Why
The digital economy is rapidly transforming the employment landscape across industries, including financial services, health, entertainment, transportation and of course, information and communication technologies (ICT). Millions of jobs requiring advanced digital skills will be created in the coming decade, but many countries are projecting a shortfall of skilled workers to fill these jobs. While young people are often considered “digital natives”, the reality is that the majority do not possess job-relevant digital skills. In particular, jobs requiring coding and other advanced ICT skills are going unfilled.
HOW
The growth potential of the digital economy presents an opportunity for tackling the youth employment challenge. In June 2017, the ILO and the ITU launched a campaign to bridge the current skills gap. The goal is to equip five million young people with digital skills – both basic and advanced – by 2030. This will be achieved by mainstreaming digital skills into school curricula, establishing comprehensive on-the-job training systems and mobilizing job creators in the public and private sector to employ young people in digital-centric jobs. There will also be a strong focus on fostering youth-led digital entrepreneurship.
WHO
The ILO and the ITU are committed to leading on this thematic priority. Decent Jobs for Youth brings together a growing number of partners who are committed to identifying and scaling up effective strategies for equipping young people with digital skills.
Power in Knowledge
Today’s rapid societal change and technological innovation bring about new challenges for young people and their rights. Against this backdrop, the European Student Think Tank (EST) commits to support Europe’s youth through its dedicated Working Group on Youth Employment and the support of the European Youth Forum. Through creating low>threshold knowledge products and disseminating them through their networks, the EST and the Youth Forum aim to equip young people with an evidence base that allows them to make informed decisions about their futures, while advocating for governments and institutions to safeguard their social and economic rights through quality job creation.
Enroll 1 million HP LIFE users between 2016-2025
Lifelong learning that supports upskilling, re-skilling, and entrepreneurial thinking will be critical to power thisfuture economy. HP LIFE (Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs), an HPFoundation program aims to enroll 1 million users worldwide between 2016 and 2025. HP LIFE currently provides 32 business and IT skills training courses in seven languages. It is best leveraged by those approximately 16 years of age or older.