Partnership with African Union plans volunteer-powered pathways to youth employability
Today at the RewirED education summit in Dubai, IAVE announced a new partnership between IAVE and the African Union to create “volunteer-powered pathways” to youth employment in the green economy.
Executive Director Nichole Cirillo said the initiative, called Reskilling Revolution Africa, is “a great idea—it takes advantage of what’s already there, it’s innovative, and it leaves no one behind.”
“Join us!” she said.
IAVE joined Justina Nixon-Saintil, Vice President & Chief Impact Officer at IBM, and other panelists for the session entitled From Activism to Action: Closing the Skills Gap.
“IBM supports the Reskilling Revolution, and we are very excited to be a partner with you,” Nixon-Saintil said. “This is something that’s needed globally—access to skills. Especially with the impacts of climate change and the global skills gap, there is a sense of urgency.”
According to a 2021 report from Generation Unlimited, PwC and UNICEF, young people haven’t been able to identify or acquire the skills needed for today’s job market, contributing to a global skills gap and youth unemployment. The International Labour Organization’s 2022 report on Global Employment Trends for Youth found that over 75 million youth (aged 15-24) are unemployed.
For the past two years, IAVE has explored new approaches to youth employability through papers and webinars, including a global dialogue on youth volunteering as a pathway to employability. Based on these consultations, IAVE and the African Union developed the Reskilling Revolution Africa initiative to leverage volunteering networks and strategic partnerships with the private sector to build employability skills for youth.
Dubai Cares hosted the RewirED summit at in conjunction with COP28, the United Nations climate change conference, to drive home the point that education is key to building a sustainable future for people and the planet.
