International Youth Day: The skills that Latin American youth must incorporate to achieve the economic recovery in the region

By Cristina Palmaka, President, SAP Latin America & the Caribbean
Leo Martellotto, Chief Development Officer, JA Worldwide

August 12, 2021

Today, as we celebrate International Youth Day, it is more important than ever to take advantage of young talent in LATAM and encourage them to keep learning and dare to do more!

In Latin America, we have the enormous challenge of working for the economic recovery of the region. Our contribution focuses on developing the skills that young people need for the labor market.

In this context, how can we contribute to the economic recovery of our region through education? Why is it important to innovate in the education sector to prepare youth for the future of work?

Youth employment and economic inequality are two of the most pressing challenges facing the region today. Nearly 30 million young people are neither attending school nor seeking employment, of which two-thirds are women. Additionally, 50% of companies in the region struggle to find skilled labor.

Some predictions indicate that nearly 45% of current jobs are at risk of automation. That means the biggest opportunities for young people are in the STEM field as part of the “knowledge economy” — an economic framework in which the creation, application, and dissemination of knowledge generate prosperity.

Together with JA Americas and ManpowerGroup, we asked more than 3,000 young people between 18 and 29 years old in 14 countries of the LATAM region:

• Have they had difficulties finding a job in the last 12 months?

• Why do they think they were not hired?

Of the young people interviewed, 80% said they had difficulties finding a job in the last 12 months and more than half were not hired because of a lack of experience.

Although there is a similarity between what young people look for and what companies are offering, there is a gap.

What young people can do

• Adapt to opportunities and to make a career in the organizations.

• Get experience before ending their technical or professional careers.

• Take additional courses to improve employability, such as English and soft skills, such as communication, leadership, and decision-making.

What companies can do

• Promote alternative models of work.

• Strengthen labor inclusion.

• Training young people without experience on soft skills.

• Invest in the development of young people.

What the social sector can do

• Promote learning through experiences (to learn through projects).

• Keep promoting the importance of developing a real Culture of Work.

• Activate civil society works focusing on the fact that crisis becomes a positive situation capable of bringing more social justice.

SAP’s education initiatives help people reach the relevant skills to thrive and secure decent, meaningful work in a digital world. In 2020, our digital skills and coding programs trained 117,000 teachers, engaged 2.3 million young people, and spanned 113 countries.

Here’s one example: Ivana Pimentel, a 17-year-old student, was inspired by her participation in a Latin Code Week program, where she was part of the winning team from Venezuela.

Today, Ivana studies medicine, and she is the Regional Head in an organization about STEM called The Dynamics in the Interchange Community, which is dedicated to informing about scholarships internationally. She is also part of REDIELUZ (Student Research Network of the University of Zulia), where she is organizing a prototype of scientific research on the metabolic effect of vitamin D in patients with gastric bypass. As a hobby, Ivana has a blog with more than 3,000 followers where she promotes reading and writing skills.

Latin Code Week is a high-impact program that seeks to consolidate thousands of young Latin Americans as the workforce of the future.

This year, the program—co-created by SAP and JA Americas—celebrates the sixth year of impact in the region and, since its inception, has managed to benefit more than 7,000 students from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, United States, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. More than 700 mentors participated in virtual workshops that foster entrepreneurship and purposeful innovation.

There is nothing quite so compelling as seeing young people start to believe in themselves and understand their own power to change their circumstances.

The International Youth Day gives an opportunity to celebrate young peoples’ voices, actions, and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal, and equitable engagement. However, it is also a great opportunity to understand their needs when trying to enter the job market and create an ecosystem that will allow them to achieve their dreams.