Youth Unemployment in Tanzania: Bridging the Skill Gap

Mawazo Pevu is a weekly talk show on TV1, one of the most popular channels in Tanzania. This week, the topic of discussion was the role of NGOs in helping students overcome the challenges of the employment sector. David Leonce Ndika (far right), a CDI volunteer on the Education Project, went on air at 7pm to represent our organisation and participate in the debate in a one-on-one interview. Issy Houston (second right), another of our volunteers who attended the broadcast, here details the way in which CDI’s Education Project tackles such a pressing issue.

For the youth of Tanzania, unemployment is not only more prevalent in urban areas but, somewhat paradoxically, presents a higher risk to those who are more educated. According to World Bank figures, young people aged 15-24 are six times more likely to be unemployed in Dar es Salaam than in rural areas.[1] Meanwhile, nationally, 92% of primary educated youth are employed, compared to only 71% of those educated to secondary level.

As David highlighted during his interview: “Currently, the employment sector is faced with a high number of unemployed people – especially the youth –  and even some of the few who are employed lack adequate and sufficient skills needed in their jobs. Others are employed in sectors not in line with their professions.”

This issue is further exacerbated by the fact that, whilst at school, students are given very limited career guidance; there is very little advice available from which they are to make informed decisions about their subjects and career paths. When asked, many students told us that they wanted to be a doctor, lawyer or pilot, but very few knew how they could tangibly achieve this, unaware of what experience and qualifications are needed. A study carried out by the University of Dar es Salaam in several public schools found that none of the students had received careers counselling, none had attended career exhibitions, and only 13% had benefited from careers speakers.[2]

The ‘Career Network Support’, a collaboration between CDI’s Education Project and Bridge for Change (a local NGO founded by Ocheck Msuva, a CDI alumnus), is endeavouring to fill this gap. Students are encouraged to start thinking about their personalities, their strengths and weaknesses, as well as gaining detailed information about how to approach a range of careers. As one of our Impact Evaluators, Mary Francis, explains: “CDI makes sure that it impacts students at the earliest stages in secondary schools by improving their soft skills and building up their capacities through various workshops based on “Self-discovery”, “Problem Solving”, and “Planning”. This enables them to take charge of various challenges which they face in their schools and communities at large.”

Preparations are also now underway for the launch of the ‘Think Big Challenge’, which takes place next Saturday (12th August). Due to the large class sizes in Tanzanian schools, rote-learning is the standard technique endorsed by the national curriculum. The ‘Think Big Challenge’ seeks to empower young people to think beyond this, encouraging them to generate their own solutions to problems they face in their school environment. This kind of student-driven innovation and group-based learning strategy fosters the confidence and capabilities that students need when entering the employment sector, and CDI works flexibly to cater to the needs of this ever-changing market.

Tanzania ranks among the world’s 30 fastest growing economies and, with a 2.9 percent population growth rate, the country is expanding exponentially. Despite this rapid development one thing is clear: the problem of unemployment among urban-educated Tanzanian youth is an urgent one that will undermine such progress unless mitigated. CDI and Bridge for Change are working towards a future where students feel empowered to rely upon their own initiative and claim ownership of their career path, leaving school with employable skills and entrepreneurial creativity.
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[1] http://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/youth-in-tanzania-a-growing-uneducated-labor-force
[2] Mabula, N. 2012, ‘Career Services Provision to Secondary School Students in Tanzania: Is it a dream or Reality?’, University of Dar es Salaam, http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijld.v2i2.1674