengthened. The program's host-country partners include the Association Nationale de l'Emploi, de la Formation et de l'Insertion Professionnelle (ANEFIP), the Chambre de Commerce de Djibouti (CCD), and the Ministère de l'Education Nationale et la Formation Professionnelle (MENFOP). ANEFIP supports job seekers to improve their employability and entrepreneurship skills and find internships or employment or start their own businesses, and providing employment data and analysis to stakeholders. CCD supports building public-private partnerships, training and supporting entrepreneurs, and training job seekers in the transportation and logistics sector. MENFOP manages the country's technical and vocational education and training institutions (TVETs), where students acquire basic technical skills for the job marketplace. The program includes a cross-cutting gender focus to raise awareness of gender laws and policies among partners and the private sector, and ensure young women are given equal access to technical and soft skills training and employment opportunities. The program will support and build the capacity of each of these institutions to serve Djibouti's youth, with a particular focus on strengthening ANEFIP's capacity as a full-service, national employment and labor statistics agency. In the second quarter of FY19, the program concluded its Training of Trainers for 20 newly recruited trainers for direct delivery of workforce readiness training (Work Ready Now!). The trainers were posted to various regions in Djibouti and will work in pairs to conduct training. The training cohorts will range from 30-40 participants each, with each pair of trainers training two cohorts per month. The new trainers completed the Training of Trainers successfully and are enthusiastic about training job seekers continually over the next years. The program also organized an orientation session for the new trainers, which included briefings by each of the technical and administrative teams of the project. The orientation provided detailed information on the logistical and technical organization of the trainings, EDC's administrative and financial procedures, EDC's Code of Conduct, and EDC's Monitoring and Evaluation procedures. The direct delivery trainers will use pre-test and post-test forms during the trainings, and will distribute them accordingly. The program's implementation is ongoing, with a focus on building the capacity of ANEFIP, CCD, and MENFOP to serve Djibouti's youth. The program will also support the development of a digital job-matching platform to link job seekers and potential employers. The program's cross-cutting gender focus will continue to ensure that young women have equal access to technical and soft skills training and employment opportunities.