Investing in young people is a win for business and society

Artificial intelligence, the climate transition, demographic change and shifting labour-market expectations are transforming work faster than many education systems can adapt.

For young people, this creates both opportunity and risk: New industries and occupations are emerging, but pathways into them are often unclear, unequal or out of reach. At the same time, employers face growing pressure to find the skills and talent needed to navigate technological and economic change.

Bridging these challenges requires more than training people for today’s vacancies. It means creating stronger pathways between education, skills, experience and meaningful work – and giving young people a role in shaping the future of work.

Initiatives such as the Global Alliance for YOUth have shown the potential of private-sector collaboration to expand opportunities for young people. Across sectors and regions, a range of business-led approaches – from large-scale digital learning and apprenticeships to university partnerships and workplace-based training – point to how businesses can expand economic opportunity for the next generation while strengthening the skills, talent, and capabilities needed for long-term resilience.

One challenge is scale. As demand for digital skills grows, businesses can complement formal education by making learning more widely accessible.

IBM’s SkillsBuild programme offers one example. The free global technology education programme has reached more than 22 million learners through IBM SkillsBuild and related initiatives, and IBM has committed to skilling 30 million people globally by 2030. The programme combines free learning, digital credentials, mentorship and hands-on experience through schools, universities, non-profits, governments and employers.

Software company SAP is applying a similar learn-to-earn approach in India. Its Educate to Employ programme helps underserved young people build digital, professional and workplace skills while accessing SAP Tech certifications, mentorship and employment pathways. In the last two years, it expanded to 29 institutions across four states and reached more than 1,500 learners.

EY and Microsoft are also widening access to future-ready skills. The EY Microsoft AI Skills Passport has generated more than 100,000 completions from 200,000 registrations, operates across 51 countries and is available in nine languages, with five more planned. More than 90% of surveyed learners reported course satisfaction and increased interest in AI.

But preparing young people for changing economies extends beyond digital skills. It is also about creating pathways into sectors where employers need talent and where traditional routes into employment may leave people behind. Zurich’s US Apprenticeship Program, launched in 2016, combines paid, full-time employment with employer-funded college education. It has hired more than 450 apprentices across functions ranging from underwriting and claims, to IT and cyber, and graduated 251 apprentices. “Apprenticeship hasn’t just helped me start a career. It’s helped me discover my potential,” said Sania Kamani, a second-year Zurich apprentice.

The skills challenge also looks different across sectors and geographies. Building effective pathways therefore requires connecting learning to local economic needs and emerging areas of opportunity.

In food and agriculture, Cargill University’s THRIVE programme expands equitable access to agriculture and STEM careers in the United States through scholarships, mentorship, and career coaching. Since launching in 2021, Cargill has awarded more than 1,100 scholarships.

University-industry collaboration provides another model. Through Nestlé’s Academic Alliances Initiative, its global R&D organization works with a regional research institute across six countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Students are given access to scientific seminars, research collaborations, internships and real-world technology applications across fields ranging from food security to AI.

Other sectors are experimenting with ways to connect young people directly with industry challenges. L’Oréal Brandstorm has engaged more than 1 million young people globally since 1992, including more than 380,000 registrations from 64 countries in 2026. Participants work with industry mentors to develop solutions to real business challenges, with winning teams accessing further professional development opportunities, including a three-month mission at L’Oréal Luxe headquarters in Paris.

Ensuring these opportunities reach young people who face barriers to education and employment is equally important. Schneider Electric’s Youth Education & Entrepreneurship Program, supported by the Schneider Electric Foundation, operates in more than 60 countries and has trained more than 1 million young people in energy management. Its examples range from renewable-energy training for displaced communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, to mobile training benches in Brazilian prisons and energy entrepreneurship across the Sahel

Skills alone do not guarantee access to work. Young people also need opportunities to apply what they know, build professional networks and gain the experience employers often require for entry-level roles.

Facilities management company ISS provides one model of workplace-based learning. In the UK, it supported more than 60 young people on placements last year through Project Search. At Hairmyres Hospital, seven young people completed placements and four subsequently secured work with ISS.

Across sectors, employers are also opening doors into industries that can otherwise be difficult to access. White & Case’s London office has hosted an employability skills programme since 2012 for 25 students aged 16 to 18 who may otherwise face barriers to entering the legal profession. Publicis Groupe’s Open Apprenticeship offers free learning, live client briefs and mentoring to help young people explore careers in marketing, media, creativity, data and technology.

In manufacturing, the World Economic Forum’s SmartStart initiative, in partnership with companies including Rockwell Automation, aims to prepare 1 million young people for careers in manufacturing and supply chains by 2035, as the sector could see 7.8 million roles go unfilled. As part of the initiative, The Do and the Global Shapers Community is hosting a summer school this week connecting 50 young people with skills and career pathways in the sector

Taken together, these examples point to a simple lesson: Scale matters, but so do access and outcomes. Training alone is not enough. Young people need opportunities to translate learning into experience and meaningful work. For businesses, creating these opportunities is not only an investment in the next generation; it is an investment in the talent, innovation and resilience needed for long-term success.

“As businesses navigate technological disruption, the climate transition and demographic change, investing in young people is not a side agenda. It is central to competitiveness and shared prosperity,” said Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum. “The companies that create pathways from learning to livelihoods today will be better placed to shape resilient industries, inclusive economies and a future workforce ready to lead.”