Frank Goze, founder of Youth Education, conducts a training session at his center in the suburb of Abidjan, Cocody. His work goes far beyond simple teaching; he helps young people find their place in the working world and continues to support them throughout this process.
Goze founded Youth Education in 2015 because he himself faced difficulties realizing his ambitions due to limited access to education in childhood. Before transitioning to the education sector, he worked for almost ten years in the mining and oil and gas industries.
He notes that due to a difficult childhood and lack of school access, he failed to achieve his desired educational goals. His career path convinced him that young people need support to see opportunities beyond their existing qualifications.
"I asked myself: is it possible to succeed in life with or without a diploma? And that is how I created Youth Education to change the mindset of young people, especially by supporting their education."
Challenges Beyond Job Searching
The Youth Education approach begins by studying the ambitions and abilities of each young person while simultaneously ascertaining the needs of employers. For Goze, getting a job is only the first step; the process that occurs after starting employment is equally important.
The role of the employment counselor involves monitoring the number of young people assigned to them, controlling their attendance and learning progress, as well as improving resumes. Simultaneously, counselors visit companies to determine their needs. Thus, when a profile request comes in, specialists automatically identify a suitable option and can place the young person. Afterward, they continue interacting with the company to assess the employee's contribution, the progress of the work, and potential successes or failures.
The problem extends beyond simply finding open positions. According to the African Futures and Innovation Programme report for 2026, in 2023, about 56.7% of Côte d'Ivoire's population was in the 15–64 age group, and this figure is expected to rise to 61.6% by 2043. The UNDP report indicates that the unemployment rate among the 15–24 age group was 3.9% in 2024, whereas World Bank data shows that in 2022, 18.8% of the population was neither working nor studying or in training.
The International Labour Organization found that over 97% of working youth aged 15 to 29 were in informal employment in 2022. These data cover different years and age groups, but together they demonstrate why merely counting jobs is insufficient.
From Volunteering to Full-Time Employment
Stéphane Ngassan Beraudi knows what it is like to have ambitions but lack a clear path to work. Before joining Youth Education, he spent about a year looking for a job. He spoke about the difficulties in presenting his skills and finding suitable opportunities.
He noted that despite motivation and drive, it was not always clear to him how to demonstrate his skills, seize the right chances, and navigate the professional world effectively. Thanks to the program, he was able to develop communication, leadership, and decision-making skills. Support for self-confidence played a significant role. He now works in logistics for a local company, managing inventory, procurement, acquisitions, and company resources, and also helps coordinate events and solve operational problems.
Salimata Traore's journey began with volunteering in Youth Education projects, and she later transitioned to a full-time position within the organization. Previously, she worked with a local organization and experienced about six months of unemployment before finding stable work. Today, she is responsible for procurement at Youth Education, having gone through administrative, programmatic, and accounting roles.
Salimata emphasized that Youth Education taught her many things: first everything related to volunteering and mutual support, and then everything concerning professional development. She highlighted her impressive journey at Youth, where she mastered administration, program management, and accounting, and now manages procurement.
Salimata also reported that other participants found jobs thanks to the programs and opportunities provided by Youth Education. The organization stated that it has trained 2,200 young people in capacity building, civic engagement, and entrepreneurship. Furthermore, its educational campaigns helped 1,010 out-of-school students return to their studies, and young people implemented 310 sustainable development projects in their communities.
Turning Ideas into Concrete Actions
Youth Education's activities have spread beyond Abidjan. The organization has incubators in Bouaké, Daloa, and San Pedro, as well as the AY Solutions center for youth incubation and integration into the labor market, opened in 2021. A Youth Media platform was created for young people, and the Côte d'Ivoire Job Fair was organized, connecting young people with businesses and decision-makers. In 2022, the organization received the National Award of Côte d'Ivoire for the best youth organization.
Aquilas Yao, a consultant trainer and soft skills specialist, believes that programs must account for the various barriers young people face. He argues that vague statements such as "we will teach youth entrepreneurship" or "we will teach youth how to enter companies" are too general. In addition to a general principles map, mentoring is necessary for different young people, as their realities do not align.
Goze insists that employment support must consider working conditions and how a young person performs after being hired. He emphasizes that the goal is not just to work for the sake of working, but to have decent work. Therefore, the organization monitors whether young people have good salaries, proper contracts, and compliance with ILO (International Labour Organization) or ILC (International Labour Office) laws. This is extremely important to them, and they insist on reliable long-term contracts. As he previously said, they support young people even after they get a job to track the situation's development.
For Stéphane, this support changed not only his employment status. In addition to his logistics job, he now participates in public projects focused on sustainable development and youth engagement. He concludes that the most important thing is that Youth Education taught him to believe more in his abilities, take initiative, and turn his ideas into real actions.