Yemen’s formal and informal businesses have endured eight years of conflict, operating at low-profit margins and with limited growth capacities. The situation has deprived the general population of opportunities to acquire employable, entrepreneurial, and vocational skills, and there is an absence of skills training institutions. 

Thus, the Vocational and Business Skills Training and Support project (Phase II) aims to empower young women and men in rural areas with vocational, technical and business skills, and nurture an entrepreneurship culture to enhance their employability and productive engagement in economic and local recovery activities. These efforts will contribute to and complement the overall collective efforts for economic recovery and livelihood restoration for improved well-being and resilience among Yeme-nis. This project is an expansion of Phase I, which was also funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief). 

The project has two outputs: Vocational Skills and Business Management Training. The project will build beneficiaries’ capacities in the areas of food processing, textiles and handloom, and vocational skills such as car mechanics, carpentry, cell phone repairs and home appliance maintenance. In Phase II, training is expanded to veterinary services solar energy systems installation and maintenance.

This project will deliver start-up grants to over 1, 500 prospective entrepreneurs who provide viable business plans upon completion of vocational and business training in nine governorates and twenty-four districts.

Gender Empowerment

UNDP will ensure that women represent 30 percent of the project beneficiaries by giving them more opportunities in courses such as hand looming, food processing, and cell phone maintenance. UNDP will also promote gender-sensitive approaches in the design and delivery of the training courses and the provision of start-up grants. UNDP will also encourage women’s participation in decision-making processes at the community level.
 

Objectives

The project aims to empower young women and men in rural areas with relevant skills and support to enhance their employability and productive engagement in economic and local recovery activities. The project’s specific objectives are:

1. To build market driven vocational and technical skills of conflict-affected young women and men in targeted districts. 
2. To enhance the business and entrepreneurial skills of youth that have been provided with vocational and technical skills training. 
3. To support value chain development in highly promising business areas.