“I would like to be the best plumber in Garowe city.”

Children & Youth

Sep 7

85 students have soon completed a six month intense vocational and skills training course in Puntland, Somalia in plumbing, henna and beauty salon skills, electricity and electronics or tailoring and garmenting. Now, they will have a one month basic entrepreneurship/business skills training and provision of start-up tool kits to successful trainees upon completion of the training program.

The project is funded by Grieg Foundation and implemented by Norwegian Church Aid through a partnership with Garowe Vocational Training Center (GVTC). 40 men and 45 women are currently in the programme.

Youth makes up about 73 % of the population in Somalia. The unemployment rate for people between 14 to 29 years is one of the highest in the world: 67 % among men, and 74% among women. Unskilled and unschooled unemployed youth with scarce opportunities and limited access to vocational training are very vulnerable to recruitment into criminal or terrorist activities.

After years of war, conflict and destruction, the country is in dire need of skilled labor. This integrated vocational, business and personal skills training for job creation and enterprise development, give young people new opportunities and make it possible for them to take part and rebuild their societies.

This project promotes employement and income opportunities of young people through employment-driven skills training and start-up kits, and the students get an income already during the course:

“When I first joined the course five months ago, I had no idea what the course is all about.It is so interesting, and I like my job, it is already earning me money! We are paid $ 8 per day worked during our on the job learning.”

She is one of five female students doing her on -the-job practice in electrical installation in a new guest house under construction in Garowe city. The 5 girls who enrolled for electrical course are doing well and have dispelled the myth that women cannot do such jobs. We need to use this example to encourage other young women to take such courses in the future.

A brighter future

In their business vision, this group of young electricians and plumbers are determined to form a local company that will be providing electrical and plumbing services to the urban population in Garowe city where the demand for their services is very high due to the rapid growth in urbanization.

NCA in collaboration with GVTC will support the group through entrepreneurship training and exposure to similar businesses in order to make their vision a reality.

Story of Hafso Abdirahman Osman

Hafso Abdirahman Osman was born in Mogadishu in July 2003. When she was 3 years old her father passed away, and at the age of 12 her mother died.

After the death of her mother, Hafso left Mogadishu and moved to Garowe to live with her uncle. For the last five years, Hafso living with her uncle and his family. Hafso could not go to a formal school. In February 2021, Hafso applied the Vocational Skills Training Programme implemented by GVTC and NCA and funded by Grieg Foundation Norway. According to her status, she become illegible for the programme, and become one of the selected 85 trainees. She chose to study Electricity and Electronic Skills, which is a skill mostly reserved only for male. The skills training was an important opportunity for her.

In an interview with Hafso about her future hopes, she said,“ I am very happy, I have an Islamic faith, and belief that I will succeed in life by acquiring skills to earn an income to support myself, my younger brother and sister and my grandfather” and added: