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Situation
Identifying skills and closing the gap requires all of us to act together #itstime
A young person today has many challenges in front of them, including, access to upskilling, education and the opportunity to be both prepared and part of the workforce of the future. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the learning environment and a young person's ability to develop relevant sets of skills to support their pathway to employability.
During the pandemic, globally nearly one quarter of youth aged 18-24 stopped working¹. In Brazil, according to Atlas das Juventudes, 27.1% of young people aged 18-24 are unemployed². Young people (aged 15-24) are three times as likely as adults to be unemployed³. On top of this, between 20-40% of the jobs currently held by 16-24 year olds are at risk of automation by the mid-2030s⁴. PwC Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2022 echoes this finding that 38% of Gen Z employees ages 18-25 say they are concerned that technology will replace their jobs⁵.
The global community is facing a critical issue of youth unemployment which, if left unaddressed, will impact future economic and social stability. Identifying skills and keeping pace is not easy and requires many parts of society to convene and work together to address the barriers. Outlined in ‘Reaching YES: Addressing the youth employment and skilling challenge’ published by PwC and UNICEF, in support of Generation Unlimited is the necessary and urgent role of governments and corporates coming together to identify the skills opportunity gaps.
In 2021, PwC Brazil launched a new corporate volunteer programme, Access Your Potential (AYP), with an aim to upskill young people aged 16-26, from across the country. AYP runs twice a year, under which 200 young mentees are mentored by 200 PwC Brazil people (volunteers / mentors) over an eight week period. The focus of the programme is on providing a digitally inclusive platform to upskill the next generation so that they are better prepared to enter the current dynamic, demanding and technical labour market. The initiative is part of PwC’s global programme, New world. New skills, that is underpinned by the belief that everyone should be able to live, learn, work and participate in the digital world.
"AYP's objective and challenge is to work with these young people, seeking to develop the digital skills needed to enter the labour market. Therefore, digital is our central focus when it comes to volunteering"
Experience
Sharing what we have more to give to those who need it most #bethesolution
Since the launch of Access Your Potential in 2021, PwC Brazil has already run two eight week programmes and is currently starting the third, which will reach an additional 200 young Brazilians. To deliver these programmes, PwC Brazil joined forces with an educational institution who made nano courses available to students during the programme. Students apply through multiple channels such as social media, website, press and stakeholder networks. Applicants must be aged 16-26 to apply and meet a criteria of social vulnerability and total family income.
During the two months a cohort of 200 students receive:
1:1 mentoring with a PwC Brazil professional
Online training through nano courses
Exclusive webinars on topics such as professional development, time management, personal marketing, financial education, leadership and storytelling
An immersive hackathon held towards the end of the eight weeks that challenges the students to put into practice what they have learned
The mentoring dynamic consists of conversations and guidance on topics such as self-knowledge, career guidance, education and professions, technical and behavioral skills, personal marketing, preparation for interviews, networking, time management, mental and physical health and financial intelligence. PwC Brazil volunteer mentors also go through training prior to being matched with a mentee to ensure they have the right tools and support to make the experience positive.
The online training and nano courses focus on building digital skills such as technological solutions, leadership and skills development, design thinking and data analysis. These courses are delivered virtually and the webinars are hosted by PwC Brazil and deliver content to the students that is focussed on upskilling in soft and hard skills.
At the end of the program, a group of young people will be able to access scholarships to continue their learning with the educational institute PwC Brazil has partnered with on the programme.
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Impact
Helping youth on their pathway to employability and becoming inclusive citizens #togetherwesolve
Since the launch in 2021 PwC Brazil has delivered this programme to 400 young people across the country of which 55% participation is by female students. The programme has also delivered:
35 scholarships that included a 12 month subscription to access more nano courses with the educational institution
4,000 mentoring hours given by PwC Brazil volunteers
28 young people who have participated in the programme have gone on to be hired by PwC Brazil
104 young people registered in PwC Brazil’s exclusive talent bank for future opportunities
“For me it was a privilege to help a young man at the beginning of his career, even more so in such a difficult time that we live. This exchange of experience was, without a doubt, beneficial for me as well because seeing Caio's dedication motivated me to continue developing and specializing myself more and more”.
“My mentor is Victor and it's been amazing to be with him. We've already become personal friends. He gives me a lot of advice on what I should do to succeed in the tech market, which is an area that I am very interested in”.
¹International Labour Organisation, 2020. Youth and Covid-19, Impacts on the jobs, education, rights and mental well-being Survey Report 2020.
²Atlas das Juventudes 2020 website.
³ILO, 2020. Global Employment Trends for Youth 2020: Technology and the future of jobs
⁴PwC UK. 2018. Will Robots really steal our jobs.
⁵PwC Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2022.
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Colm Kelly
Global Corporate Sustainability Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited
Global Corporate Sustainability Managing Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited