Description
The project intends to create a favourable environment for industrial relations and social dialogue, in order to promote decent and inclusive work in urban and metropolitan areas in Asmara and Massawa. The aim is to strengthen the involvement of the most vulnerable groups of the population in local socio-economic development processes supporting, through professional training pathways, the integration in the labour market of those who are unemployed or employed in the informal sector and the reinforcement and upgrade of professional skills for workers and trainers, promoting youth associationism and collective bargaining and restoring legal certainty in the field of workers’ rights.

Objectives
The project has two main components: on the one hand, to provide support to employment and/or re-employment and to create decent work opportunities for women, youths and people with disabilities through professional training and upgrading pathways, competence building and social dialogue; on the other hand, to raise awareness, knowledge and understanding about issues such as workers’ rights, inclusive, decent and socially sheltered employment.

Type of activities
• Study of the local socio-economic context through a field research which focuses on the trends in the labour market and on strengths and weaknesses related to key sectors/production chains such as: tourism/hospitality, ICT and air conditioning/refrigeration.
• Development of professional training and upgrading programs, with special attention to the most vulnerable groups of population such as youths, women and disabled people, and increase of social dialogue and collective bargaining capacity for workers’ organizations.
• Implementation of pilot activities supporting employment and/or re-employment in the key sectors identified.
• Support to gender equality, through promotion and strengthening of knowledge, understanding and awareness about topics such as gender policies, workers’ rights and decent work.

Results achieved
• Strengthening of knowledge and understanding about local labour market dynamics and its needs through dissemination of the research report within local communities.
• Provision of new and updated training programs targeting unemployed persons and workers of the following sectors: tourism, ICT and cold chain.
• Definition of innovative training methods, in particular for the most vulnerable groups
• Creation of new decent and socially inclusive employment opportunities, in particular for the weakest sections of the population.
• Development of new partnerships/networks (training centers/enterprises/social partners) able to support the management, at the local level, of development processes defined by the project activities.