THE New England and North West region remains a hotspot for youth unemployment, according to latest statistics from the federal government.
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World Youth Skills Day, on July 15, highlights the plight of those youths in finding work, as well as shedding light on the importance of young people in the workplace.
High youth unemployment is not restricted to our area; according to the United Nations, which has organised the international day, 16 per cent of young people aged between 15 and 24 do not have a job.
Our young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to more menial work, greater labour inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions.
But there is hope; the theme of this year's World Youth Skills Day is lifelong learning.
Across the globe, seminars, workshops, photo competitions and resource kits have been developed to underline the importance of continuous learning and how it helps young people upskill and ultimately, find work.
Of note to local youths is the UN's special report, Investing in Rural People.
It acknowledges the importance of our young people in rural development, calling on the mature-aged workforce to provide skills, resources and confidence needed by youths to run profitable farms and innovative businesses and become the community leaders of tomorrow.
You can read the full report here, ifad.org. On an international scale, the International Labour Organisation is working on a "Recognition of prior learning" process.
In time, this will help those young people, who do not have qualifications, to acquire a qualification that matches their knowledge and skills.
Ultimately, this will improve their employment prospects, mobility, lifelong learning, social inclusion and self-esteem.
Become involved in the day and learn more about how you can progress yourself through study and into the workforce.
You can join the celebrations by using the hashtag #wysd2019 so people around the world can see all your activities and events.
There will also be live streaming of events by the UN.
A panel discussion will be held at UN headquarters on July 15 that will bring together the voices of youth, UN member states, the UN system, private sectors, civil society, academia and other organisations.
A week-long exhibition, Inspiring youth and improving perception for skills, has been organised by WorldSkills and UNESCO, including selected photos from the SkillsinAction photo competition.