Youth and employment: "a state diploma is sometimes enough for a successful professional career" (entrepeuneure Micheline Nzinga)

According to entrepreneur Micheline Nzinga Nsenga, owner of Micheline Coiffure salon, young people today do not need to wait for advanced university degrees to make their mark in society. The entrepreneur made this statement during an interview with the EPST’s Communications Management Department on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. "A state-issued diploma is sometimes enough for a successful professional career. Formal training in cosmetology, hairdressing, tailoring, or even the hospitality industry is sufficient to get started and have a fulfilling professional career. I’ve always said that finding a job is difficult in this country, but young people have many opportunities to succeed in entrepreneurship or by developing a trade. It all depends on the passion they bring to it," she said. In the DRC, programs such as tailoring, hospitality, cosmetology, electrical work, electronics, masonry, and machining are organized within the education sector. Through these programs, the Congolese government aims to provide young people with an opportunity for self-reliance upon completing their formal education. Many students do not hesitate to pursue a professional career during or after their formal education. This is certainly the case for student Tréfine Kanku, who has turned her training in dressmaking into both a passion and, above all, a livelihood. "I am in my fifth year of dressmaking at La Référence School Complex. For the past two years, I’ve been able to make uniforms for my friends and clothes for other people; this allows me to earn a decent living and sometimes help meet some of my family’s needs,” explained this pre-finalist. As a reminder, every July 15, the world celebrates World Youth Skills Day, established in 2014 by the UN. This day aims to highlight the importance of passing on to younger generations the skills necessary for employment, securing decent work, and entrepreneurship. Nodriche Kasai