4 ways to put youth in control of their work future.

• Only one in four young people have the skills needed for the future of work and life.
• While efforts are underway to address the gaps in infrastructure and training, youth are already taking steps to gain relevant skills now.
• The public and private sectors need to work with young people towards skilling and connecting them to opportunities.

The rapidly changing world of work presents new opportunities and challenges for the largest youth cohort in history. However, three in four young people lack the skills needed for the future of work, exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure, training, and the impact of COVID-19. This knowledge and talent gap not only widens existing inequities but also hampers the green transition. Bridging these gaps requires collective efforts, including investment in infrastructure, accessible training, and innovative education, to empower young people and ensure a more equitable and sustainable future.

Governments and businesses must do their part not only to bridge structural gaps but also to support youth who are channeling their energy to take these four definitive steps toward opportunities:

1. Discovering career avenues

• Understanding in-demand sectors and job types is essential for planning a skilling journey.
• Programs like the Girls Fly Programme in Africa (GFPA) can open up unconventional career paths, as seen with Thembisile Mabele becoming a drone pilot.
• Reports such as the World Economic Forum's 'Future of Jobs' and the International Labour Organization's Global Employment Trends for Youth provide insights into the future of work.
• LinkedIn's Career Explorer and Future of Skills tools enable exploration and shortlisting of interesting skills and career pathways.
• Businesses can contribute by allocating employee hours for mentoring youth, sharing career journeys in public forums, and funding career fairs in schools or community centers.

2. Skilling up

• Volunteering: Volunteering can help young people develop skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can also help build social capital, resilience, and a sense of civic responsibility.
• Internships and apprenticeships: Internships and apprenticeships offer job-specific skills and earning potential during training.
• Free certified skilling resources: Organizations such as the United Nations provide free certified skilling resources, particularly in emerging sectors like green.
• Yoma: Yoma is a digital youth marketplace that grants access to new skills and incentives for social impact tasks, showcasing achievements in a verified digital CV.
• Businesses and governments: Businesses and governments should collaborate to lower entry barriers for young people from non-traditional learning environments. This includes providing access to job-specific training, paid internships, and apprenticeships, and standardizing digital skills accreditations.
• Skills-first approach: Adopting a skills-first approach can increase the candidate pools for Gen Z workers by more than tenfold. This means focusing on the skills that young people have, rather than their educational background.

3. Proposing solutions to scale up

• Young people actively engage as volunteers, advocates, and entrepreneurs to address environmental and socio-economic crises they are not responsible for.
• The youth focus on action-oriented solutions rather than just discussing problems.
• Proposing and implementing innovative solutions not only helps the world but also develops critical thinking, planning, communication, and networking skills.
• Team Soigel from Egypt participated in a youth innovation program that provided seed funding and mentoring support. They now sell organic fertilizer and gel made from recycled sugarcane waste to promote sustainable agriculture.
• Governments and organizations should invest in opportunities that foster youth entrepreneurial skills, which can drive social change, economic growth, and a more sustainable future.

4. Mobilizing other youth to take the next step

• When young changemakers share their insights with peers, it empowers the younger generation to shape a better future.
• Recommendations from someone in a similar context hold more credibility when it comes to courses or volunteering opportunities.
• Prashansa, a task force member of Passport to Earning in India, has encouraged over 300 students to register for a digital productivity course through her efforts.
• Many young leaders feel excluded from decision-making processes in governments and businesses.
• Setting up youth advisory groups or implementing reverse mentoring can make decisions more youth-centric.
• Initiatives like the Forum's Global Shapers and Generation Unlimited's Young People's Action Team (YPAT) aim to include youth in decision-making.
• Businesses and governments should collaborate to identify and communicate in-demand skills and opportunities for young people.
• Events such as the Transforming Education Summit and WEF Growth Summit provide platforms for driving investment in creating opportunities for a skilled future workforce.