Since 2021, the IRC and Agility have partnered together to provide crucial educational support for young people, especially young women, seeking to develop job skills in Abidjan. Through the JAIME program, young people in Côte d’Ivoire access quality life skill trainings, such as agricultural and digital skills training, to enhance their future employment. Through this partnership, 380 young people will be trained and mentored by the IRC and Agility employees and as well as benefit from the use Logistics Park in Abidjan. This partnership will continue well into 2025 and will benefit even more young people with access to educational opportunities.
In 2022, Agility supported 140 students participating in Injaz, an organization that provides youth with a variety of skills related to entrepreneurship and work. In Kuwait, Agility supported the Injaz Innovation Camps, Job Shadows and internships. The Innovation Camps consisted of day-long seminars, targeted to middle and high school students. The seminars helped students learn how to innovate business ideas – e.g. new products, services – based on real business challenges. In the Job Shadow program, middle and high school students visited Agility’s offices, to learn about the different functions of the company’s business, including HR, finance, marketing, sales and operations. Students also interned at Agility, to learn about different departments and opportunities.
In 2022, Agility supported UniCode, a program led by CODED Kuwait. In this program, university age young adults were provided with free applications development training. The training, designed as a coding boot camp, was conducted over a 2 month period. Students worked in cohorts and each cohort developed real applications over the 2 month training program. The program taught students the ins and outs of web apps, mobile apps and games development during the training. In 2022, three cohorts were conducted, reaching 335 students (64% female).
Since 2021, Agility has supported International Rescue Committee (IRC) employment training programs in Cote D’Ivoire. In coordination with Ivorian NGO PRO-Jeunes, IRC provided skills development and training to 545 young people.
In one program, Agility provides classroom space at its Abijan Logistics Park, as well as computers, internet access and funding for free training. The on-site training includes life skills, ICT, entrepreneurial skills and digital marketing. The training program has multiple groups of approximately 20 students each taking classes at the Agility Training Center.
A second program provides agriculture and agribusiness training at a local community farm and includes instruction in traditional farming and fish farming, including how to prepare, build, maintain and manage productive farming operations.
The partnership between PRO-Jeunes, IRC and Agility has proved to be exceptionally effective. Due to its success, in 2023 the Ivorian government also contributed funding and helped to manage these local programs using government facilities, land and resources. IRC and Agility will continue supporting the ICT, life skills and entrepreneurial skills development program, as well as work with the agricultural skills development program in other areas.
From 2021 through 2023, we reached 545+ people.