Creating meaningful employment for young people is one of the greatest long-term challenges faced by business and society today.
The World Bank says that there will be three billion people under 25 years of age by 2015, of which 2.5 billion will be living in developing countries where the challenge of youth employment is greatest.
Changing demographics mean that during the next decade over 80 million new jobs will need to be created in the Middle East and North Africa alone, if unemployment rates are to kept at the same level.
IBLF believes that not only can business play a major role in helping to improve youth employment, but that it is also in businesses' interest to do this: because improving employment opportunities makes for a more economically empowered society, providing more opportunities for trade.
IBLF has a range of activities, from standalone programmes to one-off publications, which address different areas of this problem and help businesses to provide meaningful engagement with the challenge of youth employment.
Youth Career Initiative
YCI uses the resources of the hotel industry to provide young people in developing countries with valuable life and vocational skills. The programme, which operates in eight countries, increases young people's confidence and skills so that they can embark on their career of choice.
Read more about Youth Career Initiative
Digital Partnership
Digital Partnership provides affordable access to technology and training for learning, enterprise and development. It helps redistribute recycled computers in schools, libraries, and community projects and in South Africa has placed 10,000 PCs.
Read more about Digital Partnership
Youth and Business in the Arab World
A project to demonstrate how business can tackle youth unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa.
The project comprises the publication in 2007 of a resource guide, followed by a marketing campaign, workshops and training sessions.
Read more about Youth and Business in the Arab World
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