Review of policies to strengthen skills-employment linkages for marginalised young people

There is evidence for a growing mismatch between labour market demands and the skills young people acquire in school and training programmes in countries throughout the developing world. This report examines what type of policies and programmes are advocated in key strategy documents for 46 developing countries in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa with a focus on skills development needs of disadvantaged young people, and particularly those living in rural areas. Four countries - Bangladesh, Jordan, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia – have been selected for an in-depth assessment of their plans. Training systems in these countries are undergoing extensive reforms – both in terms of policies related to skills development of youth, as well as relevant programmes - and governments, donors and civil society organizations appear to be placing an increased focus on addressing the skills-labour market mismatch for disadvantaged youth. The four case studies in this report focus on examining the provision of skills training (including how learning is certified), the financing of skills development programmes, and the governance of these programmes.