Randstad supports UNICEF’s “Passport to Earning” program to kick-start the careers of 20,000 young people in India

• Randstad extends commitment to address youth unemployment by supporting UNICEF’s “Passport to Earning” (P2E) program in India with a new pilot to train 20,000 young people and connect 2,000 of them with suitable job opportunities.
• The P2E program, launched in 2021 under the Generation Unlimited (GenU) partnership, aims to address the global education crisis by focusing on  career preparedness and with Randstad’s support they aim to move one step further, by placing trained young people in jobs.
• It is estimated that 267 million young people under 24 years of age are not in education, employment or training. Of this, about 67% are young women^[1].

Ahead of World Youth Skills Day on 15 July, Randstad, the world’s largest talent company, is pleased to announce it is supporting UNICEF’s Passport to Earning (P2E) program in India with the goal of training 20,000 young people with the skills they need to enter the labor market.

This project aims to upskill this talent pool via a series of skilling modules, during which they will receive training in digital productivity tools and methods, presentation skills, best practices for writing compelling CVs, and interview preparation techniques.

From this community of newly skilled talent, a cohort of 2,000 young people will receive direct job application assistance which includes an evaluation and assessment of their skills and interests. The goal is for each member of the cohort to secure a position by end-2023.

As part of the pilot, Randstad and Generation Unlimited will focus particularly on offering support to marginalized and disadvantaged young people, equipping them with the skills and career development opportunities they need to enter the workforce.

UNICEF’s P2E is an existing program which aims to empower youth with relevant digital skills and abilities to thrive in the 21st century and connect them to opportunities in apprenticeship, entrepreneurship, employment and social impact. The pilot will assess how to extend the support of youth in the program from training to enabling them to secure decent and sustainable employment.

This initiative is reflective of Randstad’s long-term support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4: quality education – specifically its sub-goal to substantially increase the number of youths and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

“As the world’s largest talent company, Randstad is committed to support young people in their upskilling and finding employment so that they can make a real difference for themselves, their families and the wider community. This is crucial as UNICEF reports that India expects a skills gap of 29 million employees by 2030, with people under 24 nearly five times more likely to be unemployed than others.

Through a targeted approach, our efforts with Generation Unlimited are concentrated on supporting as many young people as possible from marginalized groups, including women and persons with disabilities. We’re proud to be supporting UNICEF with this important project and look forward to assessing its outcomes at the end of the year.’’

–          Viswanath PS, MD & Chief Executive Officer at Randstad India

“The school-to-work transition needs to be a transformative journey that empowers and enables young people to transition from learning to fulfilling employment opportunities. To achieve this, YuWaah (Generation Unlimited in India) at UNICEF is harnessing the power of technology and forging public-private-youth partnerships to bridge the gaps that exist in the skilling and employment ecosystem. In India, young people aspire to gain access to 21st century skills, career guidance, volunteering, entrepreneurship and job opportunities. We are thrilled to collaborate with Randstad to facilitate these elements as integral components of young people’s learning paths, while also enabling them to make informed decisions about their life and livelihoods.”

–          Dhuwarakha Sriram, Chief of YuWaah (Generation Unlimited India), Youth Development and Partnerships at UNICEF

At the end of this pilot, Randstad will evaluate the results in consultation with Generation Unlimited and UNICEF and determine if and how the model can be scaled to create a bridge between the business world and young people.

about Randstad

Randstad is the world’s largest talent company and a partner of choice to clients. We are committed to providing equitable opportunities to people from all backgrounds and help them remain relevant in the rapidly changing world of work. We have a deep understanding of the labor market and help our clients to create the high-quality, diverse and agile workforces they need to succeed. Our 46,000 employees around the world make a positive impact on society by helping people to realize their true potential throughout their working life.

Randstad was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands. In 2022, in our 39 markets, we helped more than 2 million people find a job that feels good and advised over 230,000 clients on their talent needs. We generated revenue of €27.6 billion. Randstad N.V. is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam. For more information, see www.randstad.com

about randstad india

Randstad India offers the broadest HR services portfolio ranging from Staffing, Permanent Hiring and Executive Search to Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). We are committed to providing equitable opportunities to people from all backgrounds and help them remain relevant in the rapidly changing world of work. The company has a vast network of offices across the country to be within the reach of clients and talent and has a deep understanding of the labour market to help the clients create the high-quality, diverse and agile workforces they need to succeed.

The company, previously called Ma Foi, is one of the leading players in the HR services industry in India for 30 years and became part of Randstad through its global acquisition of Vedior in 2008. Randstad India continues to focus on developing customized and innovative HR services, leveraging its unique strengths of geographical presence and end-to-end capability across all HR service functions. Randstad is the world’s largest talent company, active in 39 markets across the globe and a partner of choice to clients. For more information, see: www.randstad.in

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information: www.unicef.org

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service.

About Generation Unlimited

Launched by the UN Secretary-General at the 2018 UN General Assembly, and anchored in UNICEF, Generation Unlimited is a leading global Public-Private-Youth Partnership, bringing together global organizations and leaders including Heads of State, CEOs, Heads of UN agencies, and civil society champions with young people to co-create and deliver innovative solutions on a global scale. For more information: www.generationunlimited.org