5 February 2019
Solomon Islands: 200,000 youths in the country and the vast majority are unemployed.
(Many already employable but jobs lacking)
Mr Rick Hou on Monday launched the National Youth Data-base system and the labour Mobility Policy and Strategy, in a Press Conference at the Prime Minister’s Office, in Honiara.
In his address on that occasion, the caretaker PM said there are two policy initiative aimed at addressing the current high level of unemployment for young people in Solomon Islands.
(Quoting more from today’s Solomon Star newspaper the article read)
“Given that situation, the Solomon Islands Democratic Coalition for Change Government (SIDCCG) made it their priority to put in place a policy that will enhance the employability of youths.”
“…..as well as expanding employment opportunities for the youths in the country and overseas,” Mr Hou added.
“Mr Hou also commented that a national youth database system is now complete and has been installed in the ICTSU platform and will be available for use by all SIG ministries.
“He added the Youth Development Division of the Ministry of Women, Youths, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) will be responsible for coordinating the entry of the raw data on youth profiles into the data portal.
“This national youth database system will be the first in our country that tries to capture the profiles of every youth in the country and maintains it in one single system.
“Currently many separate databases exist at training institutional level or in other institutions,” he said.
“But none of them capture the full profile that will make them useful for matching with employment opportunities.
“Meanwhile the government has engaged a technology consultant firm ‘Labrys’ to help develop an internal-youth-database system to track and match skilled and unskilled labour to overseas work opportunity.
“Mr Hou also launched the Labour Mobility Policy and Strategy with its implementation already taking its course.
“This key policy framework will guide our engagement with the labour mobility markets in the partner countries.
“They will also link the new national youth data-base to these markets,”he said
“Mr Hou firmly stated that the government is targeting at least 1,500 workers in the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian labour mobility schemes by June 2020 with the aim to achieve its 5,000 per target well before the conclusion of the 5 year forecast.
“SIDCCG is also in the process of consolidating similar arrangements in three partner countries that is Taiwan, Japan and South Korea where Solomon Islands youths can go and work there.”
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
