In 2011 Education Development Center conducted a Youth Assessment in Guyana and found that youth experiences and situations fostered their lack of development. Hence the Skills and Knowledge for Youth Employment Project was designed with the aim of ensuring crime reduction through the establishing of livelihood opportunities for youth in Guyana. The project that started as a two year project with
a target of 600 youth at risk grew to five years targeting 2,200 youth at risk. The project to date has recorded great success in its ability to work at reducing youth vulnerability to crime by facilitating guidance on a path of development. SKYE has reached 2,764 youth, trained 2040, placed 785 in jobs with a 95% satisfaction rating from employers, and have facilitated 158 youth business startups. According to Guyana Budget Speech 2015 60-65% of the population is below 40 and youth unemployment is at 40%. SKYE through its implementing organization Education Development Center http://www.edc.org/ has developed signature curricula in the Ready to Read (basic literacy) Work Ready Plus, Work Ready Now, Pre Work Ready, Be Your Own Boss and Coaching Training. Alongside the curricula developed are a number of monitoring and testing tools that allows for the literacy assessment of participants, tracer studies to track employment and development as well as basic monthly monitoring tools. The project’s greatest asset is its personnel base where the perfect blend of leadership comprising persons with the right skill sets through qualifications and experience make up the family of specialists in sustained youth development. With the closing off of USAID funding, SKYE Chief of Party Magda Fiona Wills understanding the great need for youth to benefit from the package, founded and kept together most of the SKYE team, to form the “Specialists in Sustained Youth Development and Research” (SSYDR Inc.)
