Inadequate employability skills is the major contributor to extreme poverty in Less Developed Countries (LDCs). Education data from FHI360 (2014) asserts that 51.0 percent of the Liberian population aged 15 and 24 are illiterate and 60.0 percent did not complete primary education. Current literature lacks evidence on the role of motivation and apprenticeship towards decent jobs in informal economies. Challenge faced by LDCs is evaluating the effectiveness of employability skills that enable youths’ access to decent jobs.
This study advanced evaluation strategy of contribution analysis for effective employment interventions. The three theories that dominate this study include the good theory about soft and employability skills, experiential learning within the context of communication, informal learning about apprenticeship placements, and an extensive review of employment theories. The research adopted mixed methods approach, randomised, stratified and purposive sampling techniques and surveyed a sample of 85 youth drawn from Montserrado, Bong and Buchanan Counties of Liberia. Data collection instruments used were structured questionnaires and interviews.
The research hypothesis were tested using SPSS, Pivot Tables and XLSTAT statistical tools. Analytical techniques used consist of Factor Analysis, Cronbach Alpha and Correlation Coefficient. Study tested an employment theory of change and extensively discussed the policy implications. Results showed that investment in employability skills provided a platform where youths became financially independent shortly after the skills acquisition, but poor in the long-run on account of low work motivation. Furthermore, an employment ecosystem, will enable youth live above the international poverty line of $2 a day. Study elaborated on the required ecosystems for decent job creation through evidence-based processes for learning and adaptation of humanitarian interventions in employment. Study provided new knowledge about contribution analysis for micro and macro interventions in predominantly informal economies.