Youth Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa Toolkit

Apprenticeships and internships are temporary placements with an employer during which the young person acquires skills, work experience and is able to build networks. Apprenticeships may also include off-the job training.

Internships are generally shorter and less structured than apprenticeships, and may take place whilst the intern is still in education. Additionally, internships are usually in the formal sector, whereas in SSA internships are often with informal sector enterprises.

📈How do apprenticeships and internships improve youth employment?

Apprenticeships and internships may improve youth employment in the following ways:

• As a pathway to employment with the firm providing the apprenticeship or internship as employers learn about skills and work readiness of interns and apprentices.
• Improving employability through work experience and coaching and mentoring, resulting in skills development in both technical skills and workplace skills which are valued on the job market.
• Connections to other potential employers and training opportunities with potential employers.
• Providing beneficiaries with entrepreneurial skills, so they may start their own business after their placement.
• Result in a strengthened system for technical and vocational skills provision through apprenticeships.

• Certified apprenticeships can improve access to jobs.

   

✅Impact

There is a large effect on skills, and a large effect on employment (7.2% increase).

Apprenticeships may be expected to result in a temporary decline in earnings compared to a comparison group in which youth enter regular employment. But after the apprenticeship, the earnings of the apprentices should overtake that of the comparison group.

🖋Design Choices

Systems development: (i) developing standards for apprenticeships including accreditation and certification schemes; (ii) training of master craftspeople; (iii) equipment for firms hosting interns and apprentices

Direct support to apprentices: (i) pre-placement orientation or training, (ii) placement, (iii) oversight of the position, (iv) financial support to the firm, the apprentice or both.

Host organizations: (i) decide which organizations are eligible to take placements: government, NGOs or the private sector (including informal)?; (ii) support the existing, traditional apprenticeship system, or recruit firms who have not previously had interns or apprentices into the programme, (iii) decide whether interns and apprentices need any orientation or training prior to taking up their placement.

Design elements to which may increase female participation in a wider range of apprenticeships such as (i) choice of eligible professions, (ii) childcare support, and (iii) targeted sensitization and appropriate training for master trainers.

❗Implementation Issues

Positive design features which support successful implementation are pre-placement training or orientation, and certification schemes of the apprenticeship or internship.

Issues which hindered implementation included: youth are unaware of the training opportunities available, trainers or trainees may not have the necessary equipment for the task, a failure to engage the private sector in the design of schemes, and the available opportunities not suiting the availability of the participants.

There appears to be a gender bias with firms reluctant to hire females. And females may face challenges in male-dominated workplaces.

💲Costs

Costs vary depending on programme design features

Likely costs include:

• Programme management for recruitment, placement and monitoring or supervision
• Pre-placement orientation and training
• Development of common training standards, and provision of off-the-job traiing, if included
• Stipends and fees
• Training equipment or training provided to master craftspeople

• Certification schemes

   

📜Evidence-based findings for policy and practice

• Engagement with the private sector is necessary to find appropriate placements and can ensure relevance of any pre-placement training, and the appropriate skills development requirements for accreditation.
• Informal apprenticeships are well established in sub-Saharan Africa. Supporting apprenticeships through these enterprises is more cost-effective than creating a parallel system.
• Pre-placement training or orientation appears useful, though the extent and nature of such training requires further study.
• Duration of interventions is an important feature of youth employment interventions which may affect effectiveness. Programmes of too short duration have limited effects.
• Training curricula can ensure consistency and raise the quality of training in apprenticeship and support a move to certification.

• Studies place a significance on the absence of travel and subsistence support that affects the decision of many interns and apprentices to continue with a programme.

   

🦾Strength of evidence

The evidence of impact in this technical report is based on eight impact evaluations. Evidence on implementation is based on evidence from seven process evaluations. Overall confidence in study findings is medium for both effectiveness studies and process evaluations.

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