2016 ICT4D Conference

In the next decade, more than one billion children, the largest group in history, will make the transition from adolescence into adulthood. Without the relevant skills for decent employment, many will be unable to work their way out of poverty or contribute to their country's development.

In response, Plan has designed The Youth Employment Solutions (YES) Digital Ecosystem - a suite of innovative and integrated ICT4D solutions. Going beyond 'ICT for ICTs sake', Plan embraces core principles of tech innovation to achieve greater potential for scale and sustainability, reflected in the ecosystem's Build | Measure | Learn foundations.

BUILD: The YES!ePortal builds capacity with a 'One-Stop-eShop' of data, digital tools and crowd-sharing to help practitioners develop and execute high quality interventions

MEASURE: Adopting 'big data' principles, YES!me is an M&E system to track beneficiaries for up to five years, and measure impact at individual and aggregate levels

LEARN: The YES!Academy is a digital academy for education and skill development for youth, using Gamification, User Experience Design and Massive Open Online Course principles to enhance engagement

The ecosystem increases skill development for youth employment, provides digital tools for practitioners and gathers evidence to increase intervention efficacy. It also collects relevant market data, enhances job creation and cultivates a dynamic knowledge hub for the sector.

The ecosystem is the result of meticulous design and quality collaborations, including country teams, sector partners and large-scale donors such as Accenture Development Partners and the Asian Development Bank. It is currently being rolled out across Asia, and select countries in east Africa.