Activation Policies for the Poor in OIC Member States
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programme in place targeting people with disabilities, for example, and a programme targeting
young graduates, as well as a programme targeted at formalising informal sector work.
The job search support service is funded by a tax on employers, who are taxed at a rate of 1%. The
FNE has ten regional agencies and four local agencies. They operate by targeting both employers and
jobseekers. With regards to employers, the FNE offers business development advice, data on labour
market trends and the sectors indicating growth potential, as well as the expected recruitment
support. Employers have an incentive to use the service, in the sense that they are getting a return
on their tax, but there is no obligation for them to advertise job vacancies with the PES. Employers
are engaged by employment advisors who, after offering support to jobseekers in the morning, carry
out employer engagement in the afternoons. This process is designed to make it easier for advisors
to identify jobseekers on their caseloads that may be suitable for vacancies.
With regards to jobseekers, the customer journey with the FNE varies according to the jobseeker’s
needs. Where skill gaps are identified (as occurs in over 80% of cases), the jobseeker is offered
training with the purpose of making them employable. Training is delivered by government
approved training organisations, financed by the FNE. The length of training varies but it does not
last more than a year. Jobseekers are also given support in writing CVs and job vacancies are
advertised at the FNE agencies as well as on the FNE’s website. Advisors have targets assigned to
them for the number of jobseekers they must find work for. The regional agency of Yaoundé, for
example, was tasked with placing 14,000 jobseekers into work in 2014. Although the FNE is aware
that international best practice is for advisors to have caseloads of around 300 jobseekers, advisors
in Cameroon actually have caseloads of around 3,000. This is despite the fact that many jobseekers
do not register with the FNE as there is no social protection to be gained by registering as
unemployed and most jobseekers in Cameroon find work through word of mouth and other informal
networks.
Limited funding constrains the number of agencies in place and the number of employment advisors
to support jobseekers. The FNE has set up an integrated information system to share jobseeker data
between FNE agencies, but the expansion of this system is dependent on when funding becomes
available. Despite these constraints, FNE staff members are enthusiastic and highly motivated. They
are clearly dedicated to delivering a good, useful service to jobseekers and have initiated
improvements to the service to meet jobseekers’ needs and provide sustained support. Examples of
improvements initiated include delivering information workshops on topics that meet demand and
looking to other countries for examples of best practice. Several members of the senior management
team first joined the FNE as employment advisors and are now heading up the Yaoundé regional
agency and the Integrated Information Centre for Youth Entrepreneurship.
Training
Due to the large agricultural sector in Cameroon and the high poverty rates associated with the
sector, many of the training projects delivered in Cameroon are targeted at agricultural workers.
Training in this sector aims to increase the productivity of agricultural work and support job
creation. However, funding often constrains the impact of projects.
The NGO ‘Services d’appui aux initiatives locales de développement’ (SAILD), for example, has
previously run a pilot project called Projet d’Insertion des Jeunes et des Femmes dans les projets
agropastorales (translated as Project for the inclusion of young people and women in agricultural
projects). The aim of the project was to train young people on how to set up their own agricultural
business. Training was delivered by volunteer rural workers who were paid a flat rate of US$100.
Project beneficiaries were selected through a process of interview and aptitude assessments.
Successful applicants were then placed with a trainer who reported on their progress to SAILD. After
completing training, beneficiaries worked on a business plan with their trainer and a specialist
SAILD team who put the beneficiary in touch with a micro finance organisation. Once micro finance
was in place, the beneficiary and their technical trainer would set up the business. A new phase of
management training would commence incorporating developing a budget, managing cash flow and