Harnessing volunteer networks to give youth access to skills and employment
At the beginning of a new year, IAVE is celebrating the first phase of Reskilling Revolution Africa, an initiative to harness the power of volunteering to give millions of youth access to skills development and employment in the digital and green economy.
The project launched a year ago at the RewirED education summit held in conjunction with COP28, the United Nations climate conference in Dubai. IBM expressed its support at the summit and committed $1.3 million to the venture, including pro bono use of its proprietary SkillsBuild training platform.
In this pilot phase, members of IAVE’s Global Network of Volunteering Leadership in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa are connecting thousands of youth, women and those in the informal economy to free, open-source skills training and virtual mentoring through the IBM SkillsBuild platform.
IBM SkillsBuild offers over 1,000 courses focused on technology, workforce readiness, professional development, entrepreneurship and green skills. The platform also links learners to a network of IBM staff serving as volunteer mentors.
To date, Reskilling Revolution Africa has enrolled more than 9,500 African youth in the IBM SkillsBuild platform. At the same time, the initiative aims to increase youth engagement in volunteering, focusing on activities related to resilient communities, climate action and upcycling—transforming unwanted materials into quality products.
Young Advocates for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future in Nigeria (above), and Lungelo Youth Development in South Africa (below) are among the IAVE members using their volunteering networks to thousands of young learners with IBM’s SkillsBuild platform.
“Volunteerism is a powerful channel for young Africans to make a difference in their communities, to connect with other young people who are passionate about the same causes, and to develop valuable 21st century skills,” said IAVE executive director Nichole Cirillo. Volunteerism also provides project-based opportunities to apply new skills, she said.
The RRA pilot prioritizes the engagement of young women who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), and in certain communities, the inclusion of internally displaced women who lack access to education and skills development.
Three members of IAVE’s Global Network of Volunteering Leadership have been leading the pilot phase of the project:
- Lungelo Youth Development in South Africa
- Serve Global in Ethiopia, and
- Young Advocates for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future in Nigeria.
GNVL is a peer-to-peer network of engaged volunteering organizations active in 32 African countries across the continent.
The Reskilling Revolution Africa pilot is based on an existing partnership between IAVE and the African Union, and has been structured to optimize the assets of both organizations. The initiative was part of the African Union theme for 2024: Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century.