More than one in four young Tunisians is not in education, employment or training (NEET), a survey by the United Nations Office in Tunis, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has revealed.

The survey, presented on Friday during a study day in Tunis, was conducted under the theme "Young people not in education, employment and training: Facilitating the transition to employment".

It targeted Tunisian youth aged between 15 and 29 in four governorates: Gafsa, Kairouan, Monastir and Sidi Bouzid.

Participants in the study day included the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tunisia, Arnaud Peral; the Director of the Office of the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, Abdelkader Jmal; the Director of the ILO Office for the Maghreb, Rania Bikhazi; the Adviser to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Khalil Abbes; and officials from the United Nations Office in Tunisia.

According to the survey, three-quarters of the young people surveyed had left secondary or higher education without a diploma, and 45% of them had been out of school or employment for more than five years.

The majority of young people said that lack of skills for employment and learning difficulties were the main causes of unemployment, in addition to family living conditions and economic and social difficulties that can lead to dropping out of school.

In his speech, Arnaud Peral of the United Nations stressed the importance of listening to young people and supporting them throughout their education and into employment.

He called for a comprehensive approach that takes into account the needs of this vulnerable group to prevent early school leaving, in addition to strengthening education and training programmes to streamline the integration of young people into the labour market.

For his part, Lamjed Mahmoud, D-G of Vocational Training Development at the Ministry of Employment, noted the importance of taking into account the specificities of this group of young people through the implementation of appropriate mechanisms and targeted interventions to integrate them into the labour market.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse