Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship

By 2030, as the global population is expected to reach 8.6 billion, the proportion of youth will increase to more than 20% (UN DESA). Pervasive unemployment, underemployment and longer school- to-work transitions are some of the most significant challenges facing the rising youth population. These challenges are the result of the lack of adequate professional opportunities for young people, and increasingly skewed skills imbalances, i.e. shortages, surpluses and mismatch of skills acquired versus those demanded by the world of work.

To cope with evolving skills demands, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems are investing in new learning pathways, setting-up innovative initiatives and programmes, and developing new partnerships. Responsive skills development programmes need to ensure not only the functional consistency with the demands from the world of work, but also the development of transversal skills and competences that enable youth to respond to changing industry demands.

What Does TVET Offer for Youth Skills Development?

267 million young people (aged 15-24) are not in employment, education or training (NEET), and many more endure substandard working conditions (ILO 2020). In the wake of technological, environmental and demographic shifts, the challenge of creating jobs and livelihood opportunities is immense. However, creating job opportunities without responsive skills development of the youth for the world of work will exacerbate the skills mismatch and yield limited effects.

TVET systems around the world are currently in a state of transformation and innovation to better respond to current and emerging challenges. This transformation, though varied across regions and levels of development, includes the transition of TVET from a vehicle for functional skills development for employability to the development of broad-based and transversal skills that enable its graduates to access further opportunities for learning and upskilling throughout the course of their lives. As transversal skill demands continue to evolve, TVET provides a pathway for young people to develop their competences and transition to the world of work.

Mainstreaming Entrepreneurial Learning in TVET

Entrepreneurial learning offers a realistic and achievable means to develop the transferable skills that society and the labour market expect of today’s citizens. Recognizing the important role that entrepreneurship can play in countering the challenges of youth employment, UNESCO-UNEVOC has made a concerted effort to promote entrepreneurial learning across the TVET sector.

UNESCO-UNEVOC has been coordinating consultations on entrepreneurial learning in TVET with UNEVOC Centres and other experts from around the world. These consultations explored the current state of entrepreneurial learning in TVET policies and programmes, and facilitated the exchange of experiences, opportunities and challenges to mainstreaming entrepreneurial learning in TVET systems. In November 2018, UNESCO-UNEVOC organized a two-week virtual conference on ‘Entrepreneurial Learning in TVET’, which enabled TVET stakeholders from more than 83 countries to share their approaches and insights on the topic. The main findings were compiled in a virtual conference report and a selection of the practical cases have been included in a discussion paper.

Practical Guide on Entrepreneurial Learning

UNESCO-UNEVOC is currently in the development phase of a practical guide that aims to support TVET actors in mainstreaming entrepreneurial learning at the institutional level, taking into account different socio-economic contexts. The overall objective is to contribute to strengthening the capacity of the TVET sector to help prepare young people for the changing world of work and for personal development. The practical guide will also provide step-by-step approaches that TVET institutional leaders, administrators, managers and teaching personnel can implement at their institutions to foster an ‘entrepreneurial culture’.

World Youth Skills Day

Every year on July 15, UNESCO-UNEVOC joins global celebrations to mark World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) and spread awareness about the importance of youth skills development. Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, the day is an opportunity to highlight the achievements of young people who have benefitted from skills training and call for increased access to quality training and skills development for youth around the globe. Read more about UNESCO-UNEVOC’s activities to promote WYSD here.

Find out more about our work on the following cross-cutting thematic areas:

• Migration
• TVET Teaching

News & Activities

9 March 2020
Developing a practical guide for mainstreaming entrepreneurial learning
To cope with the changing world of work and skills demands, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems are increasingly aware of the importance of equipping young people with entrepreneurial skills and mindsets. Entrepreneurial learning offers a realistic and achievable means to develop the transferable skills that society and the economy are demanding of citizens today.
read more

20 October 2019
UNESCO-UNEVOC and CONIF organize hackathon training for Latin American UNEVOC Centres
UNESCO-UNEVOC and CONIF organized a three-day capacity development programme in Rio de Janeiro on 17-19 October to engage participants from UNEVOC Centres in six countries on how to develop entrepreneurial mindsets via innovative activities such as Hackathons.
read more

17 October 2019
Mainstreaming digital and entrepreneurial skills in TVET Systems
A Regional Workshop on mainstreaming digital and entrepreneurial skills into TVET systems in the Southern Mediterranean countries was organized on 16-17 October in Beirut, Lebanon.
read more

16 July 2019
Youth Employment in the Mediterranean Knowledge Platform
UNESCO-UNEVOC has launched the Youth Employment in the Mediterranean (YEM) Knowledge Platform. This Platform is one of the key components of UNESCO’s European Union funded YEM Project that supports 8 countries in the region in developing robust skills development systems to promote youth employment across four key thematic areas.
read more

15 July 2019
World Youth Skills Day 2019: Learning to learn for life and work
Every year on July 15, UNESCO-UNEVOC joins global celebrations to mark World Youth Skills Day and spread awareness about the importance of youth skills development. Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, the day is an opportunity to highlight the achievements of young people who have benefitted from skills training and call for increased access to quality training and skills development for youth around the globe.
read more

Promising Practices

iHUB: Development of Female Entrepreneurship
UNESCO-UNEVOC Promising Practices

Entrepreneurial Culture - Ikasenpresa
UNESCO-UNEVOC Promising Practices

Campos dos Goytacazes Innovation Hub
UNESCO-UNEVOC Promising Practices

REACH - Building the skills of disadvantaged youth
UNESCO-UNEVOC Promising Practices

Publications & Resources

Entrepreneurial learning in TVET

Discussion paper
Globalization and technological progress have led to the world changing at an unprecedented pace, affecting the way we live, work and learn. As young people seek to acquire new skills to navigate their way towards successful futures, transformative e ...

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Reviewing Work-Based Learning Programmes for Young People in the Arab Region

A Comparative and Longitudinal Analysis
This report is based on eight country case studies and seeks to inform policymakers and practitioners in the Arab States, including private sector and civil society about how to design and manage effective work-based learning programmes targeting you ...

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Guide on Measuring Decent Jobs for Youth: Monitoring, evaluation and learning in labour market programmes

Note 1: Diagnosing, planning and designing youth employment interventions
This note guides readers through the processes and tools required to diagnose the state of labour markets and design an intervention focused on youth employment needs.

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UNESCO-UNEVOC Virtual conference: Entrepreneurial learning in TVET

26 November to 7 December 2018
In response to the changing world of work, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems are increasingly recognizing the importance of broad-based entrepreneurial skills and mindsets to support employability and innovation. This ...

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