Youth Employability – November 16 2023

Learnio: Embarking on the journey to digital employment

Knowing how to use a computer to find information and communicate is one thing – building a digital services career is the next level. Digital skills trainings provided by Learnio Social Enterprise in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages are becoming a cornerstone of the Digital Villages programme. The training, started in Benin, is now being implemented in Zimbabwe, Mali, and Niger, supporting young people on their way to employment. 

"Our main objective is the socio-professional integration of these young people, it is to make them truly employable", says Ali Idrissa, National Coordinator for Alternative Care with SOS Children's Villages Niger. 20 participants from Alternative Care and the Family Strengthening Programme have started the training in September in 2023 with more to come in 2024.  

The poor access of young people to quality digital training, motivated SOS Children's Villages Mali to pick up the Learnio programme. "The only training centres available are private cyber cafés", describes Pascal Touré, Programme Development Manager, the situation. "Not only are these cafés unsuitable or learning, but also too expensive." Paid by the project's operating budget, 60 young people, including 30 girls, are targeted for the first training. 