Bashir Abdifatah | BORESHA
Somalia is at a crossroads. Many youths have grown up in a country where education was inaccessible and where security was rare. Lack of creation of jobs and lack of skills to earn are increasingly compelling the young people in Somalia to join the wrong groups and extremists. Youth bear the biggest brunt of unemployment in the country with more than one in every 3 being jobless. To help deal with the problem, BORESHA project Somalia Technical vocational and skill training Program (TVET) is empowering them with skills that meet current market demands hence making them more employable in the long run. Results are promising – they are using gained skills to secure jobs and empower others.
The specific aim of this programme is to contribute to quality vocational training for young people in Dollow, Somalia, and create lasting linkages between technical and vocational training institutes and the labour market, thus facilitating decent and sustainable wage or self-employment for young people.
Meet Ali Hassan
Ali Hassan is a young man who fled from the three-decade long conflict of Mogadishu the capital of the country and now an IDP in Dollow. Ali, is a 23-year-old father of three children, he is currently residing in Kabasa IDP camp in Dollow, Somalia. There is one thing that separates Ali from his peers in the town and that his love for cars, ever since he could remember he has been passionate about cars and was always curious as to how they were made and how they function. He describes himself as a car enthusiast, he loves them and everything about them, he enjoys working on them, modifying them and of course would love to own one in the near future. He took up the auto mechanics course provided by BORESHA due to his love for cars, he is a young impressionable man that is very keen and detail oriented. He loves the smell of cars, deconstructing and then again constructing the vehicle from scratch. When we quizzed him further on this passion he says “there are many reasons, but deep down the main reason is that cars give me a sense of freedom and independence, the ability to go where you want and when you want is something many take for granted, I am confident that one day I will own one.”
“Growing up in Mogadishu, like any other child I had dreams and aspirations of a better life, unfortunately due to the conflict, I was not able to access education like other children in other countries.” Says Ali. “If there is one thing I have learned throughout my life is that we should never take education for granted as if it is available to all, it is a great gift and a privilege that opens many doors to unlimited opportunities, through education one is empowered and provided with the necessary tools and skills to change the world’ says Ali.
BORESHA Support
The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector is one of the major parts of the education and training systems that play crucial roles for youth in Gedo region. The DRC- BORESHA project is supporting more than 20 students to learn new skills through enterprise based TVET education and Ali is one of them. For the last two months (December and January) students undertaken several trainings of technical skills and more practical experience. The TVET programs are well-placed to play an important role in the COVID-19 pandemic but facing challenges to continue the learning and practical session. “I want to thank BORESHA, my teachers and parents for this far I have come, I have gained practical skills that have enabled me to earn a small income to sustain the livelihood of my family. I have plans to open my own business, I never thought such opportunities existed” says Ali. He is in a unique position since he is not only a student at Horeseed Garage in Dollow but he also earns a small income by using his skills to the test by helping out in fixing some of the cars at the garage, this income is what sustains his family.
Challenge
A major challenge to the achievement of a harmonized and comprehensive Enterprise based TVET qualification system is the quality of training that companies provide and the quality of the skills the apprentices acquire depends largely on the skills, competence and attitude of the master trainers. Furthermore, there is hardly a standardized curriculum in the TVET system in Somalia. Despite this challenge in collaboration with the local authority and other key stakeholders as a consortium we are committed to increasing practical skills and capacity for the youth to bridge the demand and supply gap in the local economy in order for them to better their lives. We will continue to invest in TVETs since we believe it is one of the sure ways to secure the future of Somalia since it guarantees long term productivity and economic sustainably.
Quick Facts
- BORESHA through TVET center in Dollow (Horseed Company) have trained eight mechanic TVET graduates and dispatched them to several motor mechanic companies.
- Selected by BORESHA team and in collaboration with local authority based on TVET selection criteria.
- Best students the company hired and they are working with Horseed Company.