Development cooperation and training projects: three experiences of young sub-Saharans to illustrate the importance of providing support for professional integration

Taking advantage of an acquaintance’s recent trip to her native Mali, I drew up a questionnaire that she agreed to submit to several young Malians who considered themselves unemployed and without any real possibility of integrating into the job market, even though they had benefited from one—or more—professional training courses.
Far from wishing to stigmatize these young people, who are representative of many sub-Saharans who wish to escape from precariousness but have not yet succeeded, this article aims to highlight three cases of repeated training and unsuccessful insertion into the labor market that illustrate why access to vocational training is not necessarily the ultimate solution to unemployment. 

The descriptions of each of the "cases" will no doubt seem a little (too) detailed at times, but they nevertheless offer the opportunity to observe very concrete realities.

Of course, training is essential, but support for integration following training is a necessity because this support—adapted to local realities—will enable its beneficiaries to feel capable of facing the difficulties they will necessarily encounter when looking for a job or trying to launch their activity in self-employment. This support will, therefore, avoid the establishment—or the persistence—of a vicious circle of unsuccessful professional integration.

Let's start with Ibrahim*, who is 26 years old. Ibrahim holds a technical diploma (BT2) in aquaculture and completed a three-month internship during his studies with the objective of reinforcing his "professional" skills. However, as soon as he obtained his diploma, Ibrahim did not work in aquaculture. Indeed, he submitted a few applications for positions as an employee, but not in this field. Then, having heard about the possibility of benefiting—via an NGO—from a training program allowing him to become a facilitator of national languages with school children in certain localities of Bamako, he launched into it because a job was at stake.

Although the training was short, it would nevertheless have granted him access to a two-year contract. The program was interrupted at the end of these two years, and Ibrahim found himself without a job. Today, he submits CVs with the aim of being able to access a position as a collaborator in a development project, but he also plans to launch a fish farming project, which he thinks he can set up if he finds the necessary finances.

​A rather similar path can be observed with Issa*, who is 27 years old, with, however, a proliferation of professional projects. A close acquaintance of Ibrahim, Issa has a technical diploma (BT2) in building design. After several internships in masonry (a logical and common option in Mali for those who have a degree in building design), Issa obtained his diploma. Eager to get a job with his trainer, he prolonged his last internship but in vain. Nevertheless, he decided to continue his internship, this time with the objective of consolidating his skills in light of his new project of launching his own business, an option that he would finally give up in favor of a new orientation: poultry farming.  For six months, he learned about poultry farming from an acquaintance in this field and bought his chicks. However, a disease decimated the chicks that he had in breeding, and, not having any laying hen to reconstitute his breeding, Issa "jumped" on the opportunity of a new three-month contract in the construction industry to extract himself from poultry farming.

It was at the end of this contract that he also heard about the possibility of being trained to become a facilitator of national languages for school children in Bamako. He also took up this opportunity and worked in the field for 10 months. Fearing that his contract would not be renewed, he returned to construction, having landed an opportunity that seemed more interesting, but it did not last either. To date, Issa is also unemployed although he has a market gardening project that he hopes to finance with the support of his family; however, he has no training in this field.

Tiémoko, who is 30 years old, is the only one among these three young people who does not attend school. From a family of farmers, he left his village a few years earlier for the capital, with the objective of finding a professional activity that would allow him to save money. Indeed, working on the family land is difficult, and any savings must allow the purchase of cows to facilitate the agricultural activities. Initiated into ironing by his older brother, he devoted himself to that in addition to other "small jobs" such as guarding buildings. The money he earned was sent to the village, but the plan to return was put aside.

In fact, finally finding himself at the head of a small family in Bamako, Tiémoko is now more concerned about how to provide for his needs. He oscillates between several professional projects, the objective being to quickly earn more money to meet all of his expenses. He thus considered expatriating to Algeria but also setting up a local business, but he gave up, mainly for money reasons.

When he received unexpected financial support, Tiémoko decided to launch his ironing store. However, having misjudged the different aspects to be taken into account for the success of his business, he found himself a few months later without a place to work (he was no longer paying his rent) and without additional resources (he had given up his job as a night watchman). Looking for a way to earn money, he inquired about training opportunities in another field and discovered metal carpentry. He also found a boss who would take care of training his new recruits.

Tiémoko then embarked on this new field, and the contract concluded with his boss giving him the possibility of being paid when he was sent to work on sites. Unfortunately, his boss is sometimes away for several weeks, and Tiémoko is left without any income. In these instances, he is sometimes tempted to turn to another project. However, at the moment, Tiémoko says he is considering starting his own business in metal carpentry when he is fully trained. 

Ibrahim, Issa, Tiémoko: three paths that illustrate the way of many young sub-Saharans for whom new training and/or self-employment are ways to try to escape the unemployment problem, but which, above all, demonstrate that a multiplicity of attempts does not necessarily lead to the desired objective.
 
Often, at the root of these unsuccessful attempts at integration—be it via self-employment or as employees—is the feeling that the fields in which they have been trained are ultimately not promising or are fraught with (insurmountable) pitfalls; instead, they view other options as potentially more suitable—hence, a rapid change of direction.

Therefore, it is important to take this way of thinking into consideration when the project of offering vocational training is envisaged and setting up supports that will make young people aware that the training they are about to receive is "promising" and that exploiting the integration opportunities it offers can be fruitful.

Catherine Ukelo, November  2022