Knowledge Brief

Young women in Africa are less likely to be employed than young men, as a result of gaps in access to resources such as skills, time, and capital, and due to underlying social norms. Adolescence is a particularly critical time to intervene, as teenage pregnancy or dropping out of school can have severe impacts on future employment and earnings with significant consequences on their lives. At the macroeconomic level, investing in adolescent girls is also crucial for Sub-Saharan Africa`s demographic dividend.

In partnership with Philippine Department of Education, the World Bank conducted a series of assessments of the Alternative Learning System ( for out-of-school youth and adults). This policy note summarizes the empirical evidence obtained from these assessments and other program data and presents policy options to increase the effectiveness of the such programs.

This case study highlights success stories from Jordan in education related to scale, skills, and affordability and to reaching those who are under-served.

The knowledge brief presents lessons from a World Bank program in Tanzania in establishing a new Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Center (AEC) that provides local companies with access to financial market connections, as well as technical assistance in areas such as production, financial management, and marketing.

Global Value Chain integration may be a catalyst for job creation, but its employment effects are complex and difficult to control domestically. This brief describes that policy should focus more on the productivity gains associated with value chain integration rather than its role as a source of job creation. 

This case study presents evidence on establishing partnerships among governments and private sector actors/producers’ organizations, and how actively involving rural youth in the process, are key for dialogue and youth inclusion in the agriculture sector in national and regional initiatives. 

This brief provides key lessons learned from different programs working with adolescent girls in developing countries.Experience has shown that to serve adolescent girls—particularly the most vulnerable—programs should be designed to overcome gender-based constraints that prevent girls and young women from benefitting from programs in the same ways which boys do.

This note showcases best practices of some GAN members to promote work readiness programs and equip young people with skills to join the workforce. Some of the common features that contribute to the success of these initiatives include a strong support from senior management, clear and measurable goals and diligent tracking of results.

This knowledge brief provides policy insights on reducing search barriers for job seekers and is a synthesis of 19 randomized evaluations looking at how to improve employment outcomes for job seekers.

This brief summarizes the impact of a job search planning intervention on job search efficiency and employment among unemployed youth in South Africa. The planning intervention improved participants’ job search intensity and efficiency, leading to higher rates of employment.