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Emphasizing Practical Skills

In an ideal world, students would have access to both a well-rounded education including traditional subjects like biology and mathematics as well as modern métiers like ICTs and global economy, but resource constraints in many poorer countries make that impossible. Hence, educational programs in developing countries often focus on teaching vocations like refrigeration, business administration, social work, environmental studies, textiles, carpentry, or mechanics—the skills that can lead to paying jobs. A program in Colombia, for example, offers degrees in rural education and agriculture/animal sciences, aiming primarily to train young people in skills that can be applied in local economies.

© International Youth FoundationInitiatives like the Youth Employment Network run by the International Labour Organization (ILO) focus their efforts on trying to move more of the world’s 88+ million unemployed youth (16- to 24-year-olds) into productive labor. Failure to do so, says the ILO, is likely to result in heavy costs for society as a whole, including compounding poverty and undermining social cohesion. UNESCO is another international institution that focuses on promoting vocational education, which can take place either during or after secondary school.

The Baltimore-based International Youth Foundation's Entra 21 initiative aims to help unemployed youth in Latin America acquire information technology (IT) skills through internships, job training, mentoring, and job placement and, thereby, have more opportunities in the IT market. But, the foundation is also quick to recognize that it’s not all about IT. The project, it claims, also helps young people learn about teamwork, set and achieve goals, solve problems, and resolve conflicts.

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