ADDRESSING THE GLOBAL SKILLS GAP TOGETHER
Accenture and Save the Children share a vision for creating a more prosperous future for young people. Among the 200 million people worldwide actively seeking work, a disproportionate number – 75 million – are youth and young adults under the age of 25. This represents not only a crucial development challenge, but also a tremendous source of human capital and economic opportunity. Our partnership builds programming that strengthens employability and employment outcomes for youth in safe and decent jobs and helps break the cycle of poverty.
Save the Children's partnership with Accenture equips youth with the skills they need to get a job or build a business. Our shared goal is to train over 150,000 young workers by 2020. Together, we have worked in more than a dozen countries. Our programme contributes to Accenture's goal of reaching 3 million youth globally.
LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPMENT
Our partnership is advancing the use of technology to bring solutions to the global youth skills gap to scale. We are building web-based and mobile solutions that connect youth to e-learning modules that build on classroom training; creating job matching platforms that link youth to employers and jobs; using social media and SMS for behaviour change and skills development; and developing tracking systems to monitor employment and retention.
Together, we have developed Better Careers Through Extended Reality, an immersive augmented reality/virtual reality mobile phone application that targets young job seekers who have limited knowledge about the requirements of jobs in their local market. The application allows young people to envision new careers, using 360-degree video to immerse themselves in typical workplaces, and helps them practice key communication skills and build public speaking confidence through life-like virtual reality simulations.
EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACHES
Accenture and Save the Children are helping to fill the need for skilled and talented youth around the world. Through this work, we are continuously testing innovative approaches to training, like using e-learning to complement traditional classroom learning. We are also working to build evidence around integrated approaches that improve employment outcomes, such as financial education or sexual and reproductive health interventions. And, we’ve developed a psychometric tool to monitor the impact of our training on employability skills. Our partnership focuses on delivering high-quality, impactful programmes so youth can secure safe and decent jobs.
