Youth say education not preparing them with skills to get jobs: UNICEF

An online poll of 40,000 young people in over 150 countries shows that many feel their current education is not preparing them with the skills they need to get jobs.

One third (31 per cent) of the young people responding via the UNICEF engagement platform U-Report say that the skills and training programmes offered to them did not match their career aspirations.

More than a third of respondents (39 per cent) go on to say that the jobs they seek are not available in their communities.

According to the poll, the key skills young people want to acquire in order to help them gain employment in the next decade include leadership (22 per cent), followed by analytical thinking and innovation (19 per cent), and information and data processing (16 per cent).

The poll was conducted by UNICEF through U-Report, a global digital youth engagement platform in February. India had the most respondents (43 per cent) followed by South Africa (26 per cent).

Separately, a global survey by PwC found that 74 per cent of CEOs around the world said they are concerned about finding the right skills to grow their business.

To address some of these challenges, UNICEF and PwC are joining forces over the next three years to help equip young people around the world with the skills they need for future work.

The collaboration will support research on the growing global skills challenge and develop, expand and fund education and skills programmes in countries including India and South Africa.

"Young people are telling us they want digital and transferable skills to succeed in the workplace of the future," said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.

"This crucial need can only be met through the contributions of public and private partners around the globe. That is why we are working with partners like PwC to provide opportunities for personal growth and prosperity for young people everywhere," she said.

Every month, 10 million young people reach working age, most of them coming from low and middle-income countries.

According to global research, it takes young people in those countries about a year and a half on average to break into the labour market, and a staggering four and a half years to find their first decent job.

This situation can potentially further deteriorate if it is not addressed, with 20 to 40 per cent of the jobs currently held by 16 to 24-year-olds assessed to be at risk of automation by the mid-2030s.

"We believe business has a responsibility to help address the upskilling challenge for all of our stakeholders, including the communities in which we live and work and all of their citizens," said Bob Moritz, Chairman of the PwC Network.

It also makes business sense. In PwC's latest Global CEO Survey, three-quarters of CEOs said the lack of available skills is a major concern and risk.

"Many of the people who need upskilling the most have the least access to opportunities," he said. "By joining forces with UNICEF, we believe we can help reach more people who may otherwise be unwillingly left behind. Together, we aim to upskill millions of young people."

The collaboration between UNICEF and PwC will support the World Economic Forum's Reskilling Revolution Platform, of which both are founding partners. The platform aims to provide better jobs, education, and skills to one billion people in the next 10 years.

PwC's skills, expertise and resources will also support Generation Unlimited, a global partnership hosted by UNICEF, to help young people successfully transition from education and training to decent work.

PwC and Generation Unlimited will convene public, private and civil society stakeholders to develop investment opportunities, programmes and innovations that support young people in their path to productive futures and engaged citizenship.