Creating Employment Opportunities for the Youth of Pakistan
By: Ayesha Khan
Tags: Employment, Youth Development, Pakistan, Youth

Ayesha Khan — 20161–21221

UN SDG #4: Quality Education

UN SDG #8: Decent work and Economic Growth

TED Talk I got Inspired From:

In the Ted talk by Mona Mourshed about “Solving global youth unemployment” she makes us ask the question “why is a 4 year university degree not providing the youth with skills they need to secure entry level positions? She conducted a survey of over 10,000 educators and young people around the world to understand what the rift is between employers and the unemployed youth. Mona gives the example of Yasmine, a 24 year old graduate in Jordan who is unable to get a job despite having graduated at the top of her class.

She also talks about Mark, the HR head of a manufacturing company in the USA, who has approached many community colleges to start a mechatronics program but has been rejected and is disappointed by the students he meets at college career fairs. Lastly, Eduardo, an educator was also talked about. She said that the youth feel their education does not prepare them enough to secure a job, since the skills taught by educational institutions are not the same as the skills that employers want. Therefore, educators and industry professionals need to interact more with each other to make education meaningful, and students should go out of their way to take educated decisions about their future.

The Solution:

My solution for youth unemployment is based on the TED talk summarized above. I aim to provide work opportunities for the youth while they are studying, so they can gain valuable industry-level skills that propel them into the industry as well as give them more insight they can bring back into their classroom for their peers.

Youth unemployment is on the rise in Pakistan and is becoming a cause for concern as there is no proper way for the youth to earn an allowance and they have to remain dependent on their parents until they start a career. Most university graduates are not equipped with the skills they need to secure even entry level jobs after studying for four years.

My platform will aim to provide small employment opportunities such as internships or entry level jobs that require minimal skills to the youth. For this, I will collaborate with universities and companies in multiple industries so that students can get a chance to experience work life in multiple roles. This collaboration will be based on a promise that every 4 months, the company has to take a fixed number of students from the company into their trainee/internship programs and teach them some basic industry level skills.

The company will also partner with the university to provide them with a list of skills from their specific industry that they believe graduates should possess. The university is then responsible for creating a curriculum that incorporates those skills and the rest of the skills will be taught to the student as they start to work for the company. This collaboration can be fruitful to provide a sustained pool of workers to the industry each year that possess the skill and the ability to take on jobs.

Target audience:

This platform will be targeting young adults between ages 16–28 who prefer being independent but there are no such opportunities being offered in Pakistan where a young person can earn before they graduate.

The main idea:

The idea is to introduce a set up that would give job seekers i.e. the young adults a platform to connect with the employers and will offer part-time employment opportunities.

As there is no job exposure in our country at initial stages, this may even comprise of small level jobs such as photographers, accountants, and other miscellaneous work. This will not only prepare the youth for their future professional lives but also help them earn money without having to ask anyone for it.

Companies and universities will collaborate to make these opportunities more accessible to students who teachers may see as fit for a certain skill.

There also various restaurants and cafes where these young people can work as cashiers, cooks or managers. This culture is very common in the west however not everybody in Pakistan prefers doing low level jobs.

But this is not it, I have thought of more categories and do not want to limit this platform’s services to the educated youth but also aim at targeting the uneducated masses, and provide them with jobs that could greatly enhance and raise their living standard. Also they will be better able to provide for themselves and their families.

Another important feature I want to include in this platform is the mentorship feature. This feature will connect students with industry leaders and thought leaders to allow them to learn important skills such as coding, SEO, and more. These skills will not be just to develop them to entry level positions, but prepare them on basic skills such as Excel, to more high level skills that Silicon Valley entrants will also be able to use.

This library of information will be made available at a minimum sign up fee charged monthly. Since the target market is students, this fee needs to be at a minimum level so everyone can afford it.

Benefits:

I predict that such a platform will have industry-revolutionizing benefits as it can change the economic structure of Pakistan. With more than 90% of people in Pakistan comprising of young adults, there is a serious gap in the economy that can be addressed.

Giving these youth a creative outlet and allowing them to explore their potential also keeps them from getting into the wrong activities which can damage their future.

I believe that there is a large pool of talent in Pakistan comprising of young people that just needs to be given the chance to show its potential. With such a platform, we aim to bring this opportunity to them, as well as change the way that the economic system works, and make education a ladder on the way to a meaningful career, not a barrier towards a good job.