AMERICAN GIVING | Strengthening communities through generosity
01 December 2007
International Youth Foundation Trains for Changing Job Market
Technology, life skills training offer new hope for young people worldwide
Today's high-technology global economy requires that young people entering the job market have the training and life skills necessary to get and keep available jobs, says the chief executive officer of International Youth Foundation (IYF).
IYF is a Baltimore-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) at the center of an alliance focused on improving the employability of youth around the world.
The public and private sectors must work together to "invest in youth, so they arrive at adulthood healthy, prepared to be good citizens and prepared for today's workplace," IYF’s William Reese told USINFO.
One IYF alliance helping young people gain critical technical and life skills is the "entra 21" program, operating in 18 countries in Latin American and the Caribbean. The alliance also involves the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Inter-American Development Bank, several national and global corporations and local groups.
Life skills are those that help people maneuver through everyday life, improve their performance in school, find and maintain employment and contribute to their families and communities, IYF says.
In February, IYF received the Global Development Alliance excellence award from USAID in recognition of the success of entra 21.
The nearly $30 million multiyear program established in 2001 provides one-year to three-year grants and technical expertise to local nonprofit organizations. Those groups help youth gain access to computer skill training, internships and employment-placement services so they can get and keep a good job. So far, entra 21 has helped almost 20,000 young people ages 16-29, Reese said.
"Most developing countries have a short window of opportunity to get this right before their record numbers of youth become middle-aged. … This may be one of the profound decisions a developing country will ever make to banish poverty and galvanize its economy," said Emmanuel Jimenez, lead author of the World Bank's 2007 World Development Report.
“THE BEST SOCIAL PROGRAM … IS A JOB”
Worldwide, young people make up nearly half of the world's unemployed, according to the bank.
"That's an economic and social disaster for countries," Reese said. "The best social program for a young person is a job."
Knowledge of how to use the "machinery of the 21st century” -- computers, personal digital devices and portable telephones -- is necessary in a variety of industries and work environments, Reese said.
These include the hospitality and tourism industry, the world's largest employer of young people, as well as various office, warehouse, factory and agricultural settings where workers need to access information quickly, he said.
IYF's international network of nearly 50 companies and organizations works through various programs in nearly 70 countries to provide vocational training, health education and training in cultural tolerance, leadership, conflict resolution and decision making, according to the organization.
"I learned so much, not only how to use the computer … but also how to write a resume and develop a career plan and feel confident about myself," said Romina Collman, an entra 21 participant in Argentina.
In Colombia, Jonathan Silva Bejarano said he learned from an IYF program to be more tolerant of others and open to new ideas. When faced with challenges, he said he now feels better equipped to identify options. "I’ve learned that nothing in life is free."
After training, Jonathan went on to an internship at a pharmaceutical cooperative where he applied the accounting and customer service computer skills he developed in the program so that he could earn a stable living for himself and his family.
Kimberly Prieto was raised in a Mexico City orphanage, then joined a gang that was involved in violent actions. After participating in an IYF program, she said: "I realize I can solve my problems without violence and now I'm mentoring other young people in the community to help [them] turn their lives around."
Each year, the IYF network invests more than $110 million to help young people around the world.
More information about IYF and the Global Development Alliance is available on the organizations’ Web sites.
The full text of the World Development Report is available on the World Bank Web site.
