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7. Short-term income generation skills
7.1 The situation » Up
The needs are immense. Approximately thirty-six percent of Cambodia's people live below the poverty line, the vast majority of whom are illiterate. Poverty rates are highest in rural areas where roughly 90.5 percent of the poor live. The remainder of the poor are located in other urban areas (7.2 percent) and Phnom Penh (2.3 percent). Average annual per capita income in rural areas totals only $197. There are an estimated 6.8 million economically active adults with an official unemployment rate of 7.1 percent (approximately 475,000 persons). But this unemployment rate figure doesn't include farmers (approximately 5.4 million - 80 percent of the workforce) who are normally only productive six months of the year. This means a huge additional "under-employed rate".
Demographic pressures reinforce the urgent need for employment generation. It is projected that the labor force will grow by an estimated 200,000 per annum by 2010. Agricultural productivity remains lower than neighbors because of an increase in the agricultural labor force with no corresponding increase in the efficiency of farming. The tourism sector is showing promising growth but export-oriented manufacturing (such as the garment industry) is still very fragile and also experiences exploitation of labor in some cases. The uncertain and changing labor market (agricultural, manufacturing and services) requires great flexibility on the part of the labor force in terms of learning new skills which respond to market demand, increased productivity and entrepreneurial initiative. Currently, many excellent income-generation programs are being implemented by non-governmental agencies in rural areas and urban slums but the total number of participants is very low when compared to the needs. In more affluent urban areas, there are many private vocationally-oriented schools.
7.2 The rationale » Up
Youth and adults with limited life and income-generating skills are at high risk from poverty, especially women and other vulnerable groups. New knowledge, skills and attitudes are required to work in the evolving Cambodian economy, which is increasingly part of the inter-dependent global economy. Functional literacy provides a base of literacy, innumeracy and life skills but that alone is not sufficient to ensure increased income. Functional literacy provides the skills to access learning new income-generation and entrepreneurial skills, which are critical to breaking the "poverty cycle".
With increasing literacy and, thus, access to information, people's aspirations to improve their living conditions and quality of life and the urge for higher levels of income is constantly on the increase. This provides the motivation for learning new skills which can earn income. Also, parents want a better life for their children and, through increased income, are better able to support their children's schooling. Another critical factor to consider is the ongoing rural migration to urban areas where increasing numbers of manufacturing and service industries will be established. Also, due to rapid changes taking place in technological, industrial and service spheres, the world of work is undergoing rapid and ongoing transformation. Some jobs and businesses are becoming obsolescent giving away to new ones. The scope for wage employment may not be keeping up with the growing demand but self-employment and co-employment are on an unstoppable rise.
7.3 The vision » Up
Income-generation simply means gaining or increasing income. Income-generation does not always mean the immediate earning of cash but increased productivity has a similar impact, such as a person learning to produce enough food to feed a family in a situation where it was not possible in the past (a monetary value can be placed on the additional food produced). Another way a person can generate income is by astute investment of existing resources, such as developing a piece of land for "cash crops" with a higher value than what was previously produced on the land. A third way to generate income is for people to use their skills to earn wages directly from an employer or indirectly through self-employment (a small business).
Illiterate people form the vast majority of the 36% of Cambodia's people who live below the poverty line and are the primary focus of this program. Within that group, priority will be placed on 15-24 year olds, with particular emphasis on women. As in the functional literacy program, action will be taken to reach those most excluded by gender, geography, social group, ethnicity or life situation. Current implementing capacity is hard to determine because of the large number of government and non-government agencies involved as well as the nature of the program with some training courses as short as a few days with others covering several months. However, it is felt that at least 20,000 people per year are now receiving such training. As a guideline, training should not exceed three months in order to maximize use of resources to benefit the largest number of poor and disadvantaged people.
7.4 Long-term objective » Up
By 2015, to ensure that the employment needs of 800,000 unemployed and under-employed youth and adults, in the 15 to 45 year age range, with an emphasis on the poorest communities and a majority of women, are met through equitable access to relevant short-term income generation skills training.
7.5 Medium-term objective » Up
By 2010, to ensure that the employment needs of 300,000 unemployed and under-employed youth and adults, in the priority 15 to 24 year age range, are met through equitable access to relevant short-term income generation skills training and eliminate all gender disparities.
7.6 Short-term objectives » Up
In partnership between all relevant ministries and NGOs:
- To expand annual instructional capacity to 50,000 persons by 2005, with priority on the critical 15 to 24 year old age group;
- To ensure at least 70% of those trained from 2003 to 2005 are women;
- To achieve high-quality development of 200 new instructional materials by 2005;
- To achieve high-quality revision/development of trainer/instructor selection and training systems;
- To ensure at least 50% of instructors are female by 2005.
7.7 Program modalities » Up
Above all else, short-term income-generation training must be relevant to the situation of the learners. They can focus on skills for improving daily life, improving a current career, finding wage employment and establishing a business. There must be a direct "market" for the skills being learned, either in terms of increased agricultural efficiency or access to cash income (improved pest management, new land use, fish farming, eco-tourism services, skills for export-oriented industries, etc.). Associated entrepreneurial and business skills will also necessary when learning is likely to lead to self-employment.
All income-generation activities must be closely linked with adult functional literacy, post-literacy and early childhood care activities, usually at a community learning center, as well as other development programs near the community. In general, programs should focus their priorities on the critical 15 to 24 year old group, especially women and other vulnerable groups. Over time, it will expand to those 25 years of age and above. It is also important that the program be linked to small-scale credit schemes for those skills which require a small capital investment in order to generate income. In some areas with widely dispersed population centers, mobile training teams may be the most effective way to deliver income-generation activities. Revolving credit funds should be established to support entrepreneurial initiatives.
In the medium term, it is also important to avoid spending a lot of time and energy creating income-generation instructional materials which already exist in other parts of Cambodia or in neighboring countries and international resource centers. Many materials only require translation, adaptation and verification testing by local community specialists. The same is true for mass media materials such as learning-focused documentaries which can be broadcast on TV, radio or put in video form for instructors.
It is also important to stress the importance of using local or area specialist instructors and practical "hands-on" learning. The mobilization of local or area resources (be they monks or literate farmers or small business persons or village elders) is critical to the overall success of income-generation as well as other activities. Only they will be able to confirm the relevance of proposed training and the appropriateness of the skills being taught. In many cases, participants will be trained for a short intensive period; followed by real practice; and then monitored by the trainer to ensure the skills are learned correctly. Other learning, such as pest management, takes place 100% in the field. Certificates of completion must be issued and authorities should seek ways in which such certifications are recognized officially.
Again, the role of the national level will be to train, facilitate and support the provincial level. Actual planning will take place at the provincial, district and commune level, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations. The majority of implementation will take place at the commune and village level.
7.8 Key tasks » Up
Build partnerships between provincial authorities and non-governmental agencies to:
- Develop decentralized planning and implementation: Train provincial, district and commune authorities how to plan and facilitate relevant, marketable income-generation skills activities, usually implemented in co-operation with non-governmental agencies. Train communities in participant selection priorities (poverty, age, gender, ethnicity, social group);
- Develop materials: Develop and adapt income-generation instructional materials, including use of adult learning methodology. Skills and materials must be relevant to the needs of learners. Materials must be "modular" for flexibility of delivery according to learner needs and be highly visual (not dense written text). A series of simple descriptive "pamphlets" can be useful as a resource base for communities to select and plan activities;
- Select and train facilitators: Develop guidelines and training materials for selecting and training (provincial/district) facilitators who will facilitate the development of income-generation activities including selection of instructors and monitoring. They should be increasingly be female (50% by 2010);
- Train local instructors: In a similar manner, develop guidelines and training materials for selecting and training local income-generation instructors, who should increasingly be female (50% by 2010). Adult learning methodologies must be used and emphasized. Local instructors should be exposed to the full range of NFE and development training programs available or planned for their community;
- Monitor income-generation activities: With local authorities and community representatives, undertake selective on-site case studies to determine precisely who is being reached and how much income is being earned by "graduates". Also develop systems for monitoring performance of trainers and instructors. Short-term objectives will be revised each year depending upon progress.
7.9 Indicators » Up
- Increased net enrolment in income generation activities, by gender
- Increased number of income-generation "graduates", by gender;
- Increased number of facilitators and trained income-generation skills instructors;
- Income-generation instructional/learning materials tested and revised for pro-poor relevance and adult learning methodology;
- Increased number of governmental and non-governmental partnered income-generation activities;
- Increased participation of selected poverty/vulnerable groups, especially women;
- Increased demand for, and participation in, income-generation activities by the most disadvantaged and women;
- Evidence of income-generation "graduates" actually employed or running small businesses which generate income;
- Increased numbers of women from poverty areas and ethnic minorities trained and deployed as facilitators and instructors.
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Khmer
