YouLead – Youth Employment and Business Start-Up Program Sri Lanka Quarterly Progress Report

The program is designed to work with both the public and private sector to improve the quality and relevance of vocational and technical training, link youth to productive employment opportunities, and facilitate access to finance and business planning for young entrepreneurs. The Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training is the project's counterpart ministry, and YouLead coordinates across other government agencies that play a role in youth vocational education and employment. The program's core activities are designed to leave behind institutional level capacity that will align public and private sector incentives, generate greater investment, and improve competitiveness in sectors with high employment potential. The regional focus for year-one is in the provinces with the highest youth unemployment, including Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central, and Northern Provinces. The priority sectors selected following the market assessment and review with local stakeholders are tourism, construction, ICT trades, and healthcare. YouLead's implementation approach is designed to address USAID Intermediate Result 2.3: Improved workforce to meet market demand. The program's demand-driven approach allows it to engage in any sector or region where there is an opportunity to leverage the resources and commitment of other stakeholders to accelerate or expand the achievement of core project objectives. One such area is food retail and processing, which is rising to the surface as an important sector due to the need for a high number of trained employees from at least four leading companies. The program's prime implementing partners are Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) and International Executive Service Corps (IESC). The subcontractors/sub-awardees include international partners Arizona State University, Global Communities, and local partners American Chamber of Commerce, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Skills for Life, and Verité Research. The government counterpart is the Ministry of Skill Development and Vocational Training. During the reporting period from October 1, 2017, to December 31, 2017, YouLead made significant progress in implementing its activities. The program's technical activities focused on increasing youth employability skills in targeted sectors, improving the quality, relevance, and delivery of TVET, and increasing prospects for successful self-employment. The program also made progress in integrating cross-cutting issues and USAID forward priorities, including gender equality and female empowerment. The program's implementation challenges included addressing the needs of women-headed households and ensuring that the program's activities were accessible to all youth, regardless of their background or location. The program's monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) update highlighted the importance of tracking progress and making adjustments to the program's activities as needed. The program's planned interventions for the next quarter included continuing to implement its technical activities, integrating cross-cutting issues and USAID forward priorities, and addressing the implementation challenges identified during the reporting period. The program's financial management and cost share and leverage were also discussed in the report. Overall, YouLead is making significant progress in enhancing employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for youth in Sri Lanka. The program's demand-driven approach and focus on improving the quality and relevance of vocational and technical training are key to its success.