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ILO/Japan Tripartite Regional Meeting on Youth Employment

in Asia and the Pacific

27 February - 1 March 2002

Bangkok

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Promoting youth employment through

information and communication technologies (ICT): Best practice examples

in Asia and the Pacific

Paper by Richard Curtain (Australia)

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Contents

1 Introduction2 Five key principles for ICT

generated employment opportunities for

young people3 Some examples of best

practices4 Recommendations

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1 Introduction

“No country can afford to ignore ICT.” (WER 2001).

because …– Limit their ability to acquire

knowledge & tap into global networks.

– Could be excluded from markets.

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2 Five key principles for ICT generated employment for young people

1. Youth entrepreneurship has important roles.

2. Public-private partnership is valuable.

3. Can assist vulnerable groups of young people.

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4. ICT can help link the informal economy to opportunities in the world economy.

5. Important that young people are in charge.

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3 Some examples of best practices

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Entrepreneurship

• Grameen Telecom’s Village Pay Phones

• Young women as ‘information intermediaries’

• Greenstar India• Community-based telecenters (India)• Cable television• “Technopreneurship” in Singapore

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Start an E-Commerce Movement

Greenstar India• 50 solar-powered community & e-

commerce centres in remote villages,• income through e-commerce on

traditional culture (art, music, literature, history, …)

• Fund basic needs – e.g. clean water, telemedicine, basic education, micro-credit, Internet connection to the world.

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An Idea:Young Women as Information

Intermediaries

• Qualification: from community, knows English & can use computers,

• JD: work at community centres– get information from internat’l sources– relay it to local women farmers.– Assist in 2-way comm.

• Takes: a PC + Internet access + stipend = $1,000/community/year

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Public-private partnerships

• ICT infrastructure (Korea)• Investment promotion in ICT

(China, India, Malaysia)• Softbank Emerging Markets• Cisco Networking Academies• Oracle Academic Initiative

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An International public-private partnership to assist local

entrepreneurs to close the digital divide

SOFTBANK Emerging Markets• Incubating Internet companies in 100

developing countries,• Partnership with industry leaders,• Leading-edge Internet models to

countries,• Generates investor interests,• Prices ; subscribers • promotes free or subsidized Internet

service to schools, etc.

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Assisting the vulnerable

• Vaancha ICT Association (India)• Finding unexploded bombs (Lao

PDR)• Marketing pro-poor tourism (Nepal)• Internet Learning Centres (Lao

PDR)• Recycling PCs (Australia)

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Informal economy & digital economy

• “IndiaShop”• SEWA – distance learning, e-

commerce by members• TARAhaat.com (India) – a portal for

local people

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For best practices to diffuse more widely …

Should be linked to an integrated strategy …

• delivered by governments and the private sector

• with the support of civil society org’s & international agencies.

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This strategy needs to encompass:

• appropriate infrastructure provision

• adequate skills pool• supportive public policy• financial support to

enterprise ...

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Capitalising on the potential of the Internet also requires

• relevant local content & applications

• suitable to the needs and capabilities of the population.

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4 Recommendations

1 Develop supporting strategies

Potential to generate employment for young people will not be realized without supporting strategies.

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2 Encourage self-employment

• Many opportunities for self-employment & SEs with ICT skills;

• Need to promote ICT-related self-employment as a viable option;– Role models: an image of success

and achievement

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3 Provide business skills

Other business skills needed: – manage cash flow;– Assess one’s strength & ability; – Seek info & advice;– Plan, communicate, negotiate;– Solve problem, resolve conflict;– Evaluate performance, etc.

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4 Organize youth competitions

National or regional competitions: a high profile way of promoting youth enterprises related to ICT.

Opportunity for young women and men to explore and develop a business idea with the assistance of a business adviser or mentor.

Likely to generate significant publicity in the media.

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5 Encourage mentor support

Mentor support for starting ICT-related enterprises

To offer informal advice and guidance based on relevant business experience

Could also be a means of gaining access to business networks.

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6 Provide business capital

Young people face more constraints than older people on access to finance.

Identify specific measures for young people to obtain credit.

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7 Develop public-private partnerships

Partnerships between governments and private sector enterprises are emerging as ‘essential’ to enable the transfer of ICT infrastructure and knowledge to developing countries.

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It is recommended that governments explore the use of public-private partnerships in relation to ICT as a basis for creating and expanding employment opportunities in this area or in providing up-to-date ICT skills.

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8 Develop web sites

The UN ICT Taskforce has recommended that the UN and its agencies provide assistance in building local, national and regional networks of partnerships.

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One way to assist the process of building networks is to create a web site to post information about case studies of partnership initiatives in different countries and to otherwise assist in the exchange of information.

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9 Create transparent partnerships

Principles underpinning the business arrangements developed by governments and private sector companies to transfer ICT should be made transparent and subject to public debate.

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10 Recognize external benefits

It is recommended that the business models identify and attempt to quantify public good benefits.

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11 Incorporate social responsibility and pro-poor development

It is recommended that the business models underpinning public-private partnerships should incorporate a strong element of corporate social responsibility and a significant development dimension, esp. poverty

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12 Monitor public-private partnerships

Need develop mechanisms/tools to monitor, measure and evaluate the effectiveness of knowledge & technology transfer;

In relation to achieving specific socio-economic goals and targets as defined by the partners

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13 Publicize Internet marketing

Possible for craft producers in poor and remote areas to use ICT to tap directly into regional, national and global markets.

Case studies with obstacles & solutions should be on a website.

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14 Encourage youth participation

• Participation of young people: a key to success.

• Involve young women & men through representative org’s– Developing concepts;– Implementing projects;– Evaluating outcomes of ICT employment

generation initiatives.

• Case studies should be on websites.

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An initiative of the ILO

• An interactive website (“Gateway” or “Portal”) to facilitate exchange of knowledge and information by practitioners of youth employment programmes.

• Good practice principles and tools will be uploaded.

• In partnership with CIDA & IDRC