Attachments
Key Insights
• The global employment context is rapidly changing. The needs of labour markets are evolving due to globalisation, technological advancements, demographic trends and climate change. Many countries are experiencing population growth that is not matched by the availability of jobs. Globally, 20 per cent of youth are not in employment, education or training, of which two in three are women.
• Plan International’s work on youth employment and entrepreneurship centres on ensuring that young people, especially young women, gain knowledge and skills and access opportunities for decent work of their choosing. This includes through training for waged or self-employment, market analysis and advocacy with government and the private sector. Green skills and digital interventions are an increasing focus. This year, our programming reached 4.6 million people, including over 700 thousand girls.
• Effective training and capacity building with young people was a strong theme of our work this year. High proportions of young people demonstrated life, vocational or entrepreneurship skills after completing training. Young people continued to emphasise the value of support throughout the process from skills building, mentorship and coaching to the conceptualisation and actioning of their entrepreneurial idea or as they started employment, as well as longer term support and networking.
• Key enablers to success have included ensuring that interventions are based on a comprehensive analysis of the market, as well as combining training efforts with complementary approaches such as job shadowing. However, challenges remain, including ongoing gendered barriers impacting girls and young women, the scope of available employment opportunities (particularly in rural geographies), as well as challenges in access to financial services.
• Continued advocacy is needed with governments and the private sector for sustained change. This includes on decent working conditions, the regulatory environment and access to financial services, as well as communicating the benefits of employing young people