As one of only seven schools selected in the country – and 100 in the world – Learn to Live is delighted to announce its participation in the T4 World Education Week this October. With the theme for World Education Week being ‘Learning Today’, Learn to Live will share more on their programmes related to enhancing employability, entrepreneurship and life skills for vulnerable youth in South Africa.
The crisis of youth unemployment is one of the most critical issues of our time. According to the International Labour Organisations Global Employment Trends for Youth 2020 report, only one in three young people are employed and unemployment rates remain higher than that of adults. In South Africa specifically, the latest Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey for Q1 2020 reports that the national unemployment rate is 30.1%, whilst the percentage of youth aged 15–24 years who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) is 34.1%. This shows that South African youth are the most at risk when it comes to an increasingly competitive job market in a deepening recession.
Learn to Live School is a project of the Salesian Institute Youth Projects which strives to improve the lives of South Africa’s vulnerable children by providing education, life skills and emotional support within a 21st-century educational framework. Their programmes also include the Porsche Mechatronics Programme and Waves of Change Programme which provide a purpose-designed blend of basic education, vocational training and life skills. These programmes are driving a better future for all as graduates then become more employable and economically active citizens. Now, due to the outstanding methodology being piloted, Learn to Live School of Skills is one of only seven schools in South Africa handpicked to join the showcase collective of 100 schools gathering online from 5 – 9 October. The speaking slot to watch at this free virtual event is Friday, 9 October at 10am (GMT)/11am (SAST) – registration can be completed on Eventbrite.
During their talk, Professor Tom Ryan will be presenting the Learn to Live School of Skills methodology of project-based learning (PBL). This programme is fundamentally shifting the school to a methodology that adds value, life skills and employability potential to SA’s marginalised youth. It is currently the only independent school of skills in the Western Cape.
Ryan comments on the organisation’s contribution, “Around the globe, youth development is key to producing successful adults that go out into the world as valuable assets. It is key to curbing the youth unemployment rate and their contributions will be vital in closing the poverty gap, reducing the employment transition period and opening economic opportunities for entrepreneurship. We are determined to empower our young people with skills and job prospects, and the T4 World Education Week event is a great opportunity for us to learn from others in the same arena.”
As one of the world’s leading education conferences, T4 World Education Week is led by educators for educators, enabling schools from across the globe to share their learnings, expertise and best practices across a range of educational themes to promote a higher – and more equitable – standard of education for all. Themes are set to touch on topics such as ‘enhancing employability and life skills; deepening family and community engagement; the use of technology; a focus on well-being; and promoting the science of learning and teaching’.
This collective of schools will band together in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on Quality Education (SDG 4). The event is an effort by 30 civil society organisations, led by a globally respected driving force in the education, international development, philanthropy and technology sectors, Vikas Pota. Of the event, Pota says, “By sharing the ways in which these schools have developed their expertise, we can encourage others to feel inspired to undertake the same journey to excellence. That is a real and tangible way in which World Education Week can accelerate progress on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
Join the free Learn to Live School of Skills talk at the virtual T4 World Education Week conference on Friday, 9 October.
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