Archive for category: Employment

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Technical Vocational Education Training Centers in Botswana

Vocational Education Training Centers in BotswanaTechnical vocational educational training (TVET) centers have emerged as pivotal tools to address poverty, empowering people with skills that support employment, financial independence, entrepreneurship and upward socioeconomic mobility. In Botswana, the government is actively promoting TVET to address high rates of unemployment among young people.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the unemployment rate among young Botswana is nearing 40%, with 52.1% of this demographic not engaged in any form of education, employment or training. Technical vocational education training centers in Botswana offer hands-on learning and prioritizes hard skills, creating faster routes into employment compared to a more general academic course. Programs target key industries such as engineering, construction, hospitality, business, agriculture, fashion and information and communications technology. However, historic barriers have proven hard to overcome.

Barriers to Vocational Training Education Centers in Botswana

About 26% of Batswana live in rural areas, making it difficult to access vocational training education centers in Botswana. Those from low-income families may struggle to afford the course fees. Technical vocational educational training has also long been hindered by the perception that it is less valuable than academic education and primarily intended for students who struggle academically.

But that is starting to change thanks to fresh government support for TVET programs and accompanying awareness campaigns. In April 2026, Parliament adopted the revised National Youth Policy, which targets five strategic areas: digital transformation, economic inclusion, STEAM/TVET education, AI innovation and rights-based empowerment. A Tertiary Education Students Sponsorship program now covers tuition expenses and provides a monthly living allowance (P2,200/$162) for eligible students, such as orphans or rural residents.

A Student’s Perspective

The Borgen Project interviewed Warona Baboloki Kabelo, who studies welding and fabrication at Maun Technical College. A typical day runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., and combines both classroom learning and practical workshop experience. His curriculum includes welding theory, technical drawing, engineering, mathematics and business enterprise.

“TVET has changed my life,” he told The Borgen Project. “Before studying welding and fabrication, I depended on other people to make or repair things. Today I have practical skills that allow me to solve problems independently.” In the future, Kabelo aims to establish his own engineering company, but his ambition doesn’t stop there: “I have an even bigger dream of helping develop locally designed vehicles. TVET gives young people the confidence and technical ability to dream beyond simply finding employment.”

Kabelo’s passion led him to found The Plug TVET, an advocacy platform dedicated to promoting TVET as a respected career pathway. “For many years, many people believed TVET was only for students who did not perform well academically,” he says. “I wanted to challenge that mindset.”

From Student to Lecturer: a Success Story

In an interview with The Borgen Project, Oagile Ompatile talked about his experience as a construction lecturer at Selebi Phikwe Technical College. It offers hands-on programs leading to a National Craft Certificate (NCC), covering courses in automotive mechanics, plumbing, carpentry, electrical installation, information technology, dressmaking and more. About 75% of the students here are male, though females account for the bulk of the textile and industry department. For many of these individuals, study is only possible due to governmental financial assistance.

“Many students are very much on their own financially. They only became interested in training when the government started providing a monthly allowance and covering tuition,” he explained. 

Ompatile points to himself as proof of the transformative power of technical vocational educational training in Botswana: “My family is not rich. I had failed my Junior Certificate [the national exam students sit at the end of lower secondary school, required for anyone wishing to pursue upper secondary education], and decided to do a trade certificate in plastering. After that, I began doing piece jobs.” When the government introduced an initiative sponsoring NCC holders for a diploma course, Ompatile jumped at the chance. He completed a diploma in architectural technology and secured an architectural post before going on to teach at Selebi Phikwe Technical College. 

Improving Lives

Today, Botswana has a number of public and private TVET institutions, offering certificate- and diploma-level programs. Among the larger public providers are Francistown College of Technical and Vocational Education, Gaborone Technical College, Palapye Technical College, Oodi College of Applied Arts and Technology, Maun Technical College, Selebi Phikwe Technical College and Jwaneng Technical College. 

Centers like these stand to benefit from increased government funding. The 2026/27 budget allocated P678 million ($49.9 million) under the Department of Skills Development to support skills training institutions and the coordination of TVET programs. A further P60 million ($4.4 million) will support the TVET Development Programme specifically.

Measuring the return on investment with TVET is extremely complex, and Botswana doesn’t offer any single quantifiable figure. However, the 2020 report by UNESCO and National Centre for Vocational Education Research, “Understanding the return on investment from TVET,” broadly estimates that every AU$1 ($0.70) invested in TVET produces a AU$0.31 ($0.21) societal benefit (after the investment is deducted).

Numbers aside, the citizens of Botswana can testify in their own words to the transformative power of this training. “We see a lot of young people on the streets, harassing members of the public and drinking alcohol,” notes Ompatile. “Many of the women quickly become mothers. This sort of training keeps them busy and improves their lives. Every student who completes a course, even those from poor families, can put something on the table with their own hands. In this way technical vocational educational training is a big success story.”

– Megan Sansom

Megan is based in Scotland and focuses on Technology and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Warona Baboloki Kabelo

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Addressing the Gender Wage Gap in Cabo Verde

Gender Wage Gap in Cabo VerdeCabo Verde is an archipelagic country off the coast of West Africa, where women make up just under half of the country’s total population. Despite the push to increase the labor participation rate amongst women and their presence within male-dominated fields, the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde still persists. This is largely due to a mixture of cultural norms and limited options of employment for women. However, landmark government reforms are aiming to combat this disparity.

Employment Opportunities

The labor participation rate amongst women is approximately 50.5%, an increase of 9.6% since the 90s. This is lower than the male participation rate, which is approximately 62.4%. This reveals how around 49.5% of women who are eligible to work in Cabo Verde are out of work.

For the women who are in employment, the opportunities that are available to them are limited. Although women hold 29% of senior and middle management roles within businesses, data from the World Bank reveals how the rate of vulnerable employment is higher amongst women than it is for men. This is work that has more informal arrangements and less social protection. 44.7% of women work within this industry, compared to 26.1% of men, fueling the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde.

Tourism offers many employment opportunities as it makes up 25% of Cabo Verde’s GDP. While women make up 60% of the labor within this industry, they earn 50% less than their male counterparts. Many women have short-term work contracts, a shortcoming that offers more instability for working women.

Marriage and Childcare

Early marriage and childcare responsibilities can limit women’s potential earnings which widens the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde. About 93% of non-employed women revealed that family responsibilities are their main reason for being out of work, with this issue being particularly prominent in rural areas.

According to UN Women, 8.4% of women aged 20 to 24 were married before they were 18. Early marriage can disrupt a woman’s education and her access to skills and resources needed to find good employment.

Efforts To Combat the Gender Wage Gap in Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde’s constitution guarantees equal rights for men and women. This is reflected in the Law of Parity, passed in 2019 which outlines a minimum quota of 40% in the representation of each gender within voting and electoral lists. By increasing female participation in politics, it strengthens the position of women within the workforce, minimizing the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde.

In 2023, UN Women, with the support of the Cabo Verdean Institute for Gender Equality and Equity commissioned the Action Plan for Gender Mainstreaming in Tourism. Its priorities include institutional strengthening, training and capacity building and women’s equality and empowerment. This resulted in the development of mentoring programs for women in male-dominated industries.

The impact of the expansion of vocational training for women enables them to gain important skills in business and financial literacy, combatting the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde. Katia Tavares is a recipient of the government’s program, where she undertook courses in a variety of fields. She chose to pursue a career in plumbing, a male-dominated field, due to its financial benefits. It marked a change from her previous job of selling clothes, where many days were unprofitable.

Women in the Workplace

In 2024, the Ministry of Finance in Cabo Verde implemented the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions, with a Gender Equality Commission formed to monitor the effective implementation of it within the workplace. It aimed to promote gender equality through government transparency. One of its key aims is the prevention and response to workplace harassment and gender-based violence.

This initiative highlights the next steps in ensuring women are safe as they enter the workplace. With many government initiatives in place, there is a clear drive to close the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde to create meaningful equality between men and women.

– Maya Tailor

Maya is based in London, UK and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Vocational Education Training Centers in Iran

Vocational Education Training In IranVocational education training centers in Iran are giving young people a direct path from the classroom to the job market. These centers teach trades such as fashion design IT and construction, connecting graduates to industries that are actively hiring. The need is urgent: young people are increasingly being pushed to the margins of unemployment, with youth unemployment in Iran among young people ages 15-24 reaching 21.9%, according to the World Bank.

The Skills Gap 

Iran has invested heavily in general education over recent decades, literacy among young men and women now sits at 99%. Vocation training, however, has not kept pace with the same progress. Many VETCs still rely on outdated equipment and teaching methods, weak links to industry are leaving graduates without a clear path to employment.

This mismatch hits young women and low income youth the hardest. Even though women make up nearly 60% of Iran’s university students, only about 14% participate in the labor force. Indicating steep barriers when women try to translate education into paid work. Economic strain compounds the problem: currency swings, internet distributions and regional tensions have all weakened business confidence and slowed hiring over the past year, and employers increasingly favor experienced workers over new graduates.

The stakes go beyond unemployment. According to the World Bank, the share of Iranians living below the upper-middle-income poverty line was projected to rise from 33.2% in 2024 to 35.4% in 2025, with a further increase to 38.8% expected in 2026, driven by economic contraction and high inflation. This means that a growing share of families, many with young people entering the job market, are struggling to meet basic needs. For young people without vocational skills, this makes the transition into stable paid work harder.

A New Partnership 

A joint project between Iran and international partners is now working to minimize this gap. Since 2023, Iran’s Instructor Training Center (ITC) in Karaj, which has trained instructors for the country’s Technical and Vocational Training Organization (TVTO) since 1974, has partnered with UNESCO and South Korea’s international development agency, on the ‘Innovating Iran’s Instructor Training Center.’

The project, which runs through 2028, aims to modernize training centers curricula and facilities so that instructors are able to teach skills that accommodate a modern labor market rather than decades-old industry standards. The program includes training across seven different sectors including agriculture, construction, fashion design and sewing. The initiative also aims to build inclusion measures for women and underprivileged youth directly into its design. The results so far reach beyond the classroom: the project directly trains 35 master trainers, 2,500 trainees and about 250 instructors. Its updated methods reach 15,000 TVTO personnel and more than 1 million trainees across Iran’s wider vocational system each year.

Formal Employment 

Vocational education training centers in Iran do more than fill classroom seats; they change how young Iranians enter the workforce. Research from the Center of Economic policy shows that after Iran faced sweeping international sanctions in 2012, workers in the most exposed industries shifted sharply toward informal employment, which typically leads to lower pay and no access to social protections. Proving that vocational training can help offset this shift, by giving workers skills that transfer directly to formal registered jobs. For a country where economic shocks keep pushing workers into the informal sectors, expanding vocational training is not just an education policy; it’s a buffer against long term economic instability.

Looking Ahead

Vocational education training centers in Iran cannot fix every barrier facing the country’s young job seekers, but they show a workable model for closing the gap between education and employment. The ITC innovation project demonstrates that modernized training paired with real support produces measurable results. As Iran’s youth unemployment crisis deepens, continued investment in Education Training Centers in Iran from both the government and international partners offers one of the clearest paths towards a more resilient economy and a more hopeful future. 

– Alana Breslin

Alana is based in London, UK and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Colombia’s Decreasing Unemployment Rate

Colombia's decreasing unemployment rateCompared to other Latin American countries, Colombia’s unemployment rate has always been notably higher. Currently, the average rate for Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the International Labor Organization, is 5.5%, whereas Colombia’s is 8.3%. This leaves many people and families in the country impoverished and food insecure, especially in families where both parents cannot work. However, despite being much higher than average, Colombia’s decreasing unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since 1994.

Unemployment in the Past

The lowest Colombia’s unemployment rate has been in recent decades was 7.8% in 1993, aligning with Latin America’s lowest until the average hit a new low in 2024. Despite this all-time low in the ’90s, the highest the unemployment rate reached was just seven years later in 2000 after Colombia’s 1999 economic crisis. This was caused by a rapid increase in public expenditure and major debt within private sectors, leading to a sharp drop in GDP growth. At its peak, the unemployment rate reached 20.5%, almost triple what it was in 1993.

Though Colombia was able to recover steadily after the recession, the rate began to increase again from 8.6% in 2015 to 16% in 2020, with the major spike mostly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This worldwide event left people jobless everywhere, so it is no surprise that Colombia faced similar circumstances. However, despite this spike, the country recovered much faster than in 2000, with Colombia’s decreasing unemployment rates now being the lowest they have been this century, just three years after the pandemic was declared over.

What Has Changed?

  • The fertility rate has decreased. From 2000 to 2024, the fertility rate in Colombian women went from 2.5 to 1.6 children. A lowered fertility rate leads to fewer people requiring jobs as well as fewer parents being financially insecure, while also allowing more women to join the workforce since they have fewer, if any, children to care for at home.
  • Education rates have been rising as well. Colombia’s decreasing unemployment rate has gone hand-in-hand with rising education rates, especially among women. In 2019, only 73% of the population had an upper-secondary education, but that has already increased to 83% as of 2024. Higher education typically means more job opportunities, allowing more people to have jobs overall.
  • The enactment of mandatory disability hiring. As part of Colombia’s 2025 labor reform, policies forcing companies to meet a disability hiring quota, as well as training and accommodation for these new hires, are giving more people the opportunity to work in various sectors. This mandatory act is employing people who previously would have struggled to find places of work, causing the unemployment rate to decrease.
  • The enactment of new anti-discrimination policies. Another key part of the 2025 labor reform was various policies to prevent discrimination and harassment to make the workplace safer, especially for minorities. This will not only give more minorities, especially women, the chance to be hired, but it also will keep them working by helping them feel safe in the work environment.
  • Increased job availability in specific industries. Specifically, accommodation and food services, education and health care, transportation, and public administration have all contributed to the increasing job market. In addition to those, more citizens have been able to find work in the arts than in previous years.
  • Receiving outside organizational help. Specifically, nonprofits like the AVSI Foundation and Mercy Corps work to provide more job opportunities to those in need. The AVSI Foundation has educational programs and job placement help specifically targeted at low-income households and women. Meanwhile, Mercy Corps works in the agricultural sector of Colombia by helping farmers acquire land and better crops, having now supported over 3,200 farmers.

Looking Ahead

Colombia’s decreasing unemployment rate still has a long way to go to be on par with some of the surrounding countries, most notably in rural areas, which have seen much less improvement than urban ones. However, if it maintains its current decreasing rate by continuing the implementation of labor laws and giving more citizens the opportunity to work, mass unemployment in Colombia will be a thing of the past.

– Ally Jones

Ally is based in Bethany, OK, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Vocational Education in Sri Lanka

Vocational Education in Sri LankaBetween 1983 and 2024, devastation after devastation hit Sri Lanka, disrupting the economy and sky-rocketing the unemployment and poverty rates. During the height of the Sri Lankan Civil War between 1983 and 2009, upwards of 36% of youth, ages 18 to 24, were unemployed and about 23.4% of the population lived on $3 per day. Less than a decade after the war, ISIS bombed the country in 2019, drying up economic boosts tied to tourism and sinking the country into an economic crisis lasting for five years. Recently, the global pandemic and the U.S. and Iran war raised fuel prices, national unemployment and poverty rates remain high. However, both have been on a steady decline, partly due to the vocational education training centers in Sri Lanka, otherwise known as VETs.

Context of Northeast Sri Lanka

While tension between the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic groups seems to originate out of cultural disputes, British imperialism certainly provoked it. Experts suggest that the Sinhalese community felt threatened due to the Tamil group’s prosperity growth, which was partly a response to British favoritism. Following imperial rule, the Sinhalese slowly gained power in government, gradually passing laws effectively disenfranchising Tamil people. The Sinhala Only Act, for instance, made Sinhala the only official language of Sri Lanka and created barriers for Tamil people seeking employment or roles within the government.

Discriminatory practices resulted in a proposition for Tamil Eelam, a separate state for Tamils. By the 1980s, Tamils lived almost entirely separate from Sinhalese, occupying the north and east while most Sinhalese lived in southern, western and central Sri Lanka. Following riots targeting Tamils in July 1983, now known as Black July, the Sri Lankan Civil War began. It devastated the country and its economy, lasting until 2009, when the Sri Lankan government announced that it killed the leader of Tamil Eelam.

The end of the war was certainly not the end of discrimination against Tamil people. Sinhalese culture has removed Tamil culture in areas of predominantly Tamil ethnicity, replacing monuments, road signs, street and village names and places of worship. According to a report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the northeast of Sri Lanka, predominantly Tamil, is multi-dimensionally poor. Large tracts of privately owned land are under military occupation, and the World Bank has noted that 500,000 people lost their jobs due to the economic crisis between 2019 and 2024.

What Are VETs?

Vocational education training centers in Sri Lanka, specific types of programs focused on technical skills for individual jobs, are actively working to reduce unemployment rates. These programs differ from typical education in a number of ways, the key one being prioritization of hands-on experiences of learned skills. Implementation of these programs has been linked with economic growth, as it supports both a skilled workforce in the technical industry and enhanced employability for graduates.

The Impact of Vocational Education Training in Sri Lanka

Vocational education training centers in Sri Lanka have existed since 1893 with the formation of the Government Technical School, but following the Vocational Training Authority of Sri Lanka Act No. 12 of 1995, several new programs were implemented, designed to increase employability. One such program is iLEAD, or the Initiative for Livelihood Education Development, which is part of Action Education. Founded in 2006, iLEAD has since trained more than 12,000 disadvantaged students and built 10 centers across the country, with five centered in northeast districts. Poverty rates have remained high in northeast Sri Lanka, where many still suffer the effects of the civil war, facing marginalization, unemployment and violence. Vocational education training centers in Sri Lanka like programs offered by Action Education have helped those affected receive certification in IT, sales and English, allowing students to obtain nationally and internationally recognized degrees and find employment.

Hope for the Economy of the Future

Focused on bridging the gap between the unemployed and access to education, programs like Action Education are slowly working to reduce poverty rates nationally. Vocational education training centers in Sri Lanka are still limited, and many don’t have proper accreditation, but others are working to increase confidence in young people, teaching them necessary competencies to perform skilled labor. Combating generational poverty that’s the result of a war, a global pandemic and an economic crisis takes time, but these programs are making a difference.

– Madalyn Youngbauer

Madalyn is based in Blaine, MN, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay

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How Vocational Education in Argentina Helps Reduce Poverty

Vocational Education in ArgentinaTechnical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a method of education that teaches students practical skills and offers hands-on experience in the workplace. With more than one-third of Argentina living below the national poverty line and unemployment rates increasing to levels like those recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, access to education and employment opportunities remains critical. By providing skills that will help people acquire employment and succeed in their careers, vocational training in Argentina can help to reduce rates of unemployment and poverty.

Poverty in Argentina

Although there are many factors that contribute to poverty in Argentina, two factors that seem to be related to the risk of poverty are education level and employment status. Among Argentines who are aged 16 and older, 19.6% of those living below the poverty line do not have an education and 18.3% only have a primary education.

Additionally, in early 2025, Argentina reported an unemployment rate of 7.9%, the highest level recorded since 2021. This decrease in official employment corresponds with many workers transitioning to unreliable sources of income such as self-employment and casual jobs.

What Vocational Education Offers

TVET offers students skills and experience working in specific career fields such as:

  • Construction
  • Services (e.g., Administration, Tourism, Graphic Design, Multimedia Training and Computer Science)
  • Agriculture
  • Manufacturing (e.g., Mechanics, Energy, Electronics, Clothing and Textiles)
  • Health
  • Safety, Environment and Hygiene

TVET consists of three levels of vocational education. Secondary Technical Education combines general high school education with training in specific technical industries and teaches students about professional practices to prepare them for entering the workplace. After completing secondary education (technical or general), students can move on to Higher Technical Education, allowing them to specialize their skill set within a certain industry. Finally, Professional Training is offered to people already in the workforce so that they can improve, renew and acquire professional skills.

The Impact of Vocational Education in Argentina

After the socio-economic crisis that occurred in Argentina in the early 2000s, the government passed two laws that reestablished the importance of vocational education. In 2005, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Law (LETP as the Spanish acronym) was passed. A year later, the National Education Law (LEN as the Spanish acronym) replaced the Federal Education Law. The main goals of these laws are to:

  • Improve the coordination in Argentina’s education system across different regions
  • Address the unique needs of various school districts while complying with federal guidelines
  • Guarantee the right to an education
  • Improve the inclusivity and quality of higher education 

The LETP emphasizes increased funding and improving the quality of vocational education through updates in the curriculum, infrastructure and technology used to teach students.

These changes within the TVET system are important because higher education has been shown to reduce the risk of unemployment and increase average wages. Among unemployed Argentines, only 4.1% of them have a post-secondary education compared to 7.8% who do not have a secondary education and 7.2% who do. Additionally, people with a post-secondary education tend to earn 63% more in wages compared to people with just a secondary education.

In the early 1980s, the nonprofit organization Star of Hope established a small school in the remote region of Namqom that continues to help people develop practical skills to gain employment. Subjects taught at this school have included hairdressing, bricklaying, electrical engineering and cooking and baking. Selsa Diaz, a cooking and baking instructor, stated that the school’s primary objective was that “each student should be able to have some income” upon graduation. The 36 students at this school learn how to bake and cook various dishes. After completing their course work, students receive a diploma as proof of what they accomplished. Diaz remarked on the work ethic of her students stating that “everybody makes an effort to learn everyday.”

Looking Ahead

As the rates of poverty and employment have continued to rise in Argentina, the importance of learning practical skills and gaining job experience has become increasingly apparent. The TVET system seeks to empower students by giving them the knowledge, skills and confidence to obtain financial stability. By providing people with higher education and a chance to acquire skills that will benefit them in the workplace, vocational education in Argentina can also provide people with the opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty.

– Lily Alexander

Lily is based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How KOTO Trains At-Risk Youth in Vietnam

Mist-covered mountains and terraced fields in Sapa, Vietnam, showcasing natural beauty. KOTOIn a 180-seat restaurant and training center near Hanoi’s Temple of Literature, young cooks and servers practice a trade that can lift them out of poverty for good. They are trainees at KOTO — short for “Know One, Teach One” — a social enterprise that has spent more than 25 years turning at-risk youth in Vietnam into hospitality professionals. The idea is simple but powerful: pair vocational training with a stable, supportive home, then send graduates into one of the country’s fastest-growing sectors.

Jimmy Pham, a Vietnamese-Australian who grew up in Sydney, founded KOTO in 1999. Returning to Vietnam in his twenties, he met street children who told him they wanted skills to find stable jobs. He opened a small Hanoi sandwich shop and hired nine street kids as its first crew. The venture puzzled local officials, who had no category for a business built to serve the poor — KOTO later became the first legally recognized social enterprise in Vietnam. The shop drew global attention in 2000, when U.S. President Bill Clinton, the first American president to visit Vietnam after the war, made an unannounced stop. RMIT University awarded Pham an honorary doctorate in recognition of his work.

The Model: Skills, Stability and a Second Family

KOTO runs a 24-month hospitality program for young people 16 to 22 years old, training about 150 each year. Trainees choose front-of-house service or commercial cookery and earn an internationally recognized certificate through Australia’s Box Hill Institute. Crucially, the program is entirely free: KOTO covers food, health care and accommodation in a family environment, so trainees can focus on learning rather than survival. Alongside cooking and service, instructors teach English and life skills such as personal hygiene and money management. When trainees finish, KOTO places them in their first hospitality job.

The scale of need explains why the model matters. Vietnamese call children who live and work on the streets “bụi đời,” which means “the dust of life,” and in Hanoi alone an estimated 19,000 young people live on the streets. Many support themselves and their families through hard labor, with limited access to education and real exposure to exploitation and abuse. For at-risk youth in Vietnam, a steady wage often stands between them and those dangers — and the skills to earn one are exactly what KOTO provides.

Breaking the Cycle

The results suggest stable employment can break cycles of poverty within a single generation. KOTO reports that 100% of its trainees secure a job, 33% move into managerial roles and 78% contribute financially to their families. Graduates staff five-star hotels such as Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton and Sofitel, and alumni mentor newcomers so closely that the industry jokes about a “KOTO mafia.” Over 25 years, more than 1,700 graduates — including chefs, managers and entrepreneurs — have come through the program.

Nguyen Thi Thu’s story shows what that can look like. She met Pham at 16, while selling candy to support her mother and siblings, and joined KOTO’s second cohort. Today, she heads training at a multinational corporation, and her sister is a personal chef to an ambassador in Vietnam. Thu calls Pham her “moon” — a source of light and guidance. Pham frames the mission in larger terms, saying he wants to build the next generation of Vietnamese leaders in the industry.

KOTO is now expanding. The Kind Heart Foundation of the Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup is helping fund a new training center in Bac Ninh Province that will double KOTO’s capacity to 300 trainees, up from 150. To stay sustainable, KOTO funds its work through restaurant revenue, grants, corporate sponsorship, fundraising and alumni-run services, which reduces its reliance on any single donor.

Looking Ahead

The self-renewing design is the point. For at-risk youth in Vietnam, KOTO offers more than a job — it offers a stable income, a marketable skill and a community that expects each graduate to lift up the next. In a country where tourism keeps growing and skilled hospitality workers stay in demand, that combination can turn a vulnerable childhood into a durable livelihood, and often pull an entire family out of poverty along with it.

– Jen Phan

Jen is based in Hanoi, Vietnam and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Higher Education in Iran: The Cost of Losing a Generation

Higher Education in Iran

In an increasingly precarious global position, young Iranians are choosing higher education as a path to economic opportunity, liberty and financial stability. However, for many Iranian students, this entails another shift: Recent reports suggest that up to 80% of Iranian students are considering emigration, while the number studying abroad reached a record 110,000 in 2024. Widespread concerns about the limited professional opportunities and restrictions on university life and academic growth have contributed to a growing separation between students and Iranian institutions. This emerging mass exodus highlights the hidden challenges facing higher education in Iran and the importance of supportive academic programs for young scholars.

A Growing Student Exodus

Over the past several decades, Iran has made significant progress in expanding access to higher education. Today, women make up nearly 60% of all university students, compared to just 3% of higher-education enrollment in 1978, reflecting one of the most dramatic increases in female educational attainment in the Middle East. Iranian universities have also increased their production of highly skilled graduates in STEM-oriented fields, like medicine, engineering and science. Despite these advancements, many scholars still choose to pursue their careers abroad; human rights organizations have documented restrictions on activism, disciplinary actions against scholars involved in political advocacy, and the limiting of academic expression and freedom at schools. Simultaneously, future career opportunities are becoming limited due to economic instability, leaving a hyper-competitive job market for highly-trained, highly-educated students.

According to the Financial Times, about 110,000 Iranian students chose to study abroad in places like Turkey, Canada and Germany in 2024, which is the highest number of students to date. While this represents only about 3.4% of Iran’s university student population, the figure has nearly doubled since 2020, reflecting a rapidly growing student exodus. This mass departure of highly educated scholars stunts not only the long-term development of educational institutions, but also entrepreneurship and innovation; graduates are the ones that drive the research required of economic growth and scientific progress.

The Impact on Education in Iran

This student migration can have effects beyond the labor market; universities have been shown to thrive when their students are given full academic freedom to exchange ideas and research. Ongoing concerns about academic freedom, professional opportunities and political restrictions have contributed to growing frustration among some students and scholars, limiting Iran’s ability to retain highly educated talent and fully capitalize on its educational achievements.

On one hand, though female freedoms and rights have increased within Iran, continued restriction through Iran’s religious persecution still affect women’s education, resulting in barriers in the workforce and limitations on academic or professional advancement.

However, many female graduates continue to face barriers in the workforce and limitations on professional advancement. Although women comprise a majority of university students in Iran, only about 14% of women participate in the labor force, highlighting the gap between educational achievement and economic opportunity. Researchers have found that these challenges contribute to the growing number of Iranian women pursuing educational and career opportunities abroad, adding to the country’s broader loss of highly educated talent. According to Iran’s Civil Code, a husband can legally prevent his wife from pursuing a career or opportunity if he believes it conflicts with “family interests” or his sense of dignity. Human Rights Watch argues that this restriction, when combined with barriers to certain occupations and limited protections against workplace discrimination, can render it difficult for highly educated women to participate fully in the workforce even after a performance of academic excellence.

In this case, many experts argue that educational systems do the best when all students are given the liberty to participate fully in the academic and professional sphere, and opportunities are given out based on merit. This means that the expansion of opportunities for both men and women, and their ability to participate equally, improves the educational system and contributes to national development.

Supporting Scholars and Academic Freedom

As of now, many organizations strive to ensure that students and scholars alike possess the ability to continue their education despite political barriers or restrictions on academic freedom. One such organization, Scholars at Risk, works to support threatened scholars and defend academic freedom around the world. Through resources such as advocacy initiatives, emergency assistance and temporary academic placements, the organization helps scholars continue learning, teaching and researching at host universities globally. Additionally, the organization documents attacks on higher education and provides support for students and teachers whose work has been disrupted by political instability, conflict or persecution.

Scholars at Risk has also reported on restrictions affecting academics in Iran and advocated on behalf of Iranian scholars facing threats to their academic freedom. Through these efforts, scholars are given a space to continue contributing to their fields regardless of political or social barriers. The mission of the organization is especially unique: by providing scholars with opportunities and resources to continue their academic journeys safely, it also helps preserve the valuable expertise and knowledge that higher education brings.

Looking Ahead

As shown, the future of higher education in Iran rests not only on the rates of university enrollment, but also on the functionality of education within a future career that provides economic and financial stability. Organizations like Scholars at Risk demonstrate the global cooperation necessary to expand educational opportunity and protect academic freedom. Ultimately, as more and more educated young Iranians choose to seek opportunities abroad, Iran risks losing not only a generation of researchers, innovators, and professionals, but also the people essential to the nation’s long-term development. With their support, students and scholars can continue their work despite political, economic or social barriers, resulting in the preservation of knowledge and advancement of a society. 

– Kiana Raoufiniai

Kiana is based in Franklin, TN, USA and focuses on Business and New Markets, and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Continuing Access To Higher Education in Ecuador

Higher Education in EcuadorHigher education degrees have become a significant attribute in obtaining successful employment, yet at the same time it can be very difficult to acquire, especially for those in underserved communities. It can perpetuate a cycle of unequal opportunity and debt with little support resources. 

In Ecuador, these barriers are heightened due to persistent systemic and regional disparities leading to gaps in university completion rates. Government policies and scholarship programs established in recent years aim to supply more resources for improving access to higher education nationwide. Here is more information about higher education in Ecuador.

Challenges for Higher Education in Ecuador

Many students face financial and geographic barriers to earning their degrees. Research on public higher education access in Ecuador found that students from ethnic minorities including Indigenous students, students from the Pacific Coast region and students with disabilities were less likely to access the country’s top public universities. 

The study also found that students from schools with stronger learning conditions had a greater likelihood of being admitted to certain schools. These findings demonstrate how inequalities can impact educational opportunities well before the student begins the admissions process.

Affordability remains a major contributor to these challenges as well. Many students rely on financial assistance and scholarship support in order to pursue higher education. Oftentimes, financial assistance can determine whether a student attends university at all.

Government Efforts

Contrary to global trends, the Ecuadorian government increased public investment in higher education during the 2010s, becoming the country with the second largest increase in investment in higher education worldwide.

These investments expanded access to public universities, created Ecuador’s Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT) programs, and increased scholarship opportunities. Additionally, there were significant expansions in the number of scholarships available through SENESCYT while reducing interest rates on student loans from 12% to 4.6%.

Between 2012 and 2017, Ecuador invested approximately $8 billion in higher education reforms. It implemented five major higher education reforms, including free undergraduate public education, scholarship programs and the creation of four new public universities.

Policymakers have implemented higher education reforms in hopes to expand educational opportunities and align universities with Ecuador’s social and economic challenges.

The reforms have focused on increasing support for all students going through the admissions process to establish stronger pathways for a future of continuous economic growth and success.

International Organizations Support

International organizations play an important role in expanding higher educational opportunities in Ecuador in several ways. 

In 2016, the World Bank approved a $90.5 million loan to support public technical and technological education programs throughout the country. The initiative aimed to increase student participation, while strengthening institutional management in Ecuador’s higher education system. According to the World Bank, the project was expected to benefit more than 38,000 Ecuadorian students in its attempt to improve access to programs designed in collaboration with local employers.

By expanding technical and technological training opportunities, students were more equipped with skills that align with the labor market to enhance longer term economic opportunity.

Continuous Progress in Ecuador

While challenges remain, recent trends suggest that higher education in Ecuador continues to move in a positive direction. Recent reforms and investments have expanded access to higher education and created new opportunities for students throughout Ecuador.

Educators and policymakers are continuing to address disparities affecting marginalized communities in hopes to create more inclusive higher education systems. Affirmative action initiatives along with student loan and scholarship programs run by Ecuador’s Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT) have been crucial.

Higher education can provide students with specialized skills that create opportunity for employment and increase earnings over time. As Ecuador continues to strengthen access to educational equity, higher education remains an important tool for promoting economic mobility and reducing poverty for generations.

– India Hairston

India is based in Malvern, PA, USA and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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How Yikodeen Is Building Safety Footwear in Nigeria

Safety Footwear in NigeriaIn Nigeria, high poverty and limited formal employment make local manufacturing more than a business issue. It is also a development issue. The World Bank estimated that the share of Nigerians living below the national poverty line rose from 40.1% in 2018-19 to 42.9% in 2022. Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics also reported that 63% of people were multidimensionally poor in 2022, meaning they faced overlapping deprivations in areas such as health, education, living standards, work and security. In this context, safety footwear in Nigeria matters not only as a product but as part of a larger story about jobs, skills and local industrial capacity.

From Fashion Shoes to Industrial Footwear

Atunde did not begin with industrial boots. According to How We Made It in Africa, he studied computer science, trained in Italy, visited factories in China and later worked manually in a Nigerian shoe factory to understand local production. He saw differences in quality, process and scale, then used those lessons to build a company that could compete with imported footwear.

Yikodeen started in 2016 with fashion shoes. The company’s first major turning point came when it secured an order for 10,000 pairs of shoes for the police. At the time, Yikodeen was producing only a few hundred pairs each month, so the company needed machines and workers quickly. Instead of importing new equipment, Atunde bought and refurbished machines from old Nigerian footwear factories. The order pushed the company to grow from about 15 workers to about 50 and helped it move into government and security-sector supply.

Why the Safety-Boot Pivot Mattered

The police contract pointed Yikodeen toward a more deliberate market: safety footwear in Nigeria. In 2018, the company began developing safety boots, but certification requirements and the COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress. A key breakthrough came when Saipem, an Italian oil-services company operating in Nigeria, tested Yikodeen’s safety boots and began placing orders in 2022. That helped prove that a Nigerian manufacturer could meet strict safety and procurement standards.

That strategy fit a market where local content rules and workplace safety needs can create openings for domestic manufacturers. AVCA reported that Yikodeen is one of the indigenous manufacturers licensed by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board to supply the oil and gas industry. These credentials matter because industrial clients need products that meet safety requirements, while local-content policies can encourage companies to buy from qualified Nigerian suppliers.

Investment, Scale and Jobs

Growth brought outside capital. In 2025, Aruwa Capital Management invested $1.5 million in Yikodeen. How We Made It in Africa reported that the investment was expected to increase annual capacity roughly tenfold, helping the company meet larger corporate orders. Yikodeen also said the investment would support capacity expansion, local production and product development.

For workers, the expansion matters because it can create practical pathways into skilled production. The Guardian Nigeria reported that the upgrade was expected to create about 200 new jobs and bring more than 20 product varieties to the Nigerian safety-footwear market. These jobs and skills can help families facing poverty by offering income, training and a connection to formal industrial supply chains.

Why This Matters for Poverty Reduction

Yikodeen’s story matters because poverty in Nigeria is not only about income. The National Bureau of Statistics reported that many Nigerians experience overlapping deprivations in sanitation, food security, health care, housing quality, education and employment. For people in poverty, daily life can mean unstable work, long commutes, difficulty paying for basic needs and limited access to secure formal jobs. Manufacturing can help address part of this challenge when it creates reliable work, builds skills and strengthens local supply chains.

Safety footwear in Nigeria also has a worker-protection dimension. In sectors such as construction, oil and gas, power and manufacturing, reliable protective boots can reduce the risks workers face on the job. When these boots are made locally, the benefits can spread beyond the buyers: factories need machine operators, quality-control staff, warehouse workers, sales teams and suppliers. That makes Yikodeen a useful example of how local manufacturing can support both worker safety and economic opportunity.

A Practical Lesson for Local Industry

Yikodeen grew by repairing what Nigeria already had, meeting strict standards and reinvesting in production. Its use of refurbished machinery shows that industrial capacity can sometimes be rebuilt by recovering old assets and pairing them with new skills. Its work with demanding clients also shows that local firms can move into higher-value markets when they meet certification and quality requirements.

The company’s story does not mean local manufacturing is easy. Atunde has pointed to workforce management as one of the hardest parts of scaling, especially when lower-wage workers also need basic support such as meals and nearby accommodation. Still, Yikodeen shows how safety footwear in Nigeria can become part of a wider development pathway: protecting workers, creating jobs and proving that local firms can supply industries that once relied heavily on imports.

– Josephine Dokpesi

Josephine is based in the United Kingdom and focuses on Business and New Markets for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons