Developing youth and adult skills for agri value chain
[{“type”:”text”,”content”:”The future of employment in agricultural value chains has been brought to the fore by an African economy transforming its agricultural food systems for more productive and sustainable farming in countries with low labour productivity. This transition has been exacerbated by the call to move agricultural enterprises into greener economies with agriculture being at the frontline of the effect of climate change. nnGreener and more productive economies are accompanied by the increased demand for work seekers that are highly skilled to offset environmental impacts and produce the same output in lesser turnaround times. The mandate placed on educational institutions, skills development initiatives and employers, is to protect the existing labour market from the risk of unemployability and prepare the youth who are candidates for new entries into the sectoru2019s job market to match the demand for said skills. nnu201c*A mismatch between educational output and the needs of the sector, not only places the countries in a vulnerable position but also creates barriers and constraints to the current and future employment potential of the sector.*u201d nnIt is evident that the African labour market does not have the luxury to sit back in the discussions around responsible mechanisation and skilled development in countries where agriculture remains a key stakeholder in the absorption of low-skilled adult and youth work seekers.nnIn the SADC region, the importance of skills development in the working youth and adults has been an area of neglect, especially in agriculture and the informal economy. Given the unprecedented unemployment rate in countries such as South Africa, with the employable youth holding a twelfth-grade education or less. nnMoreover, the deficiencies in basic literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills of current workers, remedial programs aimed at addressing these gaps can play a significant role in improving peopleu2019s livelihoods and productivity in a rapidly changing global labour market. Therefore, the question becomes how we transform our economy without sacrificing our low-skilled workforce.nnThe desired policy objectives that must centre skills development investments must be the facilitation of economic policies that accelerate productivity growth, a policy that encourages labour market inclusion and adaptability and resilience of the labour market in the 21st century.”,”position”:0,”id”:”9gVve0uz2ej1a2DM”}]