SAP, UNICEF and GenU extend and expand partnership to help young people gain skills for employment
New workforce readiness programme will focus on reaching marginalised youth with skills training in Nigeria, the Philippines and South Africa
NEW YORK, 22 SEPTEMBER 2022 – Multinational software corporation SAP SE (SAP) has today committed to continuing its partnership with UNICEF in support of Generation Unlimited (GenU) for an additional three years to help prepare young people for the workforce.
The partners will pilot a new programme that supports ‘learning to earning’ pathways in the digital and green economy for marginalised young people providing them with the skills they need to flourish. The new programme will be piloted – leveraging GenU signature programme Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) – in Nigeria, the Philippines and South Africa.
“Today’s young people are three times more likely than adults to be unemployed, which makes for a very uncertain future for all of us. To keep up with the ever-changing demands of the labour market, young people need a full set of skills to compete locally and globally,” said Kevin Frey, Chief Executive Officer of GenU. “I am delighted that SAP and GenU are continuing our long-standing partnership. Together we will support even more young people worldwide to unlock opportunities.”
Over the last two decades, there has been a decrease in the proportion of young people in employment. Young people are not acquiring the skills they need in today’s economy with less than a quarter of youth in lower income countries estimated to be on track to attain the range of skills needed to thrive in school, work and life.
By the end of the first year, SAP and GenU plan to reach more than 500,000 young people with opportunities for foundational and digital skills. The partnership will also support the SAP Educate to Employ initiative, which aims to educate youth aged 16–24 years on soft skills, foundational knowledge and SAP skills using the student zone on the SAP Learning site, where students can learn about the latest SAP solutions for free to kickstart their career.
“It is essential that young people everywhere have access to the skills, education, and opportunities that will enable them to reach their full potential and shape the future of our world,” said Christian Klein, CEO and Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE. “We are excited to continue our collaboration with GenU to help empower the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers around the globe to thrive and create positive change for the societies in which they live and work.”
SAP and UNICEF first joined forces in support of GenU in 2019 and have since reached 3 million young people in India, Turkey and Viet Nam with transformative education models.
Notes to editors:
UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service.
About Generation Unlimited
Generation Unlimited is on a mission to skill the world’s 1.8 billion young people and connect them to opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship and social impact. Launched at the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, the world’s first public-private-youth partnership is anchored in UNICEF. The partnership brings together global organizations and leaders with young people to co-create and deliver, on a global scale, innovative solutions to the challenges that youth face.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
For further information, please contact:
Generation Unlimited: Anupama Saikia, ansaikia@unicef.org
UNICEF: Laila Ali, laali@unicef.org, tel: +41 767846532
