Results for Development (R4D) conducted an assessment of Tanzanian employers to fill the current gap in understanding of what employers are looking for in youth job candidates.
The Challenge
Many young people in Tanzania are unsure of what employers want to see in a job candidate. This limits their ability to seek appropriate training and creates uncertainty about what they should highlight in a job application. Having the right mix of skills and experiences that employers want can boost a young person’s chances of getting a job, particularly if they then demonstrate those capabilities during the hiring process.
The Opportunity
Through the USAID-funded Rapid Feedback Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (RF MERL) activity, R4D collaborated with USAID/Tanzania’s Kijana Nahodha (“Youth Captains”) youth development activity to conduct a 6-month job skills assessment. The results provided guidance to youth who are developing skills and searching for employment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)-related trades.
R4D’s Work
During this activity, RF MERL:
- Conducted key informant interviews with over 40 stakeholders involved in TVET skills development in three regions (Dar es Salaam, Morogoro and Zanzibar) and across four focus trades (tailoring, electrical installation, masonry and culinary arts).
- Developed easily digestible, two-page profiles that summarized employer expectations and suggested actions young people could take to increase their chances of getting a job in each trade.
- Summarized employer perspectives in a more detailed spreadsheet for use by Kijana Nahodha staff as they planned their youth development activities.
- Facilitated a user experience workshop with youth from the Kijana Nahodha program and validated the findings from data collection with key stakeholders.
- Disseminated the findings from the activity to a broad range of stakeholders.
