Special edition: Are jobs for youth development's silver bullet?

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Are jobs for youth development's silver bullet?"

This Week in Global Development | Devex | August 12, 2026
Host: Kate Warren (Devex)
Guests: Christina Sass (International Youth Foundation), Asha Varghese (Caterpillar Foundation)

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Overview

This special International Youth Day episode explores one of global development’s defining economic challenges: youth employment. Host Kate Warren is joined by Christina Sass, President and CEO of the International Youth Foundation (IYF), and Asha Varghese, President of the Caterpillar Foundation. Together, they unpack why robust youth employment is more than just a social good—it's a macroeconomic imperative. The discussion focuses on what it takes to bridge the gap between education and the workforce, the impact of long-term partnerships, and tangible pathways for lasting change at scale.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Scale and Urgency of Youth Unemployment

• Magnitude of the Problem:
  • Globally, 65 million young people are not working but should be. That number triples if you count those out of both training and schooling.
    • “That is just a break in the global labor market.” – Christina Sass [03:06]
• Lack of Clear Accountability:
  • There's ambiguity over whether government, employers, or schools are responsible for solving youth unemployment.
• Implications:
  • Missed transitions from education to employment lead to underutilized potential and persistent underemployment—a loss for both individuals and broader society.

The Ripple Effect of First Jobs

• Beyond the Individual:
  • A young person’s first formal job impacts families, communities, and local economies through income, stability, role modeling, and community engagement.
    • “The first formal job is rarely just about that individual ... it often creates the confidence and the stability and a sense of pride, purpose, and direction.” – Asha Varghese [06:09]
• Jobs as Development:
  • Quality employment instills not only income, but also boosts confidence, agency, and resilience, which can be transformational for communities.

EquipYouth Partnership: What Makes It Work

• Long-term, Adaptive Partnership:
  • Running since 2007, EquipYouth targets youth employment in manufacturing and beyond, spanning 65,000 participants across 10+ countries.
• Employer-Driven Training:
  • Programs start with identifying local labor market needs, not with the training itself, ensuring relevance and actual job opportunities.
    • “One of the biggest missteps ... is starting with the training itself instead of starting with the jobs.” – Asha Varghese [12:04]
• Evolving With Industry:
  • EquipYouth adapts to sector changes, e.g., logistics in Brazil, AI/advanced manufacturing in Mexico.

Preparing Youth for an AI-driven Future

• Current Youth Sentiment:
  • Young people report anxiety and existential dread regarding AI and future work.
    • “It is a tense time for global youth.” – Christina Sass [15:09]
• Addressing the Fear:
  • Exposure and familiarity with AI as a tool and integrating life skills like adaptability and conflict management to build agency.
    • "AI is a tool like any other tool, and it's a muscle that you're never going to be rid of. So let's go in there and really get familiar with it." – Christina Sass [15:48]
• Industry’s Role:
  • Employers must “show up” earlier—in middle and high schools—to raise awareness, demystify career paths, and help design curricula that match market needs.
    • “Our goal ... is really, how do you demystify that for young people as they're looking at their future careers?” – Asha Varghese [19:13]

The Power of Life & Socio-Emotional Skills

• Distinctive Impact:
  • Integrating human skills with technical training dramatically increases success rates for youth entering the workforce.
    • “When we combine [technical and life skills], it’s not even close ... outcomes are so much better.” – Christina Sass [23:13]
• Skills in Demand:
  • Soft skills (e.g., communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability) are vital; “nothing will replace that for a person entering the workforce.” – Asha Varghese [21:45]

Measuring Success

• Top Metrics:
  • The North Star: Movement from non-employment to employment.
  • Other wins: Program graduation, continuation to further education, entrepreneurial ventures, and satisfaction from both employers and youth.
    • “Ultimately, we want to see not employed to employed, but we’re also tracking, do you graduate with marketable skills.” – Christina Sass [26:03]

Achieving Impact at Scale—The Case for Long-Term Partnerships

• Why Longevity Matters:
  • Real systemic change—economic empowerment and resilient ecosystems—demands patience and multi-year, trust-based collaboration.
    • “Some of the most meaningful work ... doesn’t happen over a two to three-year cycle.” – Asha Varghese [28:12]
• Beyond "Writing Checks":
  • Corporate philanthropy is most effective when built around co-learning, co-design, and iterative scaling, not one-off grants or splashy pilots.

The Ecosystem Approach

• Systemic Change Needs Collaboration:
  • Progress accelerates when training, employers, families, government, and community organizations are connected.
    • “Lasting change happens through ecosystems and not isolated programs.” – Asha Varghese [35:10]
• Team Sport, Not Solo Sprint:
  • No single organization or funder can “fix” the youth employment system.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There is no development tool as good as a job, period.” – Christina Sass [07:51]
• “When a young person succeeds, it’s not just about their own success. It’s really about that investment they’re making back in the community.” – Asha Varghese [06:54]
• “Real progress at scale doesn’t come from short-term initiatives, but from long-term partnerships that continue learning and adapting.” – Kate Warren [00:45 paraphrased]
• “If you want systems-wide change, it isn’t going to happen overnight, it’s not going to happen in one-year funding cycles.” – Christina Sass [38:29]

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Important Timestamps

• [03:06] Christina highlights the scope and systemic nature of the youth unemployment crisis.
• [06:09] Asha explains the wider impact of youth employment on families and communities.
• [09:14] Christina describes the scope and evolution of the EquipYouth partnership.
• [12:04] Asha discusses the critical need for employer-driven workforce programs.
• [15:09] Christina shares youth anxiety about AI and strategies for building agency.
• [19:13] Asha on demystifying the modern workforce and involving employers earlier.
• [23:13] Christina explains why life skills and technical skills must be blended.
• [26:03] Metrics for successful youth employment programs.
• [28:12] Asha on why sustained, long-term partnerships yield deeper, systemic change.
• [35:10] Asha’s advice for building systemic youth employment solutions: think ecosystem, not isolated program.

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Final Reflections

The episode makes a compelling case for seeing youth employment not just as an economic opportunity, but as the backbone of sustainable development and resilient societies. Achieving real change requires collaborative, adaptive, and long-term partnerships that bridge industry and education, cultivate both technical and socio-emotional skills, and hold themselves accountable to tangible outcomes.

For funders, development professionals, and policymakers: the path forward is not isolated pilot projects, but nurturing interconnected ecosystems—and recognizing that job creation is the ultimate ‘silver bullet’ for youth development.

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Transcript

[A]

Hello everyone. I'm Kate Warren, executive Vice President and executive Editor at devex. And welcome to this special edition podcast in partnership with the International Youth foundation and Caterpillar Foundation. And in honor of International Youth Day, we're talking about one of the defining economic challenges of our time, and that's youth employment. Around the world, hundreds of millions of young people are entering the workforce just as economies are being reshaped by AI automation, demographic change and shifting labor markets. At the same time, employers across industries say they're struggling to find the talent they need. And so the question isn't really just how we create more jobs, it's how we help young people build the skills as well as the confidence and the pathways to actually access them. So today we're going to explore this question, but also another one. And that is, what does it take to make real progress at scale? Because while there's no shortage of pilot projects or special short term initiatives, lasting change often comes from long term partnerships that continue learning and adapting and investing over time. So joining me today are two people who have been thinking about exactly these questions through a partnership that's now approaching two decades, which we'll learn more about. But first, I'm delighted to welcome Christina Sass, who is the president and CEO of the International Youth Foundation. Christina has spent her career creating pathways to opportunity for young people, from co founding Endela and helping build one of the world's largest talent marketplaces for technologists to now leading IYS work helping young people around the world transition into meaningful employment. And we're also joined by Asha Varghese, who is president of the Caterpillar foundation and head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Caterpillar. Asha leads the company's global social impact strategy with a focus on helping people build the skills they need to thrive in today's workforce, as well as supporting resilient communities from around the world. So, so Asha, Christina, thank you so much for joining us.

[B]

Thank you. It's exciting to be here.

[A]

My wife. So, Christina, yeah. I want to start with you kind of looking at big picture International Youth Day, and we often hear a lot about youth empowerment, but the reality is we're facing persistent youth unemployment. Also, at the same time, employers are talking about major skill shortages. So I'd love to understand why fixing this transition from education into employment, really building a robust entry level career pipeline isn't just good for young people, but why it's such an important macroeconomic issue that really everyone should care about.

[B]

Thank you, Kate. Yes, we often cite that there's about 65 million young people that should be in work that are not. And that number about triples. If you look at, you know, school age, upper school age that are not in any kind of training or employment or school. And that is just a break in the global labor market. Um, it affects some areas more than others, but it's also a problem where we don't have clear accountability. It is not clearly the government's responsibility or employer's responsibility or the school system's responsibility, but the, the, you know, the, the more you have the challenge of resources, particularly at the school level, the greater that gap is going to become. And so we have to get in there. And this causes huge challenges at the, you know, GDP level, but particularly for the unlocking of potential of young people. If you miss those key transition areas, they are often underemployed and kind of never catch up to, to their potential. And that is a huge loss for society at large. But particularly for those young people, employers, large scale employers, desperately need and want that talent. And, and so the jobs are available. It is the missing links between what are those jobs? How can we really help the school system move at the speed of industry and adjust to those changes? And it's a, you know, it's a, definitely a big, a big challenge. It's part of why we are so thrilled with our long term partnership with the Caterpillar Foundation. We have had the opportunity to work at, and chip away at this for years and really learn what works and deploy those learnings and shift and change as the background shifts and change, which it does for young people all the time. I'm sure we'll get into this. But from the global financial crisis to Covid to rapid demographic changes and now AI it is long term partnerships that are going to figure out how we can get all of those pieces to work together. Better to get young people into positions that can unlock their potential and give the talent to large and growing industries that desperately need it.

[A]

Yeah, great. And I do want to get more into the partnership. But Asha, I'd love to get your perspective and some of the points that Christina made around the impact it can have on not just a young person finding a job, but just their overall economies. And Caterpillar foundations talked about the idea of jobs as development and could you talk a bit about what that means and what changes not just for that young person, but for families and communities, local economies, when someone lands that first quality job?

[C]

Yeah, no. Thank you for that, Kate. So, you know, I've had the opportunity to Meet young people in many of the communities where we work. And one of the things that I've learned is that the first formal job is rarely just about that individual. Right? It's about often what can change for their entire family. So the first job, obviously it creates income. But in many of the programs that we're working in, what we're seeing is that it often creates the confidence and the stability and a sense of pride, purpose, and direction that they need that they probably would not have had before. So suddenly, someone who may not have seen a clear path forward is planning a future. They're supporting their siblings, or they're building the skills that they need in order to grow over a lifetime. So that's with when the Caterpillar foundation, we talk about jobs as development is where we've seen that when a young person succeeds, it's not just about their own success. It's really about that investment that they're making back in the community. And many a times we'll get into this specifically for the IYF programs, but what we've seen is that these students end up becoming role models, mentors and business owners and community leaders. And that's what job as a development often means for us, is that this impact really goes beyond just a paycheck, and it really creates that ripple effect to what we call community resilience or that can be pulled across the generation. So for us, it's really about building that ecosystem and looking beyond just a person and a job and a paycheck.

[B]

Emphatic plus one there, if I can just underscore, the alignment here is so tight. There is just nothing to replace as a development tool. There is no development tool as good as a job, period. It's just that there's. It's the marketable skills that never leave you, right? Even if you have to change locations or whatever. Like, that is a thing that we can never take away from a young person. They've held that job, they have that skill. But also we don't want them to have to need clean water evacuation from wherever. We want them to afford it themselves. We want them to be able to pay for it themselves. So giving that skills, there's nothing like the confidence of I have the problem solving to be able to address what else is going on in my life, because I can, because I can afford to. And so it really is like the best development tool that we have. And we got to keep, like, reminding and bringing all the different pieces of the puzzle back to that, that, you know, kind of Core, core fact, yeah,

[A]

really is kind of a backbone of any other development. So I want to talk a little bit about your personal partnership. You know, so we talked about you have a, I think nearly 20 year partnership. Christina, maybe you can briefly explain what your equip youth partnership is and you know, what makes it different from other typical workforce development programs.

[B]

Yeah. So we've been partnering with, with Caterpillar foundation since 2007. It actually started in Peru, but. But now we have run employment in the manufacturing sector writ large. So we both equip youth offers both technical skills and life skills, kind of human skills to succeed in any job. And we have now worked with Caterpillar to deploy that with over 65,000 youth participants in Mexico, Peru, historically in China, in Indonesia, Palestine, Jordan, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and South Korea. So it is a robust partnership that really focuses on key manufacturing jobs. And that has changed over the years. What that looks like as manufacturing itself has changed, but it is really looking at what is, what are the core skills that are employable right now, working through local partners on the ground. Sometimes that's school systems, sometimes that is youth training providers that really know the local landscape and working directly with the Caterpillar team to understand, actually bringing in Caterpillar as a convener for everybody in the manufacturing sector to deeply understand what are those jobs, what are the skills that are most needed, that are most rare, what is being provided by the local school system and what's not. How do we properly diagnose that gap and then put training into the hands of young people that can help, you know, that entire, that entire sector succeed? And the goal of the program is employment itself, that young people get trained. When we first started in 2007, I was just reading all the grant paperwork yesterday, but the goal was 50% that transition into employment. And the program over time has well succeeded that and been well over 75% in most cases. And for folks in that 25%, most of them go on to do additional training. So really has been successful in multiple geographies, you know, over many years to move young people into the manufacturing sector.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, one thing that I think really stands out is that matching with kind of employer demand, right. Not training young people and then hoping the jobs exist. So, Asha, I'd love to hear kind of how you think about making sure the skills being taught actually reflect the local labor market needs and that you're preparing these young people for opportunities that actually are available locally. And I can imagine it's also challenging when maybe Those needs are rapidly changing. So maybe you can talk through how you think about that.

[C]

Yeah. So I'll just pick up on what Christina mentioned and described on Equip Youth and what you just mentioned, Kate, about sort of that labor market matching. So one of the biggest missteps that we see sometimes in the workforce development space is that starting with the training itself instead of starting with the jobs. So we talked about how we're kind of really bridging that gap. So our approach with the Capital foundation and IYF is really to kind of begin with that employer and that local industry. So the questions we're asking coming into a community is really, where are the talent gaps that we're seeing? What skills are actually needed and what opportunities are available today, and where is that market going? So we talked about how AI and automation are changing that landscape quite quickly. So it's really important for us to kind of make sure that we have set that stage to really understand that labor market and then work backwards from there. So in our partnerships, partnership with iyf, and specifically in Brazil and Mexico, in Brazil, it meant that working with the mining industry leaders in the state education systems to really understand what are the needs. And for us in that situation, it was really focused around logistics training. So how do you really strengthen the pipeline of the talent that's needed for logistics training because the jobs are available? In Mexico, it meant really updating manufacturing and technology pathways to really be able to reflect the growing role of AI and advanced manufacturing technologies in that space. So, all in all, that really helped result in being able to create the programs that are absolutely needed from an industry standpoint. So the goal really isn't to create another training program. It's to really build that clear connection on what students are learning and then the opportunity that's waiting for them when they graduate. And when that connection exists between young people, between industry, between nonprofits and the community, we really see that impact happen at that local level.

[A]

So, yeah, Christina, I'd love to get your take on Asha's point about the world of work is rapidly changing. I think AI is front and center for many people. I. I have a son who's about to start his sophomore year in college and a lot of anxiety about what AI is going to mean for future jobs. So a lot of uncertainty, but also a lot of opportunity that can come with it. So I'd love to hear what are young people telling IYF they need most right now to stay competitive? And particularly in the context of this AI revolution, that's upon us.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, it is a tense time for global youth. It's a particularly tense time. I think there is a lot of just existential dread. We hear from young people that things like what are the effects of climate change or what are the effects of AI going to be? And really the missing piece that we are trying to accomplish with, with combining technical skills and life skills is any amount of youth agency. It massively changes for young people when they feel that they can do something about it, that they can have some effect on, on that thing either by like rallying their community or receiving a paycheck so that they can do, you know, something on the side. And so we are hearing, you know, just a tremendous time of anxiety. And what does all of this mean? And so we're going back to again, AI is a tool like any other tool, and it's a muscle that you're never going to be rid of. So let's go in there and let's really get familiar with it. How can this thing serve you? How can this thing connect you to more opportunities? Also we really need teachers and whole school systems as allies in this too. So, you know, really talking with them on how we. This can be, you know, a tool to, to help unlock. But yes, we do see a consistent amount of. This is all really scary. What does it mean? And when we see young people shift, you know, we were just talking about the power of a good job, actually. So many things that we care about massively move upward in a way that we want when young people get into that job. So all health indicators, but mental health indicators, like you need to be in a system where you have that, those services available to you. Just the purpose of going to a job every day. That agency now I have, I know I can do something about this big, you know, existential threat. So that's what we're hearing. And then we hear the. In our, in our kind of classic life skills methodology, it's called Passport to Success. Some of the things that get highest ranked over and over and over again are managing conflict, managing transitions, managing complex emotions. We have to look at young people in that part of time, in their life, not as an empty vessel. They are a very complicated vessel inheriting a very complicated world. And so we meet them where they are and then say, here's how these life skills and technical skills can help you unlock whatever your ultimate, you know, dream or, or purpose is. And here's how you can do tangible things to positively affect the things that you care about today. But it's definitely a complicated world, which is why we feel the urgency to, like, get out there and be doing this. And I, you know, I really, I love our partnership with Caterpillar so much. And as you noted, it is like, because it's a complicated time, because it's a scary time. We can't waste young people's time with training that doesn't result in anything like that. Is, you know, it's, it's. We really have to respect their, their time and give them skills that are immediately relevant and employable. We know that that serves them, so, you know, that's really the focus. But we're, you know, it's a complicated time and we got to get out there and respond.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, I think we talk a lot about, in development, you know, resilience and building resilient communities that can weather what may come when we have so many unpredictable forces. And makes me think that really building that resilience in individuals too is, Is just as important. Asha, I'd love to hear, you know, what you're hearing from industry and employers about the skills they're looking for and how they're thinking about whether it's climate or AI and that potentially shifting kind of what they need in their workforce.

[C]

Yeah, I'll definitely echo Christina's comment about sort of a complex environment that we're in today. And our goal, from what we have seen and heard, is really, how do you demystify that for young people as they're looking at their future careers? So one thing that we're constantly, consistently hearing from young people is they want more visibility into what does a career really look like today, but also the progression of that career into the future. So I think this fear of sort of AI and automation, and especially when you look at an industry like ours with Caterpillar, it's constantly changing and it's changing the workforce, and they're not always sure what that means for their future and how they prepare for it. So some of the research that we did on our own in 2023 found that awareness is one of that biggest barriers. So many students, they're not just not exposed to the wide range of opportunities that exist today in manufacturing, technology and STEM field. So how do we really educate them through, not just through representation as well, but also experiential training to be able to show that this is truly an opportunity that actually exists, and then how do we really showcase that pathway that they possibly can't imagine on their own? So that's one of the things that we're seeing is that the conversation really needs to start early. So rather than employers really waiting for talent to just appear, how do you really focus on educating and empowering students in middle school and in high school, which are those critical moments where these young people are starting to think about who they want to become and what kind of job really excites them. So we say industry has a role to play in this case and that we really need to partner with educators, career counselors, nonprofit organizations and communities to really help shape that pathway, especially in this day and age of that evolution that we're seeing with AI and automation. Which is why the partnership with IYF as we're looking at Equip Youth is really about building that ecosystem to ensure that we are giving them that awareness. We're bringing employers to the table so they can learn about the jobs that are available, and then we're crafting and curating the curriculum to adapt to that. So it's really strengthening that ecosystem that we need in order to put a young person through that pathway, which starts with eliminating the barriers to awareness, to then having them see what that career progression looks like in this ever changing workforce space that we're all in today. So from an employer perspective, it is being that active player and showing up in that community, which is why it works with IYF on the equipu's program. And I'll just reiterate that one point about the soft skills, which is so important. No technology is going to replace that for a person entering into the workspace. So how do you really equip the youth with that soft skills or the, we call them enterprise skills or power skills that they really need to thrive in the workspace of today.

[A]

Yeah. And you know, I think that soft skills point is so important. And Christina, you know, you talked about that you're not just teaching technical skills and training, but there's a strong focus on these life skills and socio emotional skills. You know, can you talk about what kind of difference that makes in helping prepare someone to really successfully make the leap into their first job and early career?

[B]

Yeah, for us it's, it's pretty fundamental. So we've done, in IYF's long history, we've separated them out. Right. We've done sort of life skills and then let's just do technical training. It is not, it doesn't even hold, like you can't even compare it the success rate to when we combine them. So the, you know, inside the classroom or whatever training material, we really start with it's a complicated time for young people, as we just noted. What's going on for you? Why do you want to engage in this training? What are the needs? What's happening for you at home, out of school, the communities that we most want to affect. There's a lot going on there, there is trauma, there's a lack of other resources and things. So we start from that point that it is, it's complicated and we have to allow a really safe space to talk about those things in order to open them up. To what might that career path be? How is this particular next step in my career path gonna help me unlock my ultimate goals and dreams or the immediate needs of my family? Right. Connecting the dots. And so success rates, outcomes are so much better when we combine the two. And it's literally in every lesson there is some component of just life and human skills and some component of the technical skills needed. So it's not even just layering them, it's truly blending them. And, and it's if you think about any complex time in, in, you know, your career, but if we think about what happens, you know, at Caterpillar on a day to day basis, like the most valued employees are going to come when there's like a big challenge, right? When something breaks, when there are, you know, crazy weather patterns, whatever it is. And what's going to come into play in that moment is like, how are you communicating about what's happening to whom? Who are your stakeholders, what are the emotions in the room? How are you managing that to be able to deploy your technical expertise? And so we really find that young people respond incredibly well, that the, the focus on life skills opens them up to other things. And when, when they get into the workforce, that is the differentiator, that's the differentiator for them to unlock the technical skills.

[A]

Yeah, I think anyone who's employed people would say that that is very true. You know, you talked about success rate and I'd love to learn a bit more about what success actually looks like. And you know, what are the metrics you're looking at? Is it the number of people trained, Employment outcomes? You know, what does successful workforce training program look like to you?

[B]

So the ultimate like North Star KPI is you go from not being employed to employed. So that is the number that we're constantly tracking. But we also, there are three other things that we would put in the win category. Like we're going to consider that a win. Ultimately we want to see not employed to employed, but we're Also tracking, do you get, do you graduate from the program with marketable skills that we know are immediately marketable? So we look at the graduation rate. We also count it as a win if you go to continuing education, if you carry on that training with even more, you know, expert training. And we also count it as a win if you take on something entrepreneurial that deploys the skills that you just learned. So, you know, top indicator is you actually got the job. We're also tracking, by the way, we'd love to track more of it, but we're also tracking is the employer happy? How employee? How happy is the employee? So I really view what we do as a dual sided marketplace. Is the young person happy and engaged and you know, excited about that job? Are the employers happy? And you know, needing, needing this talent, both sides. So it's that employability piece. But also, did you get other skills? Did you go back to school? Did you start your own entrepreneurial venture? Those are all things we would count as, you know, positive outcomes.

[A]

Yeah. So I want to talk a little bit about how to make real progress at scale and how long term partnerships like the one you have together is a critical component. And you know, often in corporate philanthropy or just even development programming in general, it can sometimes be driven by kind of the next new initiative or pilot, the thing that gets the splashly press release. But Caterpillar Foundation IYF have now been working for nearly 20 years, as you've said, Asha, I love to hear kind of why has staying the course mattered and what's the impact case and maybe even the business case for continuing to invest, iterate, build on what you've created every year versus trying something new.

[C]

Yeah. And honestly, some of the most meaningful work or change that we have seen doesn't happen over a two to three year cycle. As much as we would like to think that if you invest in a program, whether it's a year or two, and again it goes back to depending on what you're trying to measure. And for in our case at Caterpillar Foundations really focused around that community resilience and understanding. Did the investments we make or did the engagements we have truly have that economic empowerment or did it really move the needle? And that does not happen in a two to three year cycle. So. And I think we can all agree that workforce systems, they take time to build trust between organizations. They take time to build and real collaboration takes time to build. Take time to build. So I think that's what's been really beautiful about this engagement with IYF over the course of the two decades is really, we've both been at it together to see the evolution of what happens when you really invest in a community and stick with that community. Not only does it allow you to measure that long term impact, but it also helps you to evolve and really kind of build systems that last well after the original funding is gone. So what has kept us in that commitment is that continued learning with IYF and how we're adapting together and how we're scaling what works. So across all of the countries that Christina mentioned, what started in Peru to now looking across the multiple countries, it is really taking those best practices from each of those countries to be able to continue to evolve in this particular program. And we've really moved from supporting some of those individual programs to be able to strengthen that ecosystem. So that's what is really absolutely wonderful to see when you kind of look back in that 20 years to be able to showcase what Equip Youth has done and how it has reached 80,000 young people across 16 countries. Those numbers don't happen over a year or two year cycle. And that's what really we're learning as a corporate investor, as a corporate philanthropy, to really be patient as we go, but also knowing that investing in these solutions really can be sustainable and systemic and we'll really have that long term impact that we're looking for. So it really allows us to be able to see the shift that we're all looking to make in a community and to see that long term impact.

[A]

Yeah, I love how you are talking about it as an investment and I think often NGOs can see philanthropy or corporate philanthropy as being able to just write some checks. Right. And this is much more than that. This is a real partnership where you're also bringing expertise to the table. So Christina, I'd love to hear from kind of your nonprofit side, you know, what makes a corporate NGO partnership successful and you know, what do you get out of this partnership beyond just the funding to do the work you're doing, but the additional industry knowledge, expertise that comes along with it.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I would say that that is exactly right, Kate. For us, in order to serve young people, we must partner with large scale employers. That partnership is a strategy, it is a strategic strategy to, to what is going to be effective. Right. How are we informing ourselves of the things that are most, most needed by, by employers and looking at how can we achieve that in the school day? Like we have to be a good partner to that industry and that is doing good in the world. That is, we feel that that is a responsible thing to do for young people as opposed to a training that results only in a certificate that is hugely disconnected from, from the job market. So like that's our job is to stay closely intertwined. And I would say, you know, if you look at the equip youth partnership, if we were running in a one to two year cycle, I don't know that we would have had any successful outcomes. Like you have to build up the trust, you have to learn together, certainly through major shifts in the background. But, but it takes, if you are, it depends on the problem you're trying to solve. In the case of youth employment, we started from this multiple complex systems, not one person being accountable. If you want to move the needle, Systems change is a trust building partnership, multi year, multi year exercise. And you have to approach it like that in order to, in order to be successful. So we feel like that is a, it is a strategy that is going to serve young people and going to serve, you know, and going to serve industry. So we really, you know, we look at it from that perspective. I would also say if you look at something like the skills required to service a, a Caterpillar machine, for example, if you look at what that looked like 20 years ago, right today that looks like the inside of a cockpit. It is a highly technical, you know, incredibly advanced machine. And so to put something out there for two years and then not iterate on it, right, not update it is just also not an effective strategy. We have to sharpen our skills. And that is my chief program officer Jorge says frequently schools are from Mars, businesses are from Venus. Really different languages, different speeds. If we want to have them have a closer connection, we have to like get in there and build that connective tissue and help all sides deeply understand, you know, understand the other one. So we really look at it as that long term partnership is what it's going to take to move the needle in, in youth employment. And yeah, are very grateful for, for partners that are in it with us for the long term.

[A]

Yeah, I mean it, if you're starting with a young person early as middle school and getting that, that requires time. So you know, many of our listeners, our leaders working in philanthropy, development, governments, private sector, you know, if they're thinking about how to create more systemic change around youth employment, you know, what would be the biggest lesson you've learned? You know, really moving away from these short term grants to long term investment that you would share with them? Asha, I'll start with You. Yeah.

[C]

I'll reiterate the point about the biggest lessons that we've learned is that lasting change happens through ecosystems and not isolated programs. So if we really want to see a young person succeed, we really have to think about everything that's surrounding them. Not just the training or the schools, but also the employers, the families, the community organizations, government partners, and the labor market itself. So if we're bringing all those elements together and start kind of designing programs where not just looking at one piece of that puzzle and expecting transformational results, I mean, it's absolutely possible to just fund a small piece of it, but then we cannot expect that transformational result we're looking for. So what we have learned is that with our collaboration with IYF is that the progress really accelerates when all those pieces are connected. And it doesn't always have to be one funder coming to the table and trying to solve it all. I honestly don't think that's even possible. Not one organization, not one company can truly solve an ecosystem or a systemic shift that we're looking to make. So how do we really bring together even co funding, co financing opportunities, but also the stakeholders at that local level to be able to build some of these solutions. So to me, it's in that one, it's in that long term investment that really gives you the opportunity to build those connections and strengthen that over time. And then you're really creating systems that really continue to work in the long term well after that grant period is done. And that's, that's really one of the great examples that we see within our engagement with IYF is really to be able to. It's not just about Caterpillar foundation and iyf. It's really about bringing together other partners that can not just from a financing standpoint, but really kind of leverage their strengths. But we're building a much bigger puzzle as you're looking at the whole picture and not just being one piece of that. And so to me that's sort of the biggest lessons learned. But also probably my advice to folks as they're thinking about this is leverage each other, but also let's kind of build that together so it's not an isolated program and it really sustains well beyond that grant period.

[A]

Yeah, Christina, I'd love to hear your take.

[B]

Yeah, I have lots of similar, you know, similar kind of overarching takeaways. So, you know, we started out talking about like this, you know, a job is the best development tool we have. And I really do think that that is still quite misunderstood. 65 million young people out of work. Like our labor market is broken in lots of places. So I think we have to start at actually just seeing, seeing that clearly seeing that that is a systems wide problem, it is an ecosystem problem. It's going to require an ecosystem approach to, you know, to really fixing it and seeing the drain on, you know, multiple parts of society from that, from that, you know, big, big issue. The average high schooler in the United States spends 13 minutes with a career counselor in their entire high school career. Like we're not going to solve this with, you know, sort of our traditional methods. And so we really, you know, so I would just say seeing the problem clearly that we have to put effort in to get schools to move at the speed of industry, to get industry to put, you know, really put skin in the game to give time and effort and specifics, you know, so that we can train in it and really think from that, that you know, know, systems wide level, if we want systems wide change, it isn't going to happen overnight, it's not going to happen in one year funding cycles. So what are the real strategies that can help us longer term and emphatic plus one to asha? Like this is a team sport and it's a marathon. It is all of those things. But we have lots and lots of players. We have lots of wisdom from, from the years that we've, you know, been in partnership together. So that learning together, that adapting together is, you know, is absolutely, very, very possible. But it does take long, long term partnership. And if you look at for example, AI right now, we are, what we are doing, what we are able to do with Caterpillar is learn together. We don't want to, you know, have them go off and develop a five year strategy and then five years behind that we're in the school system. No, what, what are your, you know, know, what are the people on the ground in manufacturing needing right now and how can we start to try that right now? That relationship, that learning together is going to allow us to serve young people and serve growing industries, you know, as we, as we evolve and change and adapt to these major changes. So yeah, those are some of the lessons learned.

[A]

Great. Well, I think you have both really made the case as to why quality employment and jobs really is the building block of development. And whether you are a young person or a parent or grandparent to a young person or just somebody who cares about development and lives in this world, you should really care about meaningful youth employment. And I love the examples you brought about how we can make meaningful progress. It's not on any one entity to solve, but through partnership and long term strategic investment, you can really make meaningful wins. So thank you both so much for your time today and thank you to iyf, the Caterpillar foundation for supporting this special edition episode so that we could really shine a spotlight on this critical issue, but also critical and important opportunity.

[B]

Thank you so much, Kate. And thank you, Asha.