Youth 4 Jobs Foundation
Organization Details
Youth4Jobs is South Asia’s largest organisation focusing on diversity and inclusion. It trains less educated and educated youth with disabilities in 21st century skills and places them in jobs across India. Thus, Youth4Jobs moves persons with disabilities from their present vicious cycle of poverty to the virtuous cycle of opportunity. It works with 1000+companies with the mantra that hiring youth with disabilities helps their business;
Y4J works at 3 levels: i. Changing mindsets of community, colleges and companies ii. Enabling accessibility of infrastructure, workplace, and technology iii. Trainings with linkages to jobs/micro enterprises for less educated and educated youth with disabilities
The impact is win-win for all stakeholders including companies, community,society and government.
The work is challenging but transformational. Youth4Jobs has won the highest national and international awards and is a Harvard Business publication case study.
Impact Story
There are 1 billion persons with disabilities (PwD)globally and they are growing. 80% are in developed countries like India. Their education levels are absymally low resulting in low employment. Myths and deep seated biases increases their exclusion and invisiblity cuts them off from progressive policies or being a part of development schemes. Data clearly shows they can be an alternative labour pool, if proper investments are made.
In line with the UNCRPD , Youth4Jobs believes every youth with disabilities has a right to education and employment. The solution to take an unemployed youth with disability from unemployment/underemployment to his first organized sector job needs to be multi-layered and innovative, to be effective, scaled-up and sustainable. Youth4Jobs has evolved this unique process keeping one eye on the community and one eye on markets. Technology is used to measure impact.
DIRECT IMPACT Pan India:2012-22
• Advocacy – 9.3 million village households
• Trainings with job linkages: 30,945 youth with disabilities from across all states of India including Jammu & Kashmir • Average income: Rs.132,000 pa.
• Companies: Helped 1100 companies to be inclusive through customized services / hiring youth with disabilities. Company services went online and global
• Colleges / Universities: Has MOUs with 7 universities & 1700 colleges to help them become inclusive
• Educators: Supported 21,000 educators to be disability confident
• Partnerships: 311 NGOs / 7 state governments
• Studies: Brought out 6 studies like “Inclusion of PwDs in Banking & finance industry”
IMPACT ON WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES
These are the most vulnerable among this segment. A dipstick survey done on our alumni in jobs showed : • 40% spent their savings on education • 70% purchased assets like gold to land • 55% participated now in family financial / non-financial discussions • 58% earn more than any family member moving from being a liability to asset • 93% says family looks on them as an inspiration
