“Start businesses that will capture the eye of a lot of people. Be creative by all means, bring something different, and do not lose hope. It’s high time we create jobs for each other as jobs these days are hard to find.”
World Youth Skills Day celebrates the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
According to the global initiative Decent Jobs for Youth, globally, around one-fifth of (or 270m) young people are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). Nearly 68 million young women and men are currently looking for a job.
Furthermore, over 123 million young people are working, yet living in poverty, showing a wide trend of underemployment that often comes down to a lack of access to valuable skills training. Technological advancements have exacerbated the challenge of keeping skills relevant, and informal employment contracts can lead to high levels of instability, particularly for those new to the job market.
Young women are disproportionately affected by youth unemployment worldwide. According to the International Labour Organisation, globally, one in five young people are not in employment, education, or training. Three out of four of this group are women.
Young people with disabilities also fare badly. They are less likely to attend school than other children and have lower transition rates to higher levels of education. Lack of inclusion in education and skills development initiatives for young people with disabilities results in longer term exclusion and marginalisation of young people who are willing, able and eager to support themselves financially.
Another group facing enormous challenges in accessing the job market are young care leavers. Parental guidance, support and encouragement play a significant role in the transition to self-reliance. Young care leavers are often forced to become financially independent earlier than their peers as they “age out” of any legal entitlements to legislative and practical support. This pressure to earn immediately can result in lifelong underemployment as young care leavers often lack the resources to pursue further education or quality skills training. Many more struggle to find employment at all, leaving them at risk of poverty and exploitation.
Partnering for decent work for all
SOS Children’s Villages takes a proactive approach to supporting young people leaving care to access the job market through a wide range of programmes and initiatives such as YouthCan, our global partnership for youth employability. Through this work, SOS Children’s Villages contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 8: “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.”
One of SOS Children’s Villages UK’s lead partners for youth employability is Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, a global initiative to tackle inequality and promote greater economic inclusion. Futuremakers is focused on breaking down barriers to opportunity and empowering the next generation to make meaningful contributions to the world around them.
Starting in December 2021, SOS Children’s Villages set out to meet the Futuremakers objectives over the following two years. Working in seven countries: Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, Mauritius, the Philippines, South Africa and Sri Lanka, SOS Children’s Villages aims to provide 4,480 young people with the necessary support and skills training to find long-term employment or to start their own businesses.
As of March 2023, the partnership had reached 2,734 young people, providing them with valuable skills training and practical and emotional support to fulfil their career ambitions.
The partnership strives to ensure that young women and young people with disabilities are proportionally represented by taking a proactive approach to participant recruitment and accessibility. Approximately 52% of participants to date were young women and 6.3% were known to have a disability.
At least 2,055 young people were assessed as having gained improved employment-related knowledge, and 1,308 improved their employment-related skills. At least 200 young people have entered decent work or started their own business, and we look forward to watching these numbers grow over the second year of the partnership.
Practical skills for stable employment
Equipping young people with practical skills by providing direct access to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and entrepreneurship training forms the bedrock of the SOS-Futuremakers project.
Young people are currently taking courses on an enormous range of subjects, some traditional and some more unique, but they are heavily vocational in nature and should lead immediately to paid work in the form of employment or their own business venture.
Teacher training, ICT, agriculture, tailoring, beauty therapy and hospitality are popular courses, but our participants have shown no shortage of imagination in following their own paths in more niche areas such as ornamental fish farming, foot reflexology and candle making.
However, soft skills are equally important. The project also prioritises the development of supporting skills such as CV writing, interview skills and IT literacy which are particularly essential for those seeking jobs.
A new generation of entrepreneurs
For those who prefer to turn their hand to establishing their own businesses, the project offers training in business development, financial skills training, incubation hubs as well as the initial skills training. Once their business plans have taken shape, young people have the opportunity to apply for seed funding, and will receive continuous support and access to local business networks.
Laone from Botswana has recently started her own potato farming business thanks to support from SOS Children’s Villages and Futuremakers. Whilst many school leavers head to urban hubs to seek employment, the project provided Laone with skills training for a career that would enable her to stay in her home town as she wished. Along with a group of peers, she had the opportunity to share her business ideas with the group, and to develop skills such as how to write a business plan or register a company. Laone particularly appreciated the practical sessions that allowed the young people to put their newfound skills to use.
Projects also focus on the mental health and wellbeing of the young people, which is particularly important for a group who do not have traditional support structures. Through this kind of support our projects enhance the resilience of young people in alternative care settings who are making the transition to independent living.
Recognising teachers, trainers and mentors
World Youth Skills Day 2023 highlights the essential role that teachers, trainers and other educators play in providing skills for youth to transition to the labour market and to actively engage in their communities and societies.
Young people enrolled on this project benefit from the skills of a vast network of teachers, trainers and mentors, including those working for partner organisations who deliver much of the core skills training.
Laone particularly appreciated the guidance provided by her trainers. She says, “the trainers were very friendly and supportive throughout the sessions, providing valuable insights into starting and maintaining a business.”
Over the course of the project approximately 100 Standard Chartered staff have volunteered to share their skills and experience with participants. These volunteers have offered a wide range of expertise, from one-on-one mentorships and business plan development, to practical support such as job application and CV writing, as well as interview technique. Thanks to the commitment of these volunteers, hundreds of young people have gained invaluable insights into the world of work.
Furthermore, Standard Chartered recently supported 17 SOS Children’s Villages staff members through its four-month IGNITE executive coaching programme, showing that career development and skills training is a lifelong process.
Jobs for the future
Young women and men from all backgrounds deserve to earn a fair income while working in conditions of security, dignity and equality. Getting young people into decent jobs is not just essential for their future, but for the future of our local communities, our countries and our global society and is essential to realising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
SOS Children’s Villages thanks the Standard Chartered Foundation and Futuremakers for their strategic and impactful partnership which has made it possible for us to support each of our young participants in their transition to independence and self-fulfilment.
