Joint knowledge product, “What works? A Guide to Action” launches on International Youth Day
The guides shed light on evidence and promising practices, calling for action to boost education, skills development, the transition of young people into decent work
What Works? A Guide to Action, a set of thematic guides, was launched today on International Youth Day 2020. The guides were jointly produced by Generation Unlimited (GenU) and Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth (DJY), and partners including ILO, Plan International, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, World Bank, and World Organization of the Scout Movement.
Informed by empirical evidence, the guides shed light on promising practices and outline call to action to boost education, skills development, the transition of young people into decent work, both in wage and self-employment, entrepreneurship as well as youth participation and civic engagement.
Currently, millions of young people across the globe find themselves outside of the traditional education systems and formal labour markets, unable to gain productive livelihoods or decent work. Even before the pandemic, there were 267 million young people (aged 15–24) across the globe not in employment, education or training (NEET).
COVID-19 is expected to exacerbate this situation through major disruptions to young people’s education and training and access to economic opportunities and livelihoods. The pandemic is also affecting the mental well-being of young people and poses psychosocial impacts on their communities and families.
What Works? A Guide to Action addresses both what young people need and what they are demanding and reflect the strategic priorities of GenU and DJY. They cover the following topics:
- Secondary education and skills
- School to work transition
- Youth entrepreneurship and self-employment
- Creating decent jobs for youth
- Young people’s participation and civic engagement
For the launch of these guides, UNICEF Executive Director Fore in her video message highlighted the partnership between GenU and DJY while noting that “This set of practical guides gives partners and policy-makers new tools, ideas, and evidence on what works to help young people access the skills and training they need to prepare for the future.”
She emphasized that the current cohort of young people is “the most connected, the most active, and the most outspoken and open-minded generation the world has ever seen”, and that they have the unlimited potential to do anything when they are equipped with right skill, training and education.
Generation Unlimited and the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth are two multi-stakeholder alliances working together to mobilize action and foster skills, employment and the meaningful participation of young people across the globe. By bringing young people together with governments, social partners, the private sector, and a range of international and local organizations, they connect secondary-age education and training to a complex and fast-changing world of work, while easing the transition of young people into decent jobs. Efforts are also being made to foster youth-led entrepreneurship and empower a generation of young people to fully engage as part of their societies.
