LIBRARY RESOURCE

This presentation explores the role of key stakeholders in the public and private sector and civil society in the design and implementation of a National Financial Education strategy in Jamaica that will initially target youth, the Jamaican Financial Empowerment Programme (JFEP). Participants will hear from key stakeholders from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information in Jamaica and the Bank of Jamaica about the enabling policy environment and infrastructure for JFEP.

The demand for workers in a changing world of work is continuously evolving. More than ever, schools and employment programs need to be able to detect skills needs from industry in an iterative fashion to ensure they are preparing young people for the jobs of today and the future. Businesses have an important role to play in this process and are often engaged through participation in advisory committees or offering internships/apprenticeships.

Global research (World Economic Forum, McKinsey, PwC) shows employers and markets across sectors and countries would benefit from more female management and leadership. More attention needs to be paid to young female workers in low-resource countries who have the potential, but are denied the opportunity, to advance as managers and leaders.

Despite considerable progress made in understanding the importance of soft skills for positive youth development and gathering evidence, challenges remain to developing effective and contextualized soft skills curricula, successfully measuring these skills, and interpreting the results. Presenters and attendees discussed what we know about the importance of soft skills in different contexts in LMICs, how we adapt and teach them, and how we measure them.