CFYE launches Call for Solutions for Digital Jobs or Skilled Craft Work for Youth – Nigeria

Deadline: 31-Aug-20

The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) has announced a call for proposals that specifically applies to digital jobs or skilled craft work for youth. They are inviting all private companies with ideas for projects that fit within the two windows detailed below to present proposals for co-funding from CFYE. All projects should result in decent employment for at least 500 young people (aged 15 to 35), especially young women.

CFYE wants to co-invest in innovative private sector-led initiatives that provide businesses with access to suitably skilled personnel and realize employment for youth in either 1) Digital Jobs or 2) Technical Craftmanship.

Windows

As CFYE have identified two thematic areas with opportunities for youth employment, they have split call for proposals into two windows. Each applicant must choose whether to submit a proposal for Window 1: Digital Jobs or Window 2: Technical Craftmanship. Applications that do not match either of these windows (and thus type of employment opportunities) will not be considered.

Digital Jobs

CFYE is calling for innovative and demand-driven projects from either private sector organizations or private sector-led consortia that take on their unmet demand for qualified digitally skilled staff. Bridging the digital skills gap, especially for young women who are particularly affected by the digital divide, will increase youth’s prospects for a sustainable, resilient career based on unmet labour demand and a universally relevant skillset that allows them to easily switch between sectors or even employment versus self-employment.

CFYE invites companies and private sector-led consortia to submit their innovative ideas for projects that either create new digital jobs, improve the decency of existing digital jobs, match youth to (new or existing) digital job opportunities or allow companies to sustain jobs that would otherwise have disappeared due to the COVID-19 crisis. They include:

• The jobs can either be employment or self-employment based, and may include:
  • jobs that are dependent on digital technology to be performed such as online freelancing work (graphic design) or online marketing;
  • jobs that are directly created through the ICT sector and use digital technology, such as mobile app development; or
  • jobs that were originally done manually but can be improved/enhanced by the use of digital technology e.g. field agents use of tablets.
  • Projects should reach (semi-) skilled youth that have finished at least secondary education.
  • At least 50% of each project’s beneficiaries should be young women.
  • Projects targeting young mothers and/or single mothers are particularly welcomed. Projects placing women in male-dominated sectors/positions are also welcomed.
• Digital jobs may be in any sector, but they will prioritise projects in the following high potential sectors: Agriculture, Trade, ICT, Construction, Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Transportation, Creative Industry, Entertainment, Education and Hospitality.

• The jobs can either be employment or self-employment based.
• Projects should reach (semi-)skilled youth that have finished at least secondary education.
• At least 50% of each project’s beneficiaries should be young women. Projects targeting young mothers and/or single mothers are particularly welcomed. Projects placing women in male-dominated sectors/positions are also welcomed.
• Demand for skilled craftwork can occur across all sectors, but theywill prioritise projects in the following high potential sectors: Agriculture, Trade, ICT, Construction, Manufacturing, Renewable Energy and Transportation.

• The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment will apply a competitive process to select the projects that will receive a grant. That means that only those projects that present a clear and convincing pathway to employment, lead to significant and sustainable results in terms of decent employment for youth, with a focus on young women, and can demonstrate high value for money will be selected.
• Projects need to be focused on either digital jobs or skilled craftwork for youth.
• Projects should create, match, improve or sustain at least 500 jobs (of which at least 50% are women). CFYE are looking for projects that are effectively getting people employed within project duration (2 years). In the application, they will therefore assess whether the project presents a realistic and convincing pathway to get at least 500 people in jobs (projects only focused at skilling youth without evidence of effective matching afterwards will not be considered).
• Only private companies can be lead applicant, but they may partner with other organisations such as NGOs and government institutions.
• The minimum contribution of the Fund is € 200,000. This should be matched by a co-investment that is at least equal to the grant requested.
• The employment conditions of the jobs resulting from the projects should be decent. For any job, the working week should be at least 20 hours and at most 40 hours – with occasional overtime. Safe physical working conditions should be ensured. Following government guidelines, the gross income for one full-time equivalent (FTE) should be at least NGN 30,000 but ideally reflect family-specific living incomes.

For more information, visit https://fundforyouthemployment.nl/call-for-solutions-nigeria/