Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE)

What Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) does

Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) is a global coalition housed within the Labor and Skills Global Solutions Group of the World Bank's Social Protection Global Practice. Founded in 2014 with seven founding partners (Accenture, the International Labour Organization, the International Youth Foundation, Plan International, the RAND Corporation, the World Bank, and Youth Business International), it connects donors, governments, foundations, private sector companies, NGOs, and youth in a coordinated effort to expand productive employment for young people ages 15-24 in developing countries. The coalition operates across all major developing regions and works with the World Bank's 150+ youth employment operations as a strategic gateway.

The coalition's core offerings are programmatic rather than technological. The Youth Employment Lab pilots operational innovations in cooperation with World Bank regional teams focused on skills acquisition, workplace-based opportunities, and youth entrepreneurship. The Impact Portfolio is a learning network of 19+ youth employment programs with a collective reach of over 550,000 beneficiaries annually. The Knowledge Repository aggregates toolkits, reports, and briefs from the World Bank, Accenture, ILO, OECD, USAID, GIZ, and other international organizations. Supporting components include the Youth Advisory Group (120 youth leaders from 65 low- and middle-income countries), the Private Sector Advisory Council, and the Creative Economy Alliance. Publication outputs include the Short Note Series on Online Gig Work and Global Labor Market Conference approach papers.

S4YE does not sell products or services and operates as a coalition financed by donor contributions to the Jobs Umbrella Multi-Donor Trust Fund, with current donors including Austria, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, USAID, Norway, and Canada. Its headcount is approximately 24. The organization has no separate legal status as a corporation and operates as a programmatic initiative under World Bank governance, distributing knowledge products and resources freely to practitioners and policymakers worldwide through its website and the World Bank's platforms.

Name

Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE)

Legal name

Solutions for Youth Employment

Website

https://s4ye.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) is a global coalition housed within the World Bank Group that convenes donors, governments, foundations, private sector, NGOs, and youth to coordinate knowledge sharing and programs that expand productive employment for young people in developing countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

S4YE is a global coalition that curates and coordinates youth employment programs, pilots operational innovations through its Youth Employment Lab, runs a learning network of programs (the Impact Portfolio) reaching more than 550,000 beneficiaries annually, and maintains an open Knowledge Repository of toolkits, reports, and knowledge briefs for practitioners and policymakers. It does not sell products or technology; its core offering is convening, evidence generation, and knowledge sharing funded through the Jobs Umbrella Multi-Donor Trust Fund.

Product overview

Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) is a global coalition housed within the World Bank's Labor and Skills Global Solutions Group, not a unified technology product but rather a partnership platform offering multiple interconnected programs. The core offerings include the Youth Employment Lab for operational innovations, the Impact Portfolio as a learning network of youth employment programs, and the Knowledge Repository as a global resource database. Additional components include the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) with 120 youth leaders providing input on programs, the Private Sector Advisory Council, and various knowledge publications including Short Notes on topics like Online Gig Work and Creative Economy. The coalition acts as a strategic gateway connecting youth employment stakeholders with World Bank operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Employment Lab A standing platform developed in cooperation with World Bank regional teams to pilot operational innovations with potential for scale, focused on ensuring youth acquire the right skills required by employers, leverage workplace-based opportunities, and support entrepreneurial youth to boost business productivity.
• Impact Portfolio A learning laboratory working with diverse youth employment programs to learn, enhance, and strengthen collective impact. The portfolio comprises 19+ programs (expanded to 44 high-potential and innovative projects in the Community of Practice) with a collective reach of over 550,000 beneficiaries annually across all major developing regions.
• Knowledge Repository A global, open-access inventory of resources — toolkits, reports, and knowledge briefs — curated to help practitioners and policymakers design, implement, and scale youth employment programs. Resources are organized by topic, region, and resource type and draw on content from the World Bank, Accenture, ILO, OECD, USAID, GIZ, and other international organizations.
• Creative Economy Alliance An initiative focused on youth engagement and employment opportunities within the creative and cultural industries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 550,000 beneficiaries reached annually through Impact Portfolio
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• World Bank GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerS4YE is housed within the Labor and Skills Global Solutions Group within the Social Protection Global Practice of the World Bank. The World Bank provides institutional hosting, operational scale, and access to 150+ youth employment operations globally.
• AccenturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner of S4YE coalition. Provides strategic guidance through Steering Committee participation and corporate citizenship expertise through Jill Huntley, Global Managing Director for Corporate Citizenship.
• International Labour Organization (ILO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner of S4YE coalition. Represented on Steering Committee by Dorothea Schmidt-Klau, Director of Employment, Labour Markets and Youth. Provides technical expertise and global labor standards guidance.
• International Youth Foundation (IYF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner of S4YE coalition. Led by Christina Sass as President & CEO, who serves on the Steering Committee. Provides youth development expertise and program implementation experience.
• Plan InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner of S4YE coalition. Brings experience in child-centered development and youth empowerment programs globally.
• RAND CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner of S4YE coalition. Represented by Darleen Opfer, Vice President for RAND Education & Labor Research Division. Provides research and evaluation expertise.
• Youth Business International (YBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner of S4YE coalition. Led by Anita Tiessen as CEO, who serves on the Steering Committee. Focuses on supporting young entrepreneurs.
• Mastercard FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor donor and partner supporting youth employment initiatives. Represented by Fiona Lukwago, Regional Lead Capacity Building, on Steering Committee. Focus on financial inclusion and education for African youth.
• Microsoft PhilanthropiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing digital skills and technology expertise. Naria Santa Lucia, General Manager, serves as S4YE Steering Committee Chair. Focus on digital inclusion and employment pathways.
• GooglemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner providing digital platforms expertise. K Suryanarayana (Suri), Director of Partnerships for Next Billion Users, serves on Steering Committee.
• United Nations FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in UN system coordination for youth employment initiatives and advocacy.
• UN Youth Office / Secretary-General's Envoy on YouthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented by Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, on Steering Committee. Ensures youth perspectives are integrated into policy.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGerman development agency implementing youth employment programs and contributing to S4YE knowledge repository.
• Youth Co:LabmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for youth entrepreneurship and innovation in Asia-Pacific, co-led by UNDP and Citi Foundation.
• The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides non-formal education framework operating in 130+ countries to help young people develop skills.
• The African Capacity Building FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican Union's specialized agency for capacity development. Led by Mamadou Biteye, Executive Secretary, on Steering Committee.
• National Skill Development Corporation (India)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndian government agency for skills development. Led by Ved Mani Tiwari, COO & Acting CEO, on Steering Committee.
• J-PALmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research network providing rigorous evidence on what works in youth employment through randomized evaluations.
• Economic Research ForummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional research organization covering Middle East and Africa. Led by Ibrahim Elbadawi, Managing Director, on Steering Committee.
• ODI (Overseas Development Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent think tank focused on international development. Led by Rathin Roy, Managing Director, on Steering Committee.
• NestléminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate sector partner through Nestlé Needs YOUth Initiative providing employment and training opportunities for youth.
• McDonald'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate sector partner providing entry-level employment and training opportunities for young people.
• OrangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelecommunications partner contributing to digital skills and connectivity training programs.
• Volvo GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner providing vocational training and employment opportunities in transportation and manufacturing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: BRAC is one of the world's largest development NGOs with substantial skills-training and youth-employment programs in South Asia and Africa. It is broader than S4YE and combines direct service delivery with advocacy, sharing donor and target-population overlap with S4YE's Impact Portfolio.
• UNICEF: UNICEF is a UN agency with a substantial youth-skills and adolescent-development portfolio, including Generation Unlimited. It is broader and larger than S4YE but operates in an overlapping target population and shares many of S4YE's institutional partners.
• International Labour Organization (ILO): ILO is a founding S4YE partner and the global standard-setter for labor policy. It is a much larger and broader incumbent in the same youth-employment-and-labor-markets space, providing technical guidance to S4YE rather than competing head-to-head.
• UNDP: UNDP is a UN development agency with significant youth-employment and entrepreneurship programming, including co-leadership of Youth Co:Lab alongside Citi Foundation (an S4YE-adjacent partnership). It is broader than S4YE but addresses the same youth-in-developing-countries agenda.

Direct peers

• Education Development Center (EDC): EDC is a global nonprofit that designs, implements, and evaluates education and workforce-development programs in low- and middle-income countries. Its combination of program delivery, evidence generation, and policy work makes it structurally similar to S4YE's coalition-and-knowledge model.
• Youth Business International (YBI): YBI is a founding S4YE partner focused on supporting young entrepreneurs in developing economies. Its network of country members mirrors S4YE's coalition-of-partners structure and addresses an overlapping target population (youth in emerging markets).
• International Youth Foundation (IYF): IYF is a global nonprofit focused on youth development and economic opportunity, and is one of S4YE's founding partners. Both organizations coordinate networks of youth programs globally, share knowledge products, and operate with a similar non-direct-delivery model.
• Global Alliance for Youth (GAN Global): GAN Global is a business-led coalition committed to improving youth employability and is listed as an S4YE partner. It convenes corporate, government, and youth stakeholders around workforce-entry outcomes — directly comparable to S4YE's coalition model.
• Plan International: Plan International is a founding S4YE partner with global programs in child-centered development and youth empowerment. Its country offices and youth-program portfolio overlap directly with S4YE's target beneficiary base and many of its geographic priorities.

Emerging players

• Generation: Generation is a nonprofit that trains and places young people into employment, with strong evidence-driven impact reporting. It is narrower than S4YE (focused on direct training-to-placement) but competes for the same donor and policy attention in the youth-employment agenda.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/S4YE_coalition
• Facebookfacebook.com/solutionsforyouthemployment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solutions-for-youth-employment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE)