Creating employment prospects for refugees, IDPs and host communities in Ethiopia

Ethiopia	Ministry of Labour and Skills (MoLS)

A woman sits at a sewing machine and smiles at the camera.

Context

With over 940,000 refugees, Ethiopia is the one of the largest host countries in Africa. However, many refugees are unable to provide for themselves. At the same time, the country has to cope with over 4.3 million internally displaced persons due to internal conflicts. Moreover, young persons are hit particularly hard by unemployment, as vocational training programmes and employment opportunities are often inadequate.

Objective

Employment prospects for refugees, IDPs and host communities have improved.

Approach

The project focuses on four fields of action:

Supporting the implementation of national refugee legislation: The project supports the Ethiopian Ministry of Labour and Skills (MoLS) and the Ethiopian Refugee and Returnee Service (RRS) in mainstreaming the inclusion of refugees in the vocational training system and the labour market in the long term. The aim is to put Ethiopian refugee legislation into practice.

Expanding access to vocational training: Vocational schools are being turned into inclusive vocational schools where refugees and Ethiopians, including internally displaced persons, learn together. The training courses are geared towards the needs of the labour market. Continuing professional development enables TVET trainers to improve their technical and soft skills. There are new training courses in and around refugee camps to create employment prospects.

Promoting employment: The project supports TVET colleges in setting up business incubators and advises groups of entrepreneurs on how they can implement business ideas. Through partnerships between companies and colleges, the programme promotes the transition from training to employment and also young women’s access to technical training courses and professions.

Creating social cohesion: The programme is expanding psychosocial services for persons affected by conflicts. Through community activities, it promotes interaction between refugees, internally displaced persons and the host population.