Youth Employment Solutions (YES!) for building a globally competitive, inclusive and resilient youth workforce

By 2030, Plan International will equip 1 million vulnerable and marginalized youth, particularly young women, in the Global South with market-relevant technical, soft and digital skills to access decent work opportunities, whether waged or self-employment, of their choosing.
This global initiative has four pathways: (1) education and training institutions providing young people, particularly young women, with relevant and market-driven skills to transition to decent work; (2) private sector investments in skills development of young people and opportunities for waged and self-employment; (3) enabling environment that addresses entrenched barriers impeding the full participation of young women and other vulnerable and marginalized youth in the world of work; and (4) improved breadth and depth of youth employment and entrepreneurship programming.
Plan International will pursue demand-driven skills development interventions; strategic partnerships with stakeholders at all levels; and evidence-based advocacy to drive policy and practice changes. Furthermore, Plan International will leverage technology to reach vulnerable and marginalized youth populations, especially young women.
Plan International also commits to tackling the root causes of gender inequality – i.e., working with young women and young men, communities, civil society and youth organizations, education and training providers, employers, and regional and global actors to address norms, stereotypes and behaviors that impede the participation of young women in the world of work.
Through various interconnected approaches and collaborating with different stakeholders, Plan International will contribute to building a youth workforce equipped with the skills necessary to access decent work in development and humanitarian contexts.