Mission statement: Our aim is to enable youth and adults in developing nations to secure decent work through technical and vocational education and training so that they can build sustainable livelihoods and hope for the future.

The rapid rise of youth unemployment has become one of the most crucial problems facing today’s economies and societies, for developed and developing nations alike . The goal of tvet360 is to bring a Christ-centered solution that will alleviate poverty, improve quality of life, and establish sustainable livelihoods by using new methods of technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

It is estimated that over 267 million youth are currently not in employment, education, or training . At the same time, surveys from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that both employers and youth think that graduates are not well-prepared for the world of work . Securing decent work is a major challenge. Most people in developing nations are employed in the informal economy, which includes employment instability, low pay, a lack of social insurance, poor working conditions, and few opportunities to up-skill. Informal employment is close to 90 percent in Africa alone .

Globally, TVET is seen as one of the key answers to this dilemma of youth unemployment and underemployment (such as work in the informal economy) . The focus of TVET is empowering youth by providing employable skills and enabling paths to productive employment, whether in the formal or informal economy. As skill-demands shift based on the needs of businesses and communities, TVET can be responsive to improve employability, while also increasing wage levels. TVET can reduce barriers that hinder youth from accessing decent work through work-based learning and ensuring that skills gained are certified. TVET also has the unique ability to provide skills development opportunities for people who are unemployed, out-of-school youth and individuals not currently in education or training.

However, in most developing nations, TVET training is outdated, missing critical training on soft skills and self-employment, lacking teachers with up-to-date technical qualifications, and often perceived as leading to low-wage jobs. There is a significant need for improved TVET; if done well, TVET has the potential to be a bridge out of poverty and impart dignity when the focus is on human flourishing rather than only human productivity.

tvet360 is focused on how to increase opportunities for youth and adults to acquire skills for employability built around their voices, aspirations, and backgrounds. Our aim is to enable youth and adults in developing nations to secure decent work through technical and vocational education and training so that they can build sustainable livelihoods and hope for the future. We believe that this aligns with the heart of God and want to help all participants understand their God-given value.

We are in the research phase, which includes networking with TVET development professionals for feedback on our potential solutions, searching for other non-profits working in the same niche, and testing a few different approaches to our goal. One approach we are examining is customizing TVET curriculum for particular locations based on the needs of a specific group of people. This method would require us to connect well with non-profits (preferably faith-based) in developing nations who work closely with youth, or adults, to learn which practical skill(s) are desired that also match the local job market. We would spend time learning about the needs of that audience, how we can customize the TVET curriculum to their setting and culture, and then build a training series that involves both e-learning and in-person skill training. We could ensure the training curriculum is accredited internationally, which would allow us to provide a certificate of completion.

Your financial partnership will help us complete the research phase; discovering which solution(s) God would have us bring to meet this deep need. We will identify and test potential solutions with one location we are already connected to. Through this process of refining, we can determine how best to combine technical and vocational education and training with a godly perspective to provide skills alongside real purpose.

T & V, Founders