Youth Employment and Sustainable Livelihoods

The National Youth Council of India recognizes that decent employment and participation in agricultural, industrial, commercial and services sector provides sustenance and sustainable livelihood to the majority of youth.

STRATEGIES

The National Youth Council of India recognizes that decent employment and participation in agricultural, industrial, commercial and services sector provides sustenance and sustainable livelihood to the majority of youth.

  1. Ensure that development strategies and programmes incorporate youth employment concerns;
  2. Encourage and develop specific youth-oriented programmes that improve the skills, productivity and experiences of young people through a range of institutions, including schools, vocational training centres, community organizations and NGOs;
  3. Encourage equal employment opportunities for the youth that have attained the age of majority, with particular attention to reducing gender inequities and inequalities;
  4. Establish a Youth Fund and other institutional funds as well as remove barriers to ensure access to capital by youth;
  5. Promote career guidance and counseling in both public and private sectors, to assist young people more efficiently in finding employment;
  6. Encourage enterprises to play an active role in the provision of continuous training to young employees. Institute an incentive scheme for employers to invest in skills development for young people;
  7. Establish/encourage training programmes for promoting self employment activities;
  8. Advocate for representation of youth in tripartite bodies and tripartite consultations;
  9. Make available and accessible accurate data disaggregated according to gender, disability, and rural versus urban area on youth employment, unemployment and underemployment to facilitate prioritization of issues in development programmes;
  10. Promote youth entrepreneurship by including entrepreneurship training in the school curricula, providing access to credit, business, development skills training, mentorship opportunities and better information on market opportunities;
  11. Develop job creation strategies for youth particularly for young women, young people with disabilities and young people living in rural areas;
  12. Regulate the informal economy to prevent unfair labour practices and exploitation of youth;
  13. Foster greater linkages between the labour market, entrepreneurship opportunities, and education and skills development to ensure youth realize their full development and potential.