Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship
By 2030, as the global population is expected to reach 8.6 billion, the youth population will increase to more than 1.3 billion (UN DESA
). Pervasive unemployment, underemployment and longer school- to-work transitions are some of the most significant challenges facing the rising youth population. These challenges are the result of the lack of adequate professional opportunities for young people, and increasingly skewed skills imbalances, i.e. shortages, surpluses and mismatch of skills acquired versus those demanded by the world of work.
To cope with evolving skills demands, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems are investing in new learning pathways, setting-up innovative initiatives and programmes, and developing new partnerships. Responsive skills development programmes need to ensure not only the functional consistency with the demands from the world of work, but also the development of transversal skills and competences that enable youth to respond to changing industry demands.
