Noticias

For many adolescents and young people, thinking about the future also means asking how they can earn an income and what opportunities are available to them. Employment and entrepreneurship opportunities often depend on access to information, resources and support networks. In response, Save the Children promotes the Estrategia Integral de Desarrollo Adolescente (a comprehensive adolescent development strategy), which brings together technical training, life skills and links to local opportunities.

Through the POWER 4AY and Caminos hacia la Prosperidad projects and the Sponsorship Programme, more than 1,000 adolescents and young people received technical training aligned with labour market demand. Collaboration with alternative education centres, technical and technological institutes, municipal employment services and other stakeholders expanded educational options and strengthened links with employment and entrepreneurship services.

What distinguishes the model is that education extends beyond learning a trade. Alongside technical skills, participants develop their plans for the future, self-esteem, leadership, communication, teamwork and decision-making skills. Teachers integrate these skills into their teaching, while adolescents and young people receive career guidance, support with interviews and help to start businesses.

María’s experience shows how this combination can open up new possibilities. After taking a course in commercial pastry-making, she began selling her products and earning her own income. “I learned how to make products, but I also learned to believe in myself more and to think about what I want to achieve in the future.”

The experience offers a clear lesson: technical education contributes more when it connects with the aspirations of adolescents and young people and with real opportunities in their local area. This connection strengthens their economic independence and gives them more opportunities to shape their futures and make their own decisions.