Airtel partners with USAID-funded youth skills development project

The 21for21 ‘Skills at Work’ photo competition recently concluded with the prize giving held at Airtel Lanka Head Office, World Trade Centre.

Celebrating a month dedicated to empowering youth, Airtel Lanka partnered with the USAID-funded youth skills development and entrepreneurship project, YouLead to mark World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) and International Youth Day (IYD) 2020 under the theme of ‘21FOR21’. The objective of the campaign was to introduce 21 critical skills for youth employment and entrepreneurship in the 21st century.

This year’s WYSD & IYD took place in a challenging context. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures have led to worldwide slowing down and in most cases closure of educational institutions, threatening the continuity of learning and development. In an effort to support recovery, Airtel collaborated with YouLead to give youth an opportunity for uninterrupted skills development online during the pandemic.

Commenting on the partnership, Airtel’s CEO & Managing Director, Ashish Chandra said: “The digital age has been characterised by a rapid shift from traditional industry to an economy primarily based upon information technology. Hence, it is vital that our youth recognize and adapt to the emerging skills demanded by this broader shift. Doing so will be the key to leveraging new opportunities. As a telco which champions youth empowerment in Sri Lanka, we are happy to partner with YouLead in training the next generation on innovation, problem solving, critical thinking, technology literacy and many other skills essential for them to thrive in the workplace of the future.”