[{"bbox": [97, 154, 1135, 231], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Facilitate access to finance for MSMEs and informal economic operators through grants, saving groups, angel investment and value chain finance and other mechanisms with a special focus on youth and women-owned businesses."}, {"bbox": [97, 234, 1135, 290], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Support the Made in The Gambia initiative and relevant stakeholders including branding and quality assurance systems and processes and consumption of locally made products."}, {"bbox": [97, 333, 1121, 388], "category": "Text", "text": "**Activities Relating to Output 3.2:** Improved skills of youth and women relevant to employment in the tourism sector & the creative industries."}, {"bbox": [97, 409, 1135, 489], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Strengthen the relevance of training services by developing and updating curricula in different fields related to tourism, hospitality and creative industries, including modules on resource efficiency, green growth and circular economy in consultation with the private sector (e.g., through sector skills council)."}, {"bbox": [97, 491, 1135, 570], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Support the development of a Competency and Sector Qualification Framework (SQF) by training institutes and stakeholders with the assistance of the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority (NAQAA)."}, {"bbox": [97, 572, 1135, 652], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Improve technical and operational capacity of relevant training providers through training of trainers, development of specialised trainings and courses, introducing/ strengthening certification schemes, international recognition of diploma and facilitating international partnerships for exchange programmes."}, {"bbox": [97, 653, 1135, 707], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Support the quality of training provision through investments in facilities and equipment, particularly in the creative industries and for training provision in rural areas."}, {"bbox": [97, 708, 1135, 759], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Build the capacity of employers to effectively deliver on-the job training through apprenticeship programmes in the tourism, ICT, and creative sectors."}, {"bbox": [97, 762, 1135, 815], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Build the capacity of employers in the formal and informal sector to foster diversification of skills and income generation streams to mitigate the impacts of seasonal employment."}, {"bbox": [97, 817, 1135, 871], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Roll out technical and vocational training on relevant skills for the tourism sector and the creative industries to youth and women, including traditionally disadvantages and vulnerable groups."}, {"bbox": [97, 872, 706, 900], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Provide language training for Gambian youth and tour guides."}, {"bbox": [97, 924, 1121, 980], "category": "Text", "text": "These activities could be effectively complemented and strengthened through international cooperation projects under the action for Capacity Building in Vocational Education and Training of the Erasmus+ programme."}, {"bbox": [85, 1012, 294, 1044], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 3.3 Mainstreaming"}, {"bbox": [97, 1059, 545, 1087], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Environmental Protection & Climate Change"}, {"bbox": [97, 1111, 1135, 1272], "category": "Text", "text": "Floods, droughts, saltwater intrusion, beach erosion, coastal degradation, extreme precipitation, temperature changes and other climatic factors have a direct and immediate impact on the overall competitiveness of the tourism sector, in terms of both products/services and demand from tourists. The action seeks to expand the tourism industry including the number of arrivals. Potential negative impact on the environment includes coastal erosion, pollution, pressure on natural resources and loss of biodiversity, including the river Gambia, which is a delicate ecosystem."}, {"bbox": [97, 1297, 1135, 1538], "category": "Text", "text": "The action mitigates the risks by introducing standards and codes of conducts for sustainable tourism, developing products and experiences that are environmentally friendly and help protect the environment and ecosystem by generating economic incentives (e.g. eco-tourism, sports, river-tourism). It will support businesses in the tourism industry to optimise resource efficiency and meet internally recognised environmental standards. It will also promote ecological technologies and business solutions in ancillary sectors such as electric tricycles in the transport sector or environmentally friendly technologies in the building industry, such as construction with compressed stabilised earth blocks. The backward linkages will increase value chain efficiencies and local sourcing of products. The focus on sustainable tourism products and services will provide green jobs and income for communities while creating incentives to protect the environment and fragile eco-systems."}, {"bbox": [97, 1562, 974, 1589], "category": "Section-header", "text": "**Outcomes of the SEA screening** (relevant for budget support and strategic-level interventions)"}, {"bbox": [97, 1590, 1135, 1644], "category": "Text", "text": "The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) screening concluded that key environmental and climate-related aspects need be addressed during design."}, {"bbox": [1027, 1680, 1145, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 10 of 25"}]