Government Entrepreneurship Programmes and Unemployment in Osun State, Nigeria

Youth unemployment is one of the most difficult problem threatening economic development of many nations. Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) is therefore increasingly recognized all over the world, as a panacea to ameliorate the menace of unemployment. Any country that attaches special importance or gives special attention to entrepreneurship stands a better chance of reducing unemployment and improved economy. This study therefore seeks to examine the impact of EDP on the menace of unemployment in Osun state, Nigeria. The specific objective seeks to examine the impact of National Directorate of Employment (NDE) on youth empowerment; and determine the effect of N-power on poverty reduction in Osun state. The study adopted survey research design, using item structured instrument to elicit information from the respondents, for a true representation of the whole population of twenty-five and seventeen thousand (25,000 & 17,000) from both NDE and N- power respectively. The sample of four hundred (400) and two hundred and fifty (250) from both NDE and N -power respectively, making a total of six hundred and fifty (650) respondents was drawn from the population using Taro Yamane (1967) formula for estimating sample. A total of 650 questionnaires were administered out of which six hundred and thirty-two (632) were properly filled and returned. The formulated hypotheses were tested using multiple regression with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS…Version20). The finding of the study revealed that NDE programmes have significant impact on job creation. with the R2 of 0.598. The study also revealed that N-power significantly address poverty reduction, most especially in Osun State, with R2 value of 0.687, which indicate that technical skills which comprises of cognitive and non-cognitive skill actually reduced unemploment. Therefore, It was recommended that, in other to produce a typical entrepreneurs that will not only be self-employed but employ more other unemployed youth, government should make it as a point of duty that beneficiaries are given practical training and ensure they acquire technical skills, both cognitive and non- cognitive skill during and after the programme. Keywords: Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP), Skills, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), N-power, Youth Empowerment

The Influence of Gender Equality on Volunteering Among European Senior Citizens

This research analyzes how gender equality influences the participation of European senior citizens in a range of volunteering activities (Social Awareness, Professional and Political, Education, and Religion). The main contribution is the simultaneous consideration of different levels of data aggregation: individual, national and welfare system. This allows conclusions to be drawn on the effects of variables linked to sociodemographic characteristics, gender equality and welfare systems. The empirical estimation utilised microdata from the World Values Survey (2005/09 and 2010/14) and the United Nations Development Programme. Results suggest that the European senior citizens appear to believe that they are more equal than the official statistics of their countries indicate. Men are more likely to participate in professional and education activities; women are more likely to be involved in religious organisations. Welfare systems influence volunteering behaviours. The promotion of macro-policies for gender equality could be important for increasing participation in non-profit organisations.

A Narrative Systematic Review of the Mental Toughness Programme Offered by the National Youth Development Agency

The rapid increase of poverty, crime, and unemployment in South Africa results in youth vulnerability. Youth not in employment, not in education, and not in training are most vulnerable to life setbacks, find it difficult dealing with criticism, rejection, and failure. Thus, youth workers responsible for the coordination of youth service programme need to design an autonomy-supportive programme that can prepare youth mentally before youth are placed in a youth development programme that seeks to enhance youth employability. The National Youth Development Agency in South Africa under the National Youth Service Programme has developed a mental toughness programme curriculum that NYS volunteers undergo before participating in youth skill development programme or community service programme for a minimum of five days. The aim of the study is to explore the impact of the Mental Toughness Programme on the positive development of youth through youth lived experience in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. This study made use of a qualitative research approach, non-probability sampling to sample eight youth who participated in the Mental Toughness Programme offered by the National Youth Development Agency. In this study, we recommend that the National Youth Development Agency knowledge and research division should conduct a longitudinal study that can evaluate the impact of the Mental Toughness Programme on positive youth development in South Africa. The National Youth Development Agency should revise the mental toughness programme curriculum in a way that the programme goes beyond five days and physical toughness should be cooperated in the curriculum to enhance social cohesion. Received: 27 July 2021 / Accepted: 6 October 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022

Employee Motivation for Training and Development

Training and development is an important function of human resource management. Employees need to regularly undergo training and development programmes to update themselves with the latest technologies and skills, which help to increase the efficiency of the organization. Motivating employees to undergo a training programme is often a challenge faced by employees. This study aims to find the motivating factors for employees to undertake a training and development programme. With a sample size of 172 employees from a leading pharmaceutical company in Sikkim, India, responses were collected and analysed. It was found that interest for updating oneself with the latest technology, better chance of career exploration, commitment to train from the company's end, and encouragement provided from subordinates play significant roles in motivating employees in undertaking a training and development programmes.

Determinants of Development Achievements on District/City of Central Java in 2019

In 2019, Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional (Bappenas) awarded Central Java as the province with the best Perencanaan dan Pembangunan Daerah (PPD). However, if it is reviewed at the district/city level, it shows that there are still many areas that have low development achievements. In accordance with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) proposal, the Human Development Index (HDI) is used as an indicator of the achievement of district/city development whose calculations are good enough to describe development from both a social and economic perspective. The large difference in HDI between districts/cities in Central Java and the distribution of development achievements are still centered around the provincial capital, namely Semarang City, this indicates the occurrence of inequality in development achievements at the district/city level in Central Java. Because the observations in this study are districts/cities in Central Java, the linkage between district/city causes spatial autocorrelation. Therefore, spatial regression model is used to determine the model that has spatial autocorrelation. This study aims to determine the achievements of development and its determinants in the districts/cities of Central Java in 2019 using the spatial regression analysis method. From the results of the study, it is known that there is a dependence on development achievements between districts/cities in Central Java which is influenced by the regional capacity factor is characterized by PAD and economic growth; operational resource factors characterized by DAU, DAK and technology; and the level of poverty.

A Phenomenological Exploration of School Leadership Development Programme: Improved Practices of School Leaders a Breakthrough Triumph in the Province of Punjab

The major driver of the phenomenology research was to explore the lived experiences of school heads about the School Leadership Development Programme (SLDP) in improved practices of leadership in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes in public sector schools of Punjab. The sample of the study was based on the geographical distribution of the province of Punjab i.e., central, southern and northern. The seven districts were taken, and 14 SHs were selected through purposive sampling. The in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted after the prior consent of the participants. The instruments were self-developed and validated from five experts along with Mock interview practice. The researcher collected the data personally, and thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed that SLDP is inseparable in the development of improved practices of SHs. It was strongly recommended to continue the SLDP encased with certain paraphernalia to get better results in the future.

Experiences of the Hungarian EU funding in the 2014-2020 budgetary period

The aim of the paper is to analyse the implementation of Hungarian EU funding in the most recent budgetary period which ended in 2020. The research examines the intervention fields aimed by the operational programmes and the statistics of grant applications as well. In addition, the study gives a detailed analysis about the economic development programme compared to the one in the previous financial cycle. Overall, the aim is to seek the funding practice in Hungary regarding to the sectoral priorities and the characteristic of regional allocation.

Support for Restricting the Possibility of African Swine Fever (ASF) Spread Under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020

Of the many measures under Polish Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014–2020, the aid instrument entitled “Support for investments in preventive measures aimed at reducing the effects of probable natural disasters, adverse climatic phenomena and catastrophes” is the focus of this publication. This mechanism is intended to support, inter alia, agricultural producers at risk of damage caused by natural disasters such as African swine fever (ASF). The aim of the article is to attempt to analyse whether, and to what extent, this form of support ensures the sustainability of an agricultural producer’s business by restricting the possibility of African swine fever spread. The author focuses on an analysis of normative solutions contained in the instrument to support investments aimed at preventing the destruction of agricultural productive potential, offered by RDP 2014–2020. The aid form concerned encourages agricultural producers to initiate preventive measures arising from the biosecurity programme aimed at restricting the spread of African swine fever. These are preventive in nature and enable making specific investments to prevent the destruction of agricultural productive potential due to the emergence of specific epizootic events.