Globally, young people are stepping into an economy full of new possibility, one shaped by digital innovation, green industries and fresh ways of doing business. With the right support, this generation is proving ready to lead by establishing enterprises, mastering new technologies and adapting quickly to changing markets.
Unlocking that potential takes more than teaching a skill and hoping a job follows. Young people thrive when they have real pathways into decent work, the freedom to build their own businesses, access to the digital tools driving today's industries, and the confidence to grow alongside shifting economies. Making this possible starts with governments that put youth at the center of national strategies and roadmaps, legal frameworks that protect their rights, and genuine opportunities for them to help shape the decisions that affect their futures. It means training that connects directly to what labour markets need, and partnerships strong enough to turn classrooms into careers.
The Joint SDG Fund is supporting countries build skills systems that work, economies that make room for youth, and futures young people can step into confidently.
Kenya: Building the digital skills for tomorrow's economy
Kenya is turning digital transformation into measurable opportunity for young people. Through the Digital Platforms Kenya (DigiKen) joint programme, implemented by UNESCO, UNCDF, UN Women and UNEP, 15 Digital Innovation Hubs across 12 counties are equipping women and youth with practical digital skills, entrepreneurship training, media and information literacy, and hands-on experience with emerging technologies including artificial intelligence. Forty-five newly trained Trainers of Trainers are helping the programme reach its target of 7,500 young people and women.
The impact extends into government too. The UNESCO-Oxford MOOC on AI and Digital Transformation, delivered through the Kenya School of Government, has already enrolled more than 2,600 public sector learners, with a target of 20,000 by 2027, building the digital and AI leadership Kenya's institutions need to sustain an inclusive digital economy.
Their stories point to a bigger truth, when young people have equitable access to connectivity, digital technologies, quality education and lifelong learning opportunities, digital transformation becomes a direct engine for realizing their rights and unlocking their potential in a rapidly changing world.
Albania: When skills become a pathway to dignity and decent work
Across Albania, the Lifelong Empowerment and Protection (LEAP) programme is turning vocational training into lasting economic independence. To date, 617 people have completed vocational training, 120 women and young people have moved into employment in tourism, hospitality and care services, 493 households have received integrated economic support, and 173 care and social service professionals have strengthened their skills.
At 29, Altina Paloka completed a culinary course, secured an apprenticeship, and was later offered full-time employment.
"The course gave me confidence and helped me find a job that I enjoy," she says. "I learned many things I never knew before, from traditional dishes to modern cooking techniques."
Altina is one of 56 women and men who completed training in Lezha alone, part of a wider group of women the programme has helped move from the margins of the labour market into decent work. By combining certified vocational training with digital and soft skills, career guidance, apprenticeships and direct partnerships with local employers, LEAP is proving that closing skills gaps and creating real employment pathways go hand in hand. The strength lies in connecting training directly to opportunity, giving people who have long faced barriers to employment not just new skills, but a genuine route into the workforce.
Colombia: Turning connectivity into opportunity
Colombia's young people are online, nearly 92 percent, use digital platforms to connect socially, yet just 46 percent use them to learn and only 9 percent to search for a job or apply for one, according to ITU data. Programmes like SENATIC have already shown what's possible, training more than 200,000 people, 51 percent of them women, proving the country can build digital talent at scale. The challenge now is turning that talent into real economic opportunity, especially in the Pacific and Caribbean regions, where weaker infrastructure and fewer employers hold young people back.
The Inclusive Digital Transformation Facility (IDTF), supported by the Joint SDG Fund and the European Union, is closing that gap. The programme connects young people with digital entrepreneurship, employability, civic participation and innovation ecosystems, running through October 2027 as part of the EU's Global Gateway strategy and the UN's Global Digital Compact.
That work is already visible on the ground. At Colombia 5.0, the country's flagship digital transformation summit, young people stepped into a VR experience of "Colombia 2077" and debated how to close the digital divides shaping their present. At BizFest Cali, young entrepreneurs from across the Pacific region mapped concrete pathways into digital employability, entrepreneurship and policy influence, working directly alongside UNFPA, ILO and international partners.
As youth activist Lali Fernando Riascos put it, connectivity alone was never the goal. Real change means pairing internet access with the education and opportunity that let young people put it to use.
Digital inclusion means more than access, ensuring young people have the skills, networks, and opportunities to shape the digital economy themselves.
Investing in young people means investing in sustainable development
Across Albania, Kenya, Colombia, and more, the stories are different, but the throughline is the same. When young people are given real skills and real opportunities, they don't just find jobs. They build businesses, strengthen their communities and reshape what's possible for the people around them.
The future of work is changing fast. Digital transformation, climate action, demographic shifts and technological innovation are reshaping labour markets in every region, and young people are not waiting on the sidelines to see what happens next. They are already adapting, innovating and stepping into roles that didn't exist a generation ago. What they need is not more standalone training, but coordinated investment that connects skills development to employment, entrepreneurship, social protection and inclusive growth.
Note:
All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Arab Gulf Programme for Development for a transformative movement toward achieving the SDGs by 2030.
