Factsheet_Fortalezas_EN_August2014
Transcription
Factsheet_Fortalezas_EN_August2014
Argentina – Brazil – Colombia Fortalezas: Integrating young people into the job market Young people in Latin America face the challenge of structural unemployment and precarious job situations. There are 56 million young people of working age in the region, and they account for nearly half of all unemployed individuals. While the unemployment rate among 15- to 24-year-olds has declined slightly, it remains high, particularly considering that it includes neither underemployment nor informal employment. Of those who are employed, 55.6 percent are working in the informal sector, with low incomes, insecure jobs and a lack of social security. The current generation of youth is more fully integrated into the educational system than any of its predecessors. But persistently high levels of inequality and poverty, along with inadequate infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, are making it very difficult to build up a high-quality educational system. As a result, rates of grade repetition, absence and school dropout continue to be high. Many jobs require a high school education, although that does not guarantee a job in the formal market. Employers are also requiring more advanced technical skills, as well as – in particular – improved soft skills. The Jacobs Foundation’s Fortaleza program The Jacobs Foundation believes that integrating young people into the labor market – whether as employees or self-employed — is essential if they are to have a decent life in adulthood. Through its many years of experience in Latin America, the Foundation has learned that the most effective projects combine vocational training (taking into account the demands of the labor market), the teaching of soft skills, psychological support and opportunities to complete schooling. Other key factors are the experience and professionalism of the implementing partners on site. Accordingly, the Jacobs Foundation also seeks to strengthen the capacity of selected civil society organizations to implement high-quality projects. Project duration 2012–2016 Implementing partner Fundación SES Budget contribution Jacobs Foundation: 2,900,000 CHF (approx. 3.2 million USD) contribution local partners: 1,900,000 CHF (approx. 2.1 million USD) Further information www.fortalezas.org.ar www.fb.com/programa.fortalezas The Fortaleza program The program provides technical and financial support aimed at strengthening the internal organization of six implementing partners in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia. It also conducts projects designed to promote labor-market integration. Over a period of three years, those projects plan to reach a total of 2,000 young people between the ages of 18 and 24 in both urban and rural areas. The program is built on three pillars: I. Strengthening institutions: An analysis of each implementing organization identified areas where improvements might be made, such as organizational structure, processes, communication, networking, partnerships and sustainability. A three-year improvement plan has been developed and is implemented. II. Youth integration projects: Each organization implements a project designed to provide training for young people and integrate them into the labor market in promising sectors of the respective region. Each year, institutional improvements should be reflected in the relevant projects. III.Generating knowledge: Knowledge transfer and the sharing of experiences and innovative approaches are a focus of the Fortalezas program. Through a virtual learning platform, an exchange of views and experiences, and regional meetings, Fortalezas encourages organizations to systematize and document their processes and insights. The program seeks to enhance visibility and thereby promote replication, either by contributing to the national or regional policy dialogue or by scaling up efforts with the help of the private sector or other donors. Program objectives The Fortaleza program facilitates: –the development and/or revision of strategies, communication models, partnerships and financing strategies to ensure sustainability of organizations and their programs; – comprehensive projects designed to provide participants with basic or advanced technical training, psychological support and counseling, as well as to help them find jobs or assist them in establishing their own microenterprises; Jacobs Foundation Seefeldquai 17 P.O. Box ch-8034 Zurich Claudia Huber t +41 44 388 61 03 [email protected] www.jacobsfoundation.org – cooperation with new partners from the private and public sectors with the goal of reaching a larger number of participants through additional funding, or contributing to the policy dialogue by sharing successful models and experiences (“lessons learned”); – promoting an exchange of information and cooperation with the private and public sectors to encourage young people to participate in vocational internships, to promote an exchange of views and to achieve a better understanding of the needs of the labor market. Over the medium term, the program is working toward the following targets: –50 percent of the young people who have participated in a program will be able to find a job in the formal economy or to establish or expand their own microenterprises; – 40 percent will be actively seeking work through networks, beginning a new training course or working toward a secondary-school degree; – 90 percent of the young people will succeed in strengthening their psychosocial skills and be capable of designing a concrete plan for their future; – the participating organizations will achieve 80 percent of their goals for organizational improvement and have in place a highly effective working model, which will be constantly improved through regular exchange, further training and the financial support and cooperation of various parties. Fortalezas is founded on the conviction that over the long term, strengthening organizations’ institutional structures, and thereby improving concrete projects, is the best and most sustainable way to integrate young people into the labor market. Participating organizations Colombia: Comité Departamental de Cafeteros del Cauca, Departamento del Cauca and Microempresas de Colombia, Medellín Brazil: Centro Cultural Escrava Anastacia, Florianópolis and Instituto o Aliança, Salvador de Bahía Argentina: Fundación Crear, La Plata and Fundación UOCRA, Buenos Aires August 2014 COLOMBIA BRAZIL ARGENTINA ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, COLOMBIA Population (2012) Argentina: 41.1 million Brazil: 198.7 million Colombia: 47.7 million Land area Argentina: 2,780,400 km2 Brazil: 8,514,877 km2 Colombia: 1,141,748 km2 Population between 15 and 29 Years Argentina: 25% Brazil: 27% Colombia: 26% GDP per Capita (in PPP, in USD, 2012) Argentina: 11,573 Brazil: 14,551 Colombia: 11,892 Human Development Index (2012, out of 186) Argentina: 45 Brazil: 85 Colombia: 91 The Jacobs Foundation The Jacobs Foundation is active worldwide in promoting child and youth development. It was founded in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1989 by entrepreneur Klaus J. Jacobs. The Jacobs Foundation allocates a budget of approximately 40 million Swiss francs per year to fund research projects, intervention programs and scientific institution. In Latin America, the foundation has been working for 20 years to integrate young people from difficult social environments into the labor market and society at large.