The Youth Employment Pathways (YEP) Project, Niger Delta, Nigeria.

In 2017, PIND Foundation commenced the Youth Employment Pathways (YEP) Program in three states - Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers States, to tackle the growing rate of youth unemployment and underemployment in the Niger Delta. The pilot phase focused on designing models and frameworks to test youth job readiness and to identify pathways to employment and income generation for youths who participated. Under that phase (2017 to 2020), which was funded by Ford Foundation, over 5,000 youths in various sectors received training in various skills from 2017 to 2020. Nearly 70% of successful trainees were linked to employment or started enterprises of their own. Building on the success of the program, PIND expanded the program to Delta State in 2021, and 631 youths completed the first set of vocational skills training across various centers at Warri and Asaba. The YEP program runs an end-to-end model, and the post-training segment is a critical component of job linkages, enterprise development, and income earning, as is the technical and soft skills training.

Recognizing the limitation of opportunities in wage employment, the YEP program promotes self-employment as a viable choice for income generation. As a result, after completing technical skills training, participants were given entrepreneurship training to prepare them for self-employment. In addition, a challenge fund competition was developed to help participants transition to entrepreneurship. The first fund competition was completed in 2021 for beneficiaries in the pilot phase. The 2nd challenge fund grants award was commissioned on June 13, 2023, at the PIND EDC office at Warri, Delta State. For this second challenge fund, after youth applicants pitched their business ideas and developed plans for implementing and sustaining their new start-up businesses, 62 businesses emerged successfully from the competition. These included two group businesses of three persons each and 60 individual self-employed businesses. Of this number, 37 entrepreneurs were females. 51.6% of businesses started by youth include photography, videography, fashion, and finished leather, solar installation, while the remaining 48.4% are in Agriculture, Building Construction, and ICT.

Grants are being issued to trained youths to support their innovative and viable businesses. The grants will help the beneficiaries purchase items, equipment, or services to support their new start-up business in the sectors.