Social Innovation to Promote Youth Employment in DR Congo. Horizon 2021. Phase 1: Employment Trends Assessment.

  • Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • Location: Cities of Kinshasa and Goma.
  • Duration: April to December 2018.
  • Participants: 200 young people, 80% women, from Kinshasa and Goma, living in vulnerable situations.
  • Area of specialization: Vocational training and micro-entrepreneurship.

Starting point

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been experiencing a bloody civil conflict for years, aggravated by the political situation, which is destabilizing the social peace that had been maintained until now.

The education system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is very precarious in every sense: in terms of resources, educational methodologies, and educational programs. It is not focused on providing students with the skills and knowledge that will allow them to access a profession or launch their own business initiatives.

Objective

To facilitate access to stable employment for 200 vulnerable young people in innovative sectors, through self-employment or entrepreneurship, with the participation of the private sector, in the DRC.

What is the project about

The Horizon 2021 project proposes a paradigm shift in vocational training to generate employment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With the aim of developing a proposal based on social innovation, the project is being implemented in three phases:

  1. Conducting a Diagnostic Assessment with the main business sectors in the DRC.
  2. Co-creation, together with companies, of training and entrepreneurship models that appeal to demand.
  3. Vocational training processes that can be implemented not only in training centers but also in companies.

This project focuses on the first phase of Horizon 21: conducting a diagnostic of labor trends and creating a business driving force in the DRC. To this end, the evolution of the labor market in the DRC will be analyzed, with particular attention to new professions and those with technological content. To this end, companies will determine, on the one hand, the specific job profiles and skills required by new workers. And, on the other, the types of service and product providers they need for their new business models.

Entities that support this project