LocationsThe jobs of the future are emerging – with youth on their path
August 12, 2024
Dasha Valevich is just one of many youth learning new skills for the future. Photo: UNDP Belarus
“Perhaps there was a time when these skills didn’t matter, but nowadays they are necessary.”-28-year-old Radmila Lalović, a young law school graduate from Novi Sad, Serbia
In a world driven by skills and technology, access to quality education and training can lift people out of poverty and pave the way to success. Conversely, its absence deepens societal inequalities, preventing some from reaching their full potential.
In 2023, the global level of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) was 21.7 per cent, a notable decrease from 23.8 percent in 2020. This is a good sign.
In Europe and Central Asia. NEET rates vary significantly from around 30 percent in Armenia, Albania, Georgia, Türkiye and Bosnia and Herzegovina to less than 10 percent in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Gender difference are not that significant in majority of locations, but very pronounced in some countries, like Türkiye, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia, where young women are a third or double more likely to be not in school, jobs or training.
This spring, UNDP in Belarus released a study on the professions and skills that will be in demand over the next decade. Most will require digital skills and the ability to quickly adapt to new technologies.
Dasha Valevich, a second-year student in mechanical engineering in Belarus. Photo: UNDP Belarus
A new market in Belarus
Manufacturing automation is rapidly reshaping the job market in Belarus, reducing the need for manual labor and placing a stronger emphasis on intellectual and technical tasks.
Mechatronics engineering, which integrates skills of control systems programmers, machine operators, mechanical fitters and electricians, is sought-after by local enterprises. It is taught at seven vocational education institutions in the country, the first being the College of Modern Technologies.
For Dasha Valevich, a second-year student, this education path was not an accident. Her father and brother once graduated from the same college.
“I have always enjoyed studying blueprints and diagrams, working with equipment,” she explains. “I liked fixing things, assembling and disassembling them.”
Rapid technological advancements leave room for Dasha’s continuous skill enhancement. She also values the opportunity to further her education while gaining practical experience.
“I will definitely work in my field after graduation,” she says. “Following two years of mandatory employment at a plant, I plan to continue working in manufacturing. Alongside my job, I will pursue higher education to take on more complex tasks and eventually move into leadership roles.
However, Dasha has also encountered the obstacles women often face in the tech industry. “When we visited different companies, I was surprised by the fact that some of them don’t hire women for technical jobs. They are okay with women working in logistics or office roles, but not in production.”
According to STEM4ALL, only 20.3 percent of women students in Belarus study engineering, manufacturing and construction. In Dasha's group of 27, there are eight women, which is a rare sight in this technical field.
But automation could reduce the need for physical strength, potentially eliminating one of the main barriers that women face in technical roles.
Saidmakhmud and Jakhongir run an IT center established by the Ministry of Economy and Finance with the support from UNDP. Photo: UNDP Uzbekistan
18-year-old Marjona has a fiery passion for computer engineering and artificial intelligence. Photo: UNDP Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan's hub for the future
In the small town of Chorshanbe, in south Uzbekistan, young visionaries Saidmakhmud Saiakhmadov and Jakhongir Bemuradov were determined to spark a technological revolution. United by a common passion for spreading IT knowledge and digital skills, they successfully ran the first IT education center in one district, and are now running an hub for learning and innovation.
The first cohort of students learned programming, software development and graphic design, and Saidmakhmud and Jakhongir ensured the students had access to the latest technology, mentors and a supportive learning environment. Realizing that most of the world knowledge needed for a successful IT specialist is in English, they developed an English for IT course, which is very popular.
The IT center, established by the Ministry of Economy and Finance with the support from UNDP, offers new possibilities for the youth in their community – over 120 students so far. They are eager to acquire the digital skills that will shape their future. Among the students drawn to the IT center was Marjona, an 18-year-old with a passion for computer engineering and artificial intelligence.
18-year-old Marjona Uralova, inspired by the knowledge and guidance she receives at the IT center, envisions a future where Uzbekistan would rank among the most technologically advanced countries globally.
Marjona's dreams echo those of her mentors, Saidmakhmud and Jakhongir, who saw the potential for Chorshanbe to become a hub of innovation and progress.
Antenisa helps her neighbors. Photos: UNDP Albania
Digital can break barriers in Albania
Roma in the Western Balkans have faced more barriers to employment than other youth in the region. Our 2017 UNDP Roma Survey found the rate of Roma not in education, employment or training as high as 73-86 percent; the rate among Romani women can rise as high as 93 percent. Digital skills are part of an integrated solution addressing Roma youth unemployment.
In Albania, digital transformation is rapidly moving more government services online, widening the digital gap for vulnerable returnees in rural communities. Teaching digital skills can help bridge this gap and contribute to intergenerational care. As part of the EU-UNDP Reintegration of Roma returnees project, in partnership with the Albanian National Agency for Employment and Skills, almost 200 young Roma & Egyptians have gone through the program, and many are now helping elderly and people living in rural areas access e-Albania and receive public services. Through this inclusive approach, two goals are accomplished simultaneously: youth gain relevant skills and are more employable, and vulnerable groups improve their digital access.
Thanks to what she learned during the IT course, Antenisa Sharra is now a very important person in her village. “Every day, men and women come to me to ask for help to access electronic public services through E-Albania,” Antenisa says proudly. “I feel very good, as I can also give a little help to the residents of my neighbourhood.”
With access to digital training, Roma youth gain valuable skills – whether digital marketing, coding or data analysis - which not only enhance Roma youth employability but also empower them to participate fully in the digital economy and today’s societies.
Radmila Lalović, young law school graduate from Novi Sad. Photo: UNDP Serbia / Momira Marković
Finding a place in Serbia's labour market
Around the region, UNDP is partnering with schools, youth centres and other organizations to help young people be prepared for the next generation of opportunities.
For the current young generation, competition is greater than ever, and formal education is increasingly less able to meet the employers’ needs.
For example, 28-year-old Radmila Lalović, a young law school graduate from Novi Sad, Serbia, faced limited job offers.
“I realized the degree is just not enough any longer. There are many law school graduates, and not enough adequate jobs out there. So, I started additional training and development at the university, aware that this is the only way to go. Now I turned to training that is highly relevant in the times we live in and enrolled in an IT skills course and a soft skills course. Perhaps there was a time when these skills didn’t matter, but nowadays they are necessary.”
The European Youth Centre of Vojvodina, for example, recognized the problem Radmila and her peers are facing and are now offering select courses to help them in the labour market. Youth acquire basic knowledge from the technologies that are in highest demand in the IT sector, such as WordPress, HTML and CSS, Bootstrap, PHP and MySQL, SCRUM and SCRUM master, QA software testing, and a DevOps course.
Although they lack all necessary knowledge, employers sometimes neglect a very important quality young people do possess. “Employers miss out on recognising young people’s enthusiasm. They try to fit them into some recognisable patterns, instead of using the energy and ideas young people carry with them”, Radmila says and adds that the support she has received makes her feel more confident to seize the future she wants.
Elene Letodiani and Liza Tskipurishvili, two students of vocational training. Photo: UNDP Georgia /Nino Zedginidze
Bringing work opportunities to Georgia's education system
In Georgia, where unemployment averages 14 percent and exceeds 20 percent in some regions, public and private employers often cite a lack of professional skills as a major hiring obstacle. Youth unemployment is particularly high, ranging from 28-50 percent for people aged 15 to 29.
School-based vocational training integrated into secondary school curricula can effectively address these gaps, building a knowledge ecosystem where schools supply eager-to-learn students and colleges are better able to offer vocational training that is tailor-made for the local labour market.
UNDP and Switzerland have been working for nearly a decade to help Georgia's educational system rethink outdated approaches to vocational training by bringing together colleges, schools and local employers. After the 2017 pilot's success, Georgia’s Ministry of Education and Science expanded the programme to 259 schools and 32 public and private colleges nationwide, benefiting up to 10,000 students in the 8th and 9th grades.
"It's the 21st century! Everyone should have at least some understanding of technology. After all, we live in a digital age," says 16-year-old Elene Letodiani from the highlands of Georgia, a successful graduate of the digital technology course now available at her public school.
That vocational education is not just limited to digital skills.
Liza Tskipurishvili’s home municipality, Tkibuli, has been known for coal mining for over 150 years. Mines sustained the local economy but also threatened human lives and health, causing widespread environmental damage. With the demand for coal decreasing, mines dwindling and new opportunities emerging across the country, the 'miners’ city' is striving to find its place in Georgia’s growing economy and offer reliable career prospects to the younger generation. Diversified vocational training focused on agriculture, construction, and technology can help the region overcome its mining past and open doors to new development areas.
“We learned new skills, like planting, watering and soil testing,” Liza explains. “Working with the soil is an incredible experience, especially when you know the theory and understand what you are doing! I was proud to work in a greenhouse and grow plants.”
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Access to quality education and the development of technical and professional skills for young people are crucial for opportunities in these shifting economies. The vocational education system plays a key role in enabling young people to enter the labor market more swiftly. It also helps them to continually enhance their qualifications through on-the-job training.
The future (and future of work) demands digital fluency and constantly evolving skills, and those without them risk finding themselves on the wrong side of a widening gap.
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