Youth can secure meaningful and dignified work

The Problem

Across the majority world, young people struggle to find dignified and meaningful work because education emphasizes theory over practical skills. With too few businesses to meet the demand for jobs, youth are urged to create their own enterprises - with little capital or support.  The need is particularly acute across Africa where 70% of the population are under 30.

Universities and TVET institutions are critical to solving the problem. Through their courses and teaching they equip their students with the skills and knowledge they need to solve problems, secure jobs and embark on their careers. 

But while they’re critical, they can’t do it alone. They need to build partnerships across the system – with communities, businesses, governments – so that they’re teaching for the right skills and helping to nurture the economies that their graduates will join.

What we do

We partner with universities to reimagine their approach to teaching and learning. 

• We assist universities to redesign their curricula so they are teaching for the skills and competencies that their students will need to thrive in their studies and secure work when they graduate. 
   
• We work with academics and institutional leaders to integrate insights from their communities and local business, building new relationships with their stakeholders in the process.
   
• We enable academics to adopt a skills-focused and gender-responsive pedagogy, to create learning environments that are truly transformative for young people, their communities and their societies. 

Our impact

In East Africa, our programme transformed teaching at four universities, training 565 academics, redesigning over 200 courses, and enhancing learning for over 3,800 students, from agriculture to education to computer science. 

Lecturer's confidence in learner-centred approaches increased significantly as a result and students report a better learning experience: 

• 94% of academics said the programme helped them to develop more relevant courses 
• their use of critical thinking and problem-solving techniques and active learning strategies increased by between 37 and 43 percentage points
• 87% of students rated their experience positively.

Partner stories

Since our first phase:

• Mzumbe University has established a new Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
• Uganda Martyrs University have seen improved workplace outcomes for students in their teacher education programme.
• Gulu University has revamped further degree programmes in public health and law.

We’ve also adapted our gender-responsive approach to assist Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, Nigeria, to prepare young women for careers in the digital and IT industries.

Our plans

We’ve built a proven methodology, Transforming Higher Education for Social Change, that:

• Motivates academics to teach differently
• Rapidly improves the relevance and quality of taught courses
• Builds new and lasting relationships with business and communities – for practical learning and more relevant skills
• Gives students the skills and confidence to think critically and solve problems. 

In partnership with regional organisations, we now plan to:

• Expand beyond universities to include TVET.
• Address emerging demands in green and digital economies.
• Pilot the inclusion of AI and digital technologies.
• Shift regulatory and policy frameworks to support ongoing change.
• Build new strategic partnerships to drive change at scale.