testing rapid tech skills training for youth unemployment

TESTING RAPID TECH SKILLS

TRAINING PROGRAMS

Youth Employment Funders Group (YEFG), Washington, D.C.

September 26, 2016

VICTOR MULAS

vmulas@worldbank.org

SENIOR INNOVATION OFFICER

INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

AS SOURCES OF NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH

AGENDA

• Background: Startup Ecosystems and New Sources of Employment

• Hypothesis: Rapid Tech Skills Training as Source of New Employment Opportunities for Youth

• Testing in Emerging Economies Context

This presentation is based on the results from: i) research on Colombia, Kenya and Lebanon, ii) technical World Bank activities, and iii) knowledge sharing from practitioners. The main rapid tech skills training activity presented in this presentation is funded by the World Bank’s Jobs Umbrella Trust Fund, which is supported by the Department for International Development/UK AID, and the Governments of Norway, Germany, Austria, the Austrian Development Agency, and Swedish Development Agency (SIDA). Research and implementation partners include Rice University (experiment design), Berytech (Lebanon), iHub (Nairobi), and Ruta N, Medellin City Council and Fundación EPM (Medellin). Bootcamp providers selected for this activity are: SE Factory (Lebanon), Moringa School (Nairobi) and World Tech Makers (Medellin).

SOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

STARTUP ECOSYSTEMS

NEW SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT

BACKGROUND

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS GROWING IN CITIES

WORLDWIDE

Use of image for illustrative purposes. Sourcing does not represent endorsement.

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NEW SOURCES OF COMPETITIVENESS

Source: HR&A (2015) The New York City Tech Ecosystem

NEW SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT

WHITE COLLAR AND BLUE COLLAR TECH SKILLS

Source of Map Image: http://mappedinny.com/

RAPID TECH SKILLS TRAINING (RTST)AS SOURCE OF NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH

HYPOTHESIS

WORLD BANK RTST ACTIVITY: DECODING BOOTCAMPS

Devise a methodological toolkit for designing coding bootcamps

Assess the impact of bootcamps on employability of participants

Identify key success factors in teaching programming skills

Inform policymakers

http://www.decodingbootcamps.org/

Jobs Umbrella Trust Fund

OBJECTIVE:

Testing the Efficacy of RTST on labor market outcomes

• Are RTST applicable to emerging economies context?

• Are RTST creating new employment opportunities?

• Can RTST provide an opportunity leapfrog for low education / low income background?

• Coding Rapid Skills Training

• Structured Program 12-19 Weeks

• Soft Skills Integrated in Program

• Connection With Tech Ecosystem:

• Content (e.g., languages)

• Instructors

• Employment Links

RTST SCOPE:

IN EMERGING ECONOMIES CONTEXT

RTST AS SOURCE OF NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH

TESTING

ACROSS 3 REGIONS

MedellinCOLOMBIA Nairobi

KENYA

BeirutLEBANON

(Random Control Group)(Focus Group)

(Focus Group)

MEDELLIN CONTEXT:

• Active startup ecosystem

• No bootcamps providers active before activity

• Relevant size of low income youth population

• Challenge: Disenfranchised youth (low income, low ed.)

Source: Medellin Tech Startup Ecosystem Map www.medellintechmap.com

MEDELLIN EXPERIMENT:

• Introduction of coding bootcampby Ruta N (first batch - 25 part.)

• Open call and lottery to select participants

• Targeted primarily to middle and low income youth

• Minimum requirements of literacy, computer skills and motivation

• 3 months bootcamp and follow up (3, 6 and 9 months)

• Sample size: • 120 participants• 120 control group

• 29% female participants

• 65% participants are low income• 32% Ed. below bachelor degree• 90% Unemployed

• Subsidized price based on income: • US $250 base price• Free for lower income (S1, S2)

INITIAL FINDINGS:

• Participants value highest:• Practical learning of market

demanded skills (languages)

• Soft skills learning (team work and problem solving)

• Network of colleagues

• Addressing skills gap university-industry

• Motivation and self-discipline as key elements for participants

Medellin Bootcamp participant’s testimonials at: http://bit.ly/2cJRj89

• Expanding random control groups methodology to Nairobi and Beirut

• Testing of sustainability/affordability schemes for RTST

• Link with supply of new jobs: drivers for generation of tech startup ecosystem blue collar skills

• Impact of Entrepreneurship RST

FOLLOW UP RESEARCH:

TESTING RAPID SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAMSAS SOURCES OF NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH

AVAILABLE RESOURCES:

WORLD BANK CODING BOOTCAMPS ACTIVITY:Website: http://www.decodingbootcamps.org

ITU CODING BOOTCAMPS PAPER:Paper: http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Digital-Inclusion/Youth-and-Children/Pages/Coding-Bootcamps.aspx

RELATED WBG TECH STARTUP ECOSYSTEMS RESEARCH: BOOSTING TECH INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS IN CITIES

Working Paper: http://bit.ly/BoostingEcosystemsCities

The World Bank core team leading the research and technical activities used in this presentations are Victor Mulas, Cecilia Paradi-Guilford, Elene Allende Letona, Yael Hochberg, Caio Piza, Yegana Baghirova, Kathy Qian and Paola Vargas.

The research is part of the World Bank Umbrella Jobs Trust Fund. The previously mentioned partners have been critical in developing the activity and collecting the data.