European Union – Youth Guarantee
(since 2013)
• Member States guarantee under‑25s an offer of employment, apprenticeship,
traineeship, or continued education within four months of unemployment or
graduation.
• Coordinated public employment services, employers, unions, and training
providers; country plans include outreach to NEET youth and vulnerable subgroups
across Europe.
• Evidence shows notable NEET declines in several countries by 2019; improved
activation services, apprenticeships, and early intervention for school ‑to ‑work
transitions.
• Funding via EU budgets and national contributions; strengthened with the Youth
Employment Support package and reinforced after COVID‑19 disruptions affecting
young workers.
• Critical analysis: Strong structural reform, but variable quality and equity;
precarious placements persist without stronger labor protections and youth
co‑design in governance.
UNICEF – UPSHIFT Social
Innovation for Youth
• UPSHIFT equips adolescents with human‑centered design, entrepreneurship, and
life skills, enabling problem‑solving projects addressing local social and
environmental challenges.
• Implemented across Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia; delivered
through schools, youth hubs, and community partners with blended digital
components.
• Program fosters agency, teamwork, community relevance, and market linkages;
many cohorts seed micro‑ventures or civic initiatives led by marginalized young
people.
• Scaled through government partnerships and NGOs, integrating into curricula or
national youth programs; monitoring captures participation, prototypes, and
transition pathways.
• Critical analysis: Powerful agency‑building; needs stronger pathways to paid
opportunities and safeguards against excluding offline youth lacking connectivity
or institutional access.
Kenya – Ajira Digital Program
• Government initiative preparing youth for online and digitally mediated work
through training, mentorship, and Ajira Clubs anchored in universities and
community centers.
• Curriculum covers digital marketing, transcription, data management, freelancing
platforms, financial literacy, and work readiness with public‑private
implementation partners.
• Thousands of youth trained; county‑level Ajira hubs provide devices, internet, and
placement support connecting trainees to dignified digital income opportunities.
• Program links to broader innovation ecosystem, including e‑commerce and gig
platforms, aiming to diversify livelihoods beyond traditional jobs for young
Kenyans.
• Critical analysis: Expands opportunity, yet gig‑work precarity persists; needs
stronger labor standards, income security, and protections for young digital
workers’ rights.
Rwanda – YouthConnekt Africa
(scaled across continent)
• Started in Rwanda, now a pan‑African platform connecting youth with
entrepreneurship, skills, mentorship, and civic engagement opportunities through
summits and innovation challenges.
• Collaborates with governments, UNDP, private sector, and youth networks; builds
national YouthConnekt hubs, accelerators, and policy dialogues across many
African countries.
• Programs include business competitions, bootcamps, and community service
initiatives; promotes role models and peer learning for scalable youth
development impact.
• Millions of engagements reported; expansion strengthens continental cooperation
around jobs, technology, and democratic participation led by African youth.
• Critical analysis: Influential convening architecture; outcomes vary by country
capacity; needs rigorous impact evaluation and inclusion of rural, low‑income, and
young women participants.
Colombia – Jóvenes en Acción
• Conditional cash transfer supporting low‑income youth in technical education and
training programs, tied to attendance and performance requirements.
• Implemented nationally with robust information systems; beneficiaries receive
periodic transfers facilitating persistence in study and reduced dropout risks.
• Evidence suggests improved completion rates and labor outcomes, particularly for
young women and vulnerable populations accessing post ‑secondary credentials.
• Integrated with social protection and employment services, creating smoother
transitions from training to jobs for disadvantaged youth cohorts.
• Critical analysis: Strong inclusion architecture; must pair with demand ‑side job
creation and anti‑ discrimination enforcement to convert credentials into stable,
decent employment.
Brazil – Bolsa Família / Auxílio
Brasil (Youth Impacts)
• Large conditional cash transfer linking income support to school attendance and
health checkups; significantly reduced extreme poverty and improved educational
continuity.
• Youth beneficiaries show higher attendance and grade progression; long ‑term
studies associate programs with better human capital outcomes for adolescents.
• Municipal coordination integrates social assistance, schools, and health posts;
monitoring systems track compliance and target services to poorest families.
• Program adaptations continue under Auxílio Brasil, sustaining youth ‑relevant
conditionalities while expanding benefit design and digital delivery mechanisms.
• Critical analysis: Effective poverty‑education linkage; requires complementary
youth employability pathways and anti‑ violence measures for safe schooling,
especially in marginalized neighborhoods.
Bangladesh – BRAC STAR
Apprenticeship Program
• Skills Training for Advancing Resources (STAR) places disadvantaged youth into
structured apprenticeships with master craftsmen alongside life skills and market
linkages.
• Partnership model engages local enterprises; training aligns to demand in trades
like tailoring, electronics, beauty, hospitality, and light manufacturing.
• High completion rates reported; many graduates transition into wage jobs or
micro‑enterprise with improved earnings and community recognition.
• Program includes mentorship, financial literacy, and support for young women’s
safe participation through family and employer engagement strategies.
• Critical analysis: Inclusive and scalable; ensure certification portability, formal
protections, and continued advancement pathways beyond entry ‑level informal
sector roles.
United States – Year Up
(RCT‑validated)
• Intensive one‑year program combining technical training, professional skills, and
corporate internships for low‑income young adults aged eighteen to twenty ‑four.
• Strong employer partnerships in IT, finance, and business operations; wraparound
supports address transportation, stipends, coaching, and placement assistance.
• Randomized controlled trials show substantial earnings gains several years
post‑program, narrowing opportunity gaps for participants versus control groups.
• Alumni networks and employer feedback loops continuously adapt curriculum to
labor market shifts and equity commitments.
• Critical analysis: Highly effective for included cohorts; scaling equitably requires
public financing, community college integration, and accessible supports for
parenting youth.
New Zealand – Youth Service for
NEET Youth
• Case‑management service for Not‑in‑Employment‑Education‑Training youth;
integrates obligations, coaching, and income management to re ‑engage with
education or work.
• Providers tailor plans including literacy, qualifications, and work readiness;
incentives tied to attendance, progress, and sustained engagement milestones.
• Coordination across education, social development, and health agencies reduces
fragmentation and improves outcomes for vulnerable adolescents.
• Evidence indicates increased re‑enrolment and reduced benefit dependence
among participants relative to similar non‑participants.
• Critical analysis: Effective engagement tool; must safeguard youth autonomy and
avoid punitive framing that undermines rights, dignity, and developmental needs.
South Africa – Youth Employment
Service (YES)
• Business‑government partnership creating year‑long quality work experiences for
unemployed youth, incentivized through Black Economic Empowerment scorecard
benefits.
• Firms host youth in work placements; YES hubs provide training, devices, and
community‑based production facilities supporting inclusive enterprise growth.
• Reportedly over one hundred thousand placements created; participants gain
references, skills, and pathways to longer‑term employment opportunities.
• Program complements public employment and entrepreneurship initiatives,
targeting townships and under‑resourced communities disproportionately affected
by joblessness.
• Critical analysis: Valuable work exposure; sustainability depends on broader job
creation, enforceable quality standards, and fair wages safeguarding youth labor
rights.
