World Youth Skills Day 2026: Skills Create Jobs, Jobs Create Decent Livelihoods—But Only If We Get Skills Development Right
Every year, World Youth Skills Day reminds us of a simple but powerful truth: the future of any nation depends not only on educating young people, but on equipping them with practical skills that lead to meaningful employment, entrepreneurship, and dignified livelihoods. This year's message— "Skills Create Jobs, Jobs Create Decent Livelihoods" —is particularly relevant in Kenya, where thousands of young people continue to navigate unemployment despite possessing immense potential. Skills development is no longer just a social intervention; it is an economic necessity. Against this backdrop, one of the Government of Kenya's most ambitious youth empowerment initiatives deserves recognition: the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Programme , particularly its On-the-Job Experience (OJE) component, supported by the World Bank. The programme is innovative in design. It attempts to bridge the long-standing gap between classroom learning and workplace ...