Skills for Youth Employability, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme in Eswatini The overall objective of the action is to contribute towards human development and social inclusion by strengthening vocational education and training in line with labour market demands and skill needs, with a particular focus on the economic empowerment and inclusion of unemployed youth, women and other disadvantaged groups in Eswatini.The action will focus on promoting a demand-driven TVET system with a particular focus on the economic empowerment and inclusion of youth, women and other disadvantaged groups by: (i) supporting the youth in enhancing market-driven skills training and alliances with the private sector to support their employability and self-employment, and (ii) empowering disadvantaged youth and women in vulnerable situations in order to enhance their economic and social inclusion.National Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems can only be effective if the skills and the qualification levels they deliver are in line with the present and future needs of the labour markets. Effective cooperation between the public and private sectors in the development and delivery of TVET systems is, therefore, essential. The action will facilitate public-private collaboration and dialogue on the reform and re-design of thePage 4 of 16TVET system in the country. Specifically, this will focus in strengthening the capacity of TVET providers and private sector organisations to offer inclusive and quality training in priority growth sectors for skills development and job creation, as well as facilitating linkages between the private sector and TVET providers to ensure the introduction of quality standards at institutional levels.A special focus will be on skills needed in the agri-food sector including agro-processing value chains that have the potential for decent job creation, trade-led growth and offer opportunities for synergies with on-going EU programmes and projects. Other value chains include hospitality and tourism, renewable energy, manufacturing (including textiles), ICT and creative industries, including through support of young entrepreneurs. The action will also focus in anticipating and increasing the demand for skilled workers in these priority sectors.Besides organising the demand and increasing the supply of skilled workers, as well as creating connecting spaces between jobseekers and employers, the action will increase access of youth, women and vulnerable groups to TVET programmes leading to (self-) employment.The COVID-19 pandemic, together with the legacy of the HIV/AIDS crisis and rising living costs compounded by the war in Ukraine, have exacerbated existing vulnerabilities among youth, particularly for young women, with an increase of teenage pregnancies, reported cases of gender-based violence and the vulnerability to drought and other climate events.To address these vulnerabilities, the action will support the empowerment of disadvantaged youth and women in vulnerable situations through strengthening their employability, entrepreneurial and life skills, support their mental health and psychosocial support and reducing primary and secondary school learner dropout. This will build on ongoing EU programmes to address Youth vulnerabilities, as well as further supporting CSOs working on youth through sub grants and capacity building measures.This action is in line with the priority area of the Multiannual Indicative Programme 2021-2027 for Eswatini, Human Development and Social Inclusion, and its two interlinked sectors of intervention: Market-driven vocational education and training (TVET), and Empowerment of disadvantaged youth and women in vulnerable situations.