World Urban Forum

I wanted to share an approach that is being tried out in the state of Bihar in India on skill training especially for the urban poor. Bihar is one of the least urbanised states in India with about 42% of the urban population living below the poverty line. The Government of India has a long running skill training programme that has not delivered the desired outcomes. As part of a DFID supported urban reforms project, an attempt is being made to introduce systematic local economic development. A number of steps have been completed - City Business Plans have been prepared to identify the economic potential of a city region; a training needs assessment completed to identify the kinds of skills that are in demand and 'enterprise development centres' established. These Centres will provide skills training; have responsibility for placement; will track & monitor a candidate for at least 6 months; will incubate new business ideas & facilitate enterprise set ups. For the informal sector that is the livelihood of a large section of the urban poor, the project is helping implementation of a legislation that provides space for the informal sector within an urban area. The going is difficult especially on account of the need to change the mindsets of urban local bodies regarding the role they have in promoting economic development and the potential benefits of such promotion.

by movimg away from neglecting informal education as its a sure way of creating more jobs and also encourage the more qualified people to be more of job creators than job seekers

Three points, Steve:

1. You gave general figures for youth unemployment. Any specific figure for URBAN areas?

2. You said that ..."an estimated 6.4 million young people have given up hope of finding a job and have dropped out of the labour market altogether"... Please clarify what is to drop out of the labour market. You mean not to work at all? Who maintains these 6.4 million people? I imagine that you mean dropping out of the formal market?

3. Youth employment is indeed important. Also employment in other age groups, why not. Yes, young entrants to the labour market need to be given an opportunity. Middle age unemployed or underemployed people also need opportunities.

In my own opinion, the truth is the city cannot provide enough jobs to accomodate everyone. Therefore my suggestion is to create skills acquisition and development centers to help develop the minds of the young people and in turn enable them use the skills they acquire become entepreneurs (i.e. start a business of their own) and in the long-run directly or indirectly more jobs are created.

Proffesional training should be in line with job market demand and youths talents and skills should be nurtured at a younger age to allow them persue their dreams to avoid clash of intrest in future therefore help in creating other avenue for job creation

Proffesional training should be in line with job market demand and youths talents and skills should be nurtured at a younger age to allow them persue their dreams to avoid clash of intrest in future therefore help in creating other avenue for job creation

There is an interesting reading (at least for me.. hehehe) related to this discussion.
It from a blog in worldbank websites that submitted by Dan Hoornweg on April 04, 2012.
Original source link : http://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/node/577?cid=EXT_TWBN_D_EXT

Top Ten New Urban Jobs
With about 185,000 people a day moving into cities – some 2 billion more people by 2035 – cities are where the action is and jobs are available. Following is a top ten urban report for tomorrow’s job seekers.

1. Construction Workers. Someone’s got to build all those new cities with their infrastructure, buildings, transportation systems, waste management, and power supply. And then there’s the retrofitting of existing cities. How are we going to pay for all this construction? Over the next 30 years the world will see an unprecedented increase in wealth as the land being taken over by cities grows in value. Let’s just hope we build ‘sustainable cities’ or the true costs will far outweigh the benefits.

2. Civil Engineers and City Planners. Used to be you could graduate as a civil engineer and start building roads, buildings, railways, ports and wastewater treatment facilities. The ‘civil’ part just distinguished it from military engineering, the world’s first engineers. Now the ‘civil’ in civil engineering can just as easily refer to civility and civilization. Today, civil engineers, the builders of cities, need to help develop and nurture a social contract that is always stronger than concrete and steel. Also, an encouraging trend in many countries – more than half of the freshmen civil and environmental engineering students are female.

City planners have always been at the heart of developing our cities. Their imagination and observations shape the city, and their job is getting more challenging. Cities need to be planned within a context of increasing uncertainty: climate, economy, politics, food and water security – things are changing quickly and planners need to design more resilient cities. Better city planners are figuring out how to plan cities with a larger team. They bring in civil engineers, communicators, politicians, community representatives and the private sector within a much more integrated team.

3. Communicators. IBM has an interesting data set: They asked a variety of cities what services they needed most. Overwhelmingly city officials answered, ‘help with public communications’. Cities are centers of condensed communication. Nothing of scale and substance happens without good communication. Develop and nurture a robust social contract, generate sufficient revenues to operate your city, respond to an emergency, check what your citizens are willing and able to do and what they want. Good communicators are more critical than ever.

4. Urban Managers. Used to be the smartest people in the room would go work for a company like Enron or maybe some investment bank. Lately though, the best students are thinking about ‘service’ as well. Watch for MBAs and EMBAs and hybrid civil engineering and management courses from the world’s better universities. Coming soon to a city near you – the authentic ‘A team’.

5. Social Contractors. As mentioned above, you cannot provide a high quality urban life without a strong social contract. Last year, the biggest damage in Japan’s Fukushima disaster, for example, was the harm it caused to the social contract. Politicians and ‘technocrats’ the world-over are largely in charge of social contracting, but this is changing. The fractious and partisan nature of much of the world’s politics, and entrenched vested interests, are encouraging new forms of social contracting. Better cities are finding ways to bring more people and professions into the design and implementation of social contracts and the infrastructure they support.

6. Servers. I’ve been watching the service industry through cafes, Starbucks, and coffee shops since getting my first good cup of coffee - a ‘skinny flat white’ - in Cairns, Australia the summer of 1993. Since then I’ve likely visited more than 3000 cafes in some 400 cities. A common theme emerges - good service requires mutual respect – a great small scale example of a well functioning social contract. You can also see this very well in Paris where 64 of the City’s 40,000 restaurants have earned coveted Michelin stars. In Paris the waiter is as integral to the dining experience as the food and ambience. The customer and waiter both know this. Good servers are not servants, and good customers don’t treat them that way. This is likely the fastest growing urban job category. True, a recent engineering graduate will not likely be keen to (only) wait tables at the local pub, but mutual respect and service jobs are increasing fast. Watch for restaurants opening where the wait-staff have expertise in some particular theme, maybe local arts, financial advisors, or near-by hiking or skiing. When retired I’m looking forward to being a waiter in a new style ‘Hard Rock’ Café – where I can finally use my geology degree.

7. Entrepreneurs. Last week’s ‘top ten new urban businesses’ suggested a few up and coming small business prospects. There are myriad new opportunities serving the elderly, single householders, and one-off rentals like camping gear, and special transportation needs. Urban entrepreneurs will continue to drive the world’s economy (and job creation).

8. Information Communication Technology. Whether it is software developers, apps, data collection, storage and presentation, or the wiring and computing hardware, ICT will continue to burgeon. And watch for cities in Sub Saharan Africa and parts of Asia to leap frog past older technologies and habits. Innovation in this area will be especially important.

9. Infrastructure Suppliers. Check out the stock price of companies like Siemens, IBM (long term), Boeing, Tata (infrastructure division), and Alstom: they are growing quickly, and hiring new staff as well. Big chunky infrastructure like planes and trains, bridges and power plants, cement, and soon, even pre-fabricated buildings, all require workers to build the core of new cities, and help in the retrofitting of old infrastructure.

10. Farmers, Near and Far. One thing you can guarantee when you get another 2 billion people living in cities with growing disposable income - they will want to eat, and will likely eat a lot more than they are today. New forms of local, or urban, agriculture will emerge, but farmers won’t be replaced. They will be busier than ever: Ditto people who work in the spirits, luxury goods, furniture, and other household sectors.

Excellent. Thanks for this very concrete contribution to urban job creation!

Develop policies that ensures the interest of the youths are put into consideration, quite unfortunate our cities in most parts of Africa have neglected this aspect in its development policy.

Hello, I'm from El Salvador in Central America. One of the main problems to create job in cities in my country is Burocracy.
To open a formal business or a new company no matter what size, is needed to have several approvals from the main and local governments (this is normal). But sometimes the companies already have the permissions from all the Ministries but the Local government does not approve that business or it takes too long and money to get it. Meanwhile people in that city are looking for jobs and cannot find any. Government should be more efficient in this sense, give quicker response to companies trying to invest in the city and work together with the private sector.
For example: In Mejicanos city near the capital, it took 5 years to a grocery store chain to get the permission to built their building and star operations, 500 jobs are going to be created for people in that locality.

Hi ! am Luguza Henry from Uganda. One of the most challenging issues the government should tackle to create jobs is by involving youths in the urban planning as they also have there issues to address. our governments have denied us a chance to address the challenges we face.

the youth will be to blame as we always want to wait for governments to create jobs for us forgetting that most governments are made up of politician who want the youth population to remain poor and remain a target for violence and reckless behaviours that tend to dent the integrity of the youth, they use the youth to get votes so for this population to remain poor means they can be controlled. We should rise to the occasion and work out of our troubles and stop depending on our governments especially in African countries.

Maybe we can link this to the discussion in the section on Urban Planning dealing with Cooperatives. http://www.worldurbanforum.org/urban-planning/can-we-promote-cooperative-in-all-sectors-just-to-answer-to-our-problems-by-using-available-ressources

Cooperatives offer citizens to participate and shape the development they want to see. At the same time they are an opportunity to create jobs. In Germany where I live, the cooperative model is being successfully utilized mainly for renewable energy production – there is literally a rural energy revolution underway. These energy cooperatives will aid in the country’s transition from a centralized energy system based on fossil fuels to one supplied by distributed renewable energy. The formation of these new energy cooperatives are growing at an impressive rate. According to the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV), of the approximately 250 new cooperatives in 2011, 158 were energy cooperatives. From 2006-2011, there have been 430 new energy cooperatives formed in Germany.

Through the cooperative model the value creation within the community including the creation of jobs is amazing. For this also see the report below on Value Creation through renewable energies: http://www.unendlich-viel-energie.de/uploads/media/46_Renews_Special_value-creation_for_local_communities.pdf

Looking forward to hearing your comments...

This is an area not yet attended by cities in a right manner.People are coming and they find employment in the informal sector.What city can further do to formalise the process which begins with tenure,sheltor,and services.Many are doing this help.But , a lot more is needed to integrate youth paricularly from low income with the city economy and production system.In some cities in India ,city governments have contacted private sector(hospitals,schools,other small industries ).to train youth for their employment.Further ,part production can also be outsourced to low income informal sector youths.
Realising these factors government of india is planning aUrban Livelihood Mission by susuming current programme into one.These type of innovations will emerge in due course.

My dear if the embassies a still making it hard for participants by asking the official signed letter to take a chance in participating in the world urban forum then we still have a bigger problem. youth should be involved in urban planning meeting and system as the older or mature people a still in service so as they learn from them.
we believe were also good in planning , lets be given a chance to be part of the planning committee and we will light the candle than curse the darkness.

Something should be done for the Italian Embassy in Kampala as they need signed invitation letter other wise youth from Uganda a going to miss a chance of participating to the world urban forum 6

Dear Steve Miller (Moderator,)

Greetings! I think whenever, unemployment rates are low, young people will get a job, at least as internships.
I have already posted a topic, entitled as follows, regarding employment, in general:

"Beating Unemployment and Recession through Worldwide Cities Overhaul"

http://www.worldurbanforum.org/productive-cities/beating-unemployment-and-recession-through-worldwide-cities-overhaul

Here, I would like to elaborate a little more, on the topic.

Municipalities are concerned on cars emissions, and try persuading car owners opting for new cars models, while providing incentives for them, to get rid of dilapidated cars; burning a lot of fuels, for the same mileage, in comparisons.

I think the same discipline should be enforced for housing owners, and with appropriate incentives, to deeply retrofit their buildings, in order to conserve on the huge amount of wasted energy. THIS HAS TO BE ENFORCED ON THE LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS, to cut down on the households and housings energy consumptions, which as a result will free a lot of funds, due to less energy supply by the governments, FOR SUBSIDIZING THE PROMOTED DEEP INSIDE RETROFITS PROJECTS.

The effects of such initiations on the application of the new housing industries technologies with the target of the less energy consumptions and the application of the renewable energies on the environments dilemma and unemployment are quite evident, which will cover young people too.

Best regards,

Mashallah Ali-Ahyaie

Discipline among house owners will come from suitable regulations and bye laws.In India we have initiated Energy Conservation Building Codes developed by Beaurow of Energy Efficiency which are applicable to plots exceeding 500 sq.m. size. Town Planning Acts i. e. maharashtra Act are being modified to introduce discipline in the use of energy.It will go a long way in due course of time as 40% of total energy is consumed in India in the residential sector.

Dear Steve Miller (Moderator,)

Greetings! Let me elaborate a little more, on the projects appropriate to be executed, to bring about more jobs, in the urban areas.

It is true that housings and buildings overhauls to execute deep-inside retrofits on ask for much regulations, engineering deliberations and the like, but projects such as the integration of rainwater harvesting measures in urban areas is not that much complicated and could be carried out, as crush projects, abating unemployment and favoring environment.

Best regards,

Mashallah Ali-Ahyaie

Back to you again;
Dear Steve Miller (Moderator,)

In such short postings, one can't cover every angle of a concept. I referred to dilapidated HVAC systems, as energy guzzlers, but didn't mention the insulation inclusion on the outside layers of buildings coverings, which many buildings don't have it. To retrofit buildings in this regards could be carried out separately, along with the provision of double-glazed windows, instead of those wasting energy a lot, in the context of a stand-alone project, in certain cases. Such crush projects will alleviate unemployment.

Best regards,

Mashallah Ali-Ahyaie

And finally, please kindly read the following posting and watch the enclosure thereon; in line with my discussion:

Renée van Staveren from Turkey, 19 July 2012 18:38
Sebastian, I completely agree that there must be separate campaigns for the differing needs of the "developed" and "developing countries."

And I also believe that it should come from an economic perspective because that is where most people are concerned. I don't think anyone would be opposed to saving money? However, they may careless about the environment (although I would like that to be different) ... especially if a lack of housing is a concern.

One way to make this shift is to highlight others that are doing such things ... so here is a plug for Los Angeles' Wilshire Center Business Improvement District. If we want to decrease the costs, complete energy efficiency retrofits in bulk. Bulk always costs less.

Do you know of any other district-level retrofits?


The First
https://vimeo.com/45623183
LikeUnlike 1

For our cities to create Jobs I think we can do the following:
Overhauling the education curriculum for instance in Africa and particularly in Uganda, I got a part time job when I was in my third year in Makerere University. I performed so well that I was retained after graduation. I would think we could have a year before our final year for only not internship but real work and target based/results based assessment.
Students from every university and college should be placed in a company and work (change study campus) at no pay because that student will be in class (work place) and his/her lecturer will be his boss and fellow owrkers. Why because students are not paid while in lectures so they should know that they are not working yet, they are chaning campuses (from university theoratical campus to work-place practical campus).

To people's surprise, 50-60% of the students will be retained if they prove result oriented and adding value to the company. Bosses and CEOs will not want to loose a person who brings in value and adds to the profits of the company so they will be grateful to start paying them immediately they finish. Some students can even prove to be so good that the bosses would not mind paying fees and tuition for the remaining time at university. I have the whole concept which I can share if given chance.

Secondly: For instance in Uganda 83% of the youths are un-employed and the 45% of the remaining 17% are under emplyed, they are doing something they never went to university to study. This is coupled with the gratest challenge that firms and companies are coping with called high staff turnover (staff attrition), because people advertise for a job in the news papers with a requirement of 3-10 years experience (as if there is a school for experience), they are in real sense telling one to resign his or her job for theres. So who is causing staff turn over?, any how companies have to start staff developments and motivations such that they only advertise for entry positions because that is where we have University students that dont have experience.

We should never advertise a top job we should promote our own staff such that as they are promoted to a top vacancy, they create space below them.

Humphrey Mutaasa

Dear all,

In my opinion, one of the key factors for the creation of jobs will be, undoubtedly, the promotion of entrepreneurship among young people (and adults long-term unemployed). This economical, financial, political and ecological crisis entails a breakdown of classic employment: millions worldwide will not be wage-earners any more, they cannot pretend to get a job and become employees for the rest of their lifes, as our parents and grandparents did. That world is over.

The solution will necessarily come through our capability to invent new occupations and create new jobs for ourselves. No employers will do it for us. We need a society full of entrepreneurs, with new values and brilliant ideas to be shared and developed!!

Particularly, in the context of global change and ecological crisis, we must foster green entrepreneurship and make the transition into a green and truly sustainable economy. This fact is even more urgent in large cities, metropolis and metropolitan regions, whose environmental unsustainability has been clearly revealed.

The cooperatives pointed out by the colleague from Germany are an excellent vehicle to meet this goal and generate the proper ecosystem for young entrepreneurs.

Dear colleagues

Please, find attached information on the training event Fostering Livelihood Strategies in Key Sectors of the Economy in Low-income Settlements organized by the International Labour Organization ILO to be hosted during the 6th Session of the World Urban Forum-WUF6, in Naples, Italy, on the 5th of September 2012.

Online registrations through the link:
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=19&catid=672&cid=10075

Please share this information with interested colleagues and peers.
Looking forward to meeting you in Naples!