Youth Employment Scheme Abroad (YESA) Introduction Youth employment scheme abroad (YESA) was identified as one of the

strategies of Youth Enterprise Development Fund Board (YEDFB) of facilitating Kenyan youths to work abroad hence empowering Kenyan youth to better live their dreams, aspirations and goals, as well as make them participate in nation building. YESA aims to facilitate export of skills of young people, aged 18 to 35, not currently unemployed locally but whose skills are required abroad. Overall Objective of YESA is/was to facilitate employment of 10,000 youth work abroad per year by 2011. The Fund was to facilitate youth work abroad: 1. Through a designed loan product to finance relocation costs, through partnership with prospective Private Employment Agencies, to the successful youth to the international jobs. The loan would take care of: Air fare Medical expenses Visa Agency fee Cost of documentation required for a successful candidate to take up a job abroad 2. Marketing of Kenyan Skills Abroad and explore appropriate bilateral and multilateral agreements with labour sourcing countries.

3. Partnering with Training /Technical institutions professional bodies to facilitate youth work abroad. Currently, Kenya has no comprehensive legal and regulatory framework on Labour migration. The current labour laws do not adequately address the issues on labour migration; for example the Employment Act, 2007 only provides for attestation and the Labour Institutions Act, 2007 provides for accreditation of private employment agencies. The first development the Fund took was to establish a legal framework to guide the process through a Cabinet Memorandum that was presented to Cabinet by the Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and the Minister for Labour. Cabinet Memorandum The objective of the Cabinet Memorandum was to: Inform the cabinet on the need to structure youth labour migration through adoption of a youth labour export framework Inform cabinet the need for expeditious debate and take note of the progress made in facilitating international employment as one of the objectives of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund Board Through the Cabinet Memorandum the Cabinet was requested to: a) Approve the draft Youth Labour Export Framework. b) Direct the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports to put in place the necessary structures to enable operationalization of the Youth Labour Export Framework. c) Direct that all relevant government agencies give their support to the implementation of the Youth Employment Scheme Abroad Framework.

d) Direct the Minister for Foreign Affairs to ensure that Kenya Ambassadors and High Commissioners are tasked with identifying and communicating available jobs in their states of jurisdiction.

e) Direct the Minister of Foreign Affairs to explore the appropriate bilateral and multilateral agreements with friendly labour destination countries for Kenyan youth labour. f) Direct the Ministers for Labour and Foreign Affairs to ensure that Kenya signs and ratifies relevant migrant workers conventions.

g) Direct the Ministers for Finance and Labour to explore possibilities of entering into bilateral agreements with destination countries on transferability of social security and appropriate money transfer for Kenyan workers.

h) Direct the Ministers for Immigration & Registrar of Persons, Labour, Youth Affairs & Sports to undertake the appropriate measures to curb human trafficking/smuggling and related illegal migration practices. The third cabinet meeting of 2010 held on 29th June 2010, approved the YESA cabinet memo and directed the development of Sessional paper for the proposed Youth Employment Scheme Abroad.

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SCHEME ABROAD (YESA) FRAMEWORK STRUCTURE

Permanent Secretaries (POLICY ORGAN)

Steering Technical Committee on Youth Employment Scheme Abroad (TECHNICAL GUIDANCE)

Kenya Association of Private Employment Agents (KAPEA)

YESA Secretariat (Based at Youth Enterprise Development Fund Board officesImplementation Team)

Ministerial Youth Desk Officers (Facilitation of Documents)

Youth Officers (Dissemination of Information)

Youth (Clients)

For labor migration to be a smooth process, the Government has to play a supportive and regulatory role throughout. YESA seeks to operate through a structured framework headed by a Policy Organ comprising Permanent Secretaries of Labour, Finance, Youth Affairs and Sports, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Constitutional Affairs and any such Ministry that the policy organ may consider

appropriate, with the role to provide advice and advocacy for the implementation of the scheme. This Policy Organ is expected to explore the appropriate bilateral and multilateral agreements with friendly labour destination countries for Kenyan youth skills and ratify relevant migrant workers conventions. The framework will pursue a Public-Private Partnership in which Government Ministries, YEDFB, Kenya Association of Private Employment Agents, Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry, International Organization for Migration and International Labour Organization work together to structure Kenya Youth Migration. These partners will form the executive guiding organ of YESA that will handle all technical issues on youth migration. The Committee already existence and has been very engaged in various issues concerning YESA. One of committee mandates was the drafting of Cabinet memorandum, seeking to have YESA framework legalized. YESA framework seeks to provide for inter-ministerial linkages through a one-stop-shop concept. This will be undertaken through YESA secretariat and Ministerial Youth Desk Officers on key Ministries. On acquisition of international employment appropriate documentation will be fast tracked so as to make the process smooth. How YESA is currently working YESA is a unit under the operations department whose structure currently is as follows:

CEO-Youth Fund

General Manager (GM)

Labour Export Officer (LEO)

Assistant Labour Export Officer

Administration Assistant

Has established partnerships with about 14 private agencies accredited by Ministry of Labour to facilitate young people to work abroad mainly through: Sensitization meetings Facilitating pre-interviews and interviews by providing conference facilities Conducting Pre-departure trainings to successful youths

Has developed on lending migration loan product to successful youths through private agencies. So far the Fund has released 9 Million and is currently in the process of release 12 Million as Migration through private employment Agencies

Has signed Memorandum of Understanding with International Organization for Migration to provide pre-departure training.

In collaboration with Steering Technical committee has de

Has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Institute of Certified Public Accountants (ICPAK) to promote the export of skills abroad

Has facilitated 3 marketing tours abroad (Dubai Kuwait and Rwanda) to source for job opportunities and to market youths skills abroad.

To achieve its target of finding foreign employment opportunities for 10,000 youths a year, it is necessary for YEDFB to establish a YESA secretariat with the following strategies: Strategy 1: Policy Development Strategy 2: Establish partnerships with Private Employment Agencies, facilitate youth access jobs abroad through Strategy 3: Operationalization of YESA secretariat (daily running of the secretariat) Proposed Structure of Youth Employment Scheme Abroad (YESA) Secretariat The Board during its meeting held on 3rd November 2010 did approve the establishment of the secretariat to be based at Youth Enterprise Development Fund Board offices, headed by a Labour Export Officer/Manager who will also be the secretary to the Technical guidance committee. Strategy 1: Policy Development As per the directive of Third Cabinet meeting held on 29th June 2010 the unit is required to initiate engagements towards preparation of a draft Sessional Paper. Operatinalize the YESA Framework Sourcing employment opportunities Abroad/ Market Kenyan skills abroad Bilateral agreements Offering consular services to Diaspora Training and Professional Institutions to

Strategy 2: Establish partnerships with Private Employment Agencies, Professional Institutions to facilitate youth access jobs abroad through: Sensitization of youth on jobs abroad Pre-interview Interviews

Training and

Pre-departure trainings (the unit in partnership has developed pre-departure training curriculum).

Strategy 3: Increase the number of youths accessing jobs abroad by providing migration loans Financing youths through employment agencies

Currently the unit has three officers handling this immense mandate: Labour Export Officer Admin. Assistant Labour Export officer An intern attached to the unit

Given the target of 10,000 per year, the unit is urgently in need of staff to actualize the strategies. The proposed structure will assist the unit in: 1. Facilitating the youth work abroad 2. Implementing the YEDFB Board directives in collaboration with Steering Technical Committee (STC). 3. Providing secretariat services to STC. 4. Coordinating all other youth desks at the various ministries on matters on youth labour migration. 5. Advising and updating the (STC) on day to day policy issues. 6. Preparing documentation and presenting them to the STC. 7. Dealing with all communications, both internal and external. 8. Handling all publicity policies as approved by the Board in collaboration with STC. 9. Tracking all overseas employment advertisements and lead in identifying opportunities. 10. Being the chief custodian of all documents of STC. 11. Profiling and follow up on all the youths employed abroad through the YESA program.

THE APPROPRIATE YESA STRUCTURE Labour Export Manager Handle strategy no. 1

Labour Export Officer (LEO) 1 To handle strategy no. 2

Labour Export Officer 2 To handle strategy no.3

Administration Ass LEO

Administration Ass LEO

Administration Ass LEO