Africa is home to one of the largest and fastest-growing youth populations in the world, currently representing approximately 22.6% of the global youth population, or 426 million young people. This demographic shift presents both significant opportunities and pressing challenges, particularly in the areas of education, skills development, and employment.
While many African economies are expanding, youth across the continent often face limited access to inclusive, high-quality education and training systems. In particular, expanded investments in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Work-Based Learning (WBL) are critical to equipping young people with the practical skills needed to thrive in an evolving labour market and improve their overall quality of life.
To better understand the current landscape, this blog draws on data from the latest household surveys conducted in approximately 50 African countries, alongside administrative data on TVET enrolment. The objective is to assess and compare levels of vocational education attainment and participation in WBL among youth aged 15–29.
First, we examine trends in educational attainment, with a particular focus on enrollment and completion rates of TVET programmes offered through formal institutions. The final section investigates the scope and characteristics of work-based learning across the continent, encompassing both paid and unpaid opportunities.
Educational attainment
Significant disparities in educational attainment among countries
Despite the progress made over recent decades, a significant proportion of youth in Africa still lack access to education. On average,
- 21% have never attended school or completed only pre-primary education.
- 46% have completed primary or lower secondary education.
- 21% have completed upper secondary education or post-secondary non-tertiary education
- 5% have completed tertiary education
More than one in five young people have not completed even primary education. About half have completed only primary or lower secondary education.
There are geographical disparities across countries, with persistently low levels of attainment in countries like Chad, Djibouti, Mal, Niger and Mauritania where more than half of youth have not completed even primary education, limiting their ability to acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills essential for employment.
While there have been efforts to strengthen educational systems, many challenges persist. These include inadequate infrastructure, teacher absenteeism, outdated curricula, and a shortage of learning materials. Additionally, many young people remain disengaged from formal education, particularly at the upper secondary level.
Young women are more likely to never attend school
Gender disparities remain deeply rooted within education systems across many countries in Africa. Data consistently reveal that young women are significantly more likely than young men to have never attended school or to have only completed pre-primary education, severely limiting their access to continued learning and future employment opportunities.
Interestingly, these disparities become less pronounced at higher levels of education, suggesting that once girls enter and remain in the system, their chances of progression improve. However, the primary hurdle lies in initial access and sustained retention—ensuring girls not only enrol in school but are supported to stay and succeed throughout their educational journey.
Low participation in TVET programmes across African secondary education systems
TVET is widely regarded as a means to provide pathways to decent employment and a critical tool for addressing youth unemployment. Yet, enrolment in formal TVET enrolments remains low across most African countries, particularly among female students.
At the lower secondary education level (ISCED level 2), vocational programmes are relatively uncommon. In 2022, such programmes accounted for just 3.4% of total enrolment at this level in Northern Africa, and only 1.8% in Sub-Saharan Africa. In several countries, vocational options at this level were not available at all, underscoring significant gaps in early-stage skills development. Male pupils are marginally more likely than female pupils to attend vocational programmes at this level, contributing to persistent gender disparities in access to practical education.
At the upper secondary level (ISCED level 3), vocational education is somewhat more established. In Northern Africa, nearly a third (31.2%) of all upper secondary school students were enrolled in vocational programmes, with male participation notably higher than that of female students. In Sub-Saharan Africa, enrolment was significantly lower, with fewer than 15% of upper secondary students enrolled in vocational education.
Between 2000 and 2022, both regions experienced a decline in vocational enrolment at the lower and upper secondary levels. This trend raises concern about the weakening presence of TVET within formal schooling systems—despite its critical role in preparing youth for meaningful employment and improving life outcomes.
At the post-secondary non-tertiary level (ISCED level 4), vocational enrolment is far more prevalent. Across 27 countries with data, 84.7% of students were enrolled in vocational programmes. In 21 of these 27 countries, all students at this level were enrolled in TVET. Unlike at the lower and upper secondary levels, female participation in TVET programmes slightly exceeded that of males—95.2% versus 93.5%, respectively.
In the remaining countries, either no students were enrolled at post-secondary non-tertiary level, or relevant data were unavailable.
Educational attainment in TVET programmes
Boosting vocational education access for Africa's youth
Despite its proven benefits, TVET completion among African youth remains limited. Only 6.5% of youth aged 15–29 across 43 countries have completed a TVET programme. This low level of attainment signals a significant shortfall in access to skills-based education.
TVET attainment rates vary dramatically. It is above 15% in Djibouti, Seychelles, Tanzania, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Comoros, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Lesotho, and below 1% in 13 countries, highlighting severe participation barriers.
These disparities reflect differences in policy priorities, investment levels, and educational infrastructure. Expanding access to vocational education is vital for fostering youth employability and driving inclusive economic growth across the continent.
Gender disparities are also evident. In most countries, young men are more likely than young women to complete vocational training. However, some encouraging trends are emerging in countries such as Lesotho, Rwanda, and South Africa, where female completion rates surpass those of males.
These figures highlight the urgent need to expand access to and improve the quality of vocational education across the continent—particularly through inclusive policies that promote gender equity and respond to labor market demand.
Persistent youth NEET challenge in sub-Saharan Africa
Youth (15-24) not in employment, education or training (NEET) rates remain persistently high across both Northern Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Despite numerous efforts over the past decade, the proportion of youth disengaged from formal systems has shown minimal reduction. In 2025, an estimated 70.9 million youth in the continent were classified as NEET, representing 23.2% of the total youth population. This means that more than one in five young individuals is currently without a job, not enrolled in school, and not participating in any skills training—a status that poses long-term risks to their livelihoods, community development, and national growth. In Northern Africa, the proportion of youth NEET is estimated at 31.0 per cent and in Sub-Saharan Africa at 21.8 per cent.
This terms signals the need for more targeted interventions, including expanding access to TVET and WBL.
Expanding work-based learning opportunities for youth
WBL, including apprenticeships and internship, plays a vital role in equipping young people with practical skills needed in the labour market. However, based on household survey data, only a small share of youth are engaged in WBL programmes. In many cases, participation is informal or unpaid.
Nonetheless, WBL remains an important complement to formal education systems, particularly in countries where access to higher education is limited. Strengthening the links between schools, training institutions, and employers is key to expanding and improving these work-based learning opportunities.
Data from 35 African countries show that only 35 out of every 1000 youth (aged 15-29) participate in apprenticeship or internship programmes. Participation varies widely – from more than 50 per 1000 youth in countries such as Benin, Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Seychelles and Guinea-Bissau to fewer than 1 per 1000 participate in Lesotho and Ethiopia.
In most of the countries, young women are nearly twice less likely than young men to participate in work-based learning. This gender gap reflects broader inequalities in access to training and employment opportunities, and demands targeted policy responses.
A persistent shortage of apprenticeship, internship or other structured work-based learning opportunities—particularly paid apprenticeships and internships—further compounds the challenge Without access to formal training, many young people are left underprepared for decent employment, often relegated to precarious work or informal sectors.
Conclusions
Despite expanding access and rising levels of educational attainment, millions of young people across Africa remain excluded from formal education, employment, or training opportunities. To build a resilient and adaptable workforce, it is essential to expand participation in TVET and WBL. Lifelong learning and structured skill development must be prioritized to navigate the pressures of economic shocks and rapid technological changes.
Governments and development partners must invest in inclusive education systems, modernized TVET infrastructure aligned with labour market needs , and robust WBL programmes that offer meaningful, real-world experience.
Equally important are improved data systems to track progress and inform policy decisions. Strategic investments in statistical systems are essential to produce more comprehensive and comparable data—critical for monitoring progress and designing effective, evidence-based policies. Current analysis reveals significant gaps in both the availability and comparability of data, particularly regarding WBL. Notable variations exist in the types of WBL activities captured, including distinctions between paid and unpaid experiences. In response, the ILO is developing statistical guidelines and tools aimed at improving the measurement and understanding of WBL activities.
Concepts and definitions
Definition of youth
For the purposes of this blog, youth are defined as persons aged between 15 and 29 years old for all but the indicator on youth NEET, for which the age coverage is 15-24.
Data for youth 15-29 are available on ILOSTAT in the Youth Labour Market Indicators (YouthSTATS) database, while all other databases refer to youth 15-24.
Definitions of levels of education and TVET
Levels of education and TVET are based on the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), specifically the latest version which is ISCED-11.
Aggregate levels of education are based on the following concordances with ISCED-11.
| Aggregate level | ISCED-11 | |
| Less than basic | 0 | Less than primary education |
| Basic | 1 | Primary education |
| 2 | Lower secondary education | |
| Intermediate | 3 | Upper secondary education |
| 4 | Post-secondary non-tertiary education | |
| Advanced | 5 | Short-cycle tertiary education |
| 6 | Bachelor’s or equivalent level | |
| 7 | Master’s or equivalent level | |
| 8 | Doctoral or equivalent level | |
| Level not stated | 9 | Not elsewhere classified |
Definition of WBL
WBL refers to all forms of learning that take place in a real work environment. It may–but does not always–combine elements of learning in the workplace with off-the-job learning. Apprenticeships, internships, traineeships, and on-the-job training are the most common types of WBL. They can be paid on unpaid.
Work-based learners that participate in informal learning but also employed that participate in informal education and learning (e.g., attending short courses, workshops, or seminars), are not included in the statistics presented here. For more information, see National practices in measuring work-based learning: a critical review ILO Department of Statistics.
Data sources and methodological notes
Most African countries conduct household surveys—such as Labour Force Surveys (LFS), multipurpose and employment surveys—which serve as key sources of education and training indicators. The ILO Microdata Repository supports this work by harmonizing national data for cross-country comparability.
However, limitations exist. Surveys differ in design and coverage, and population estimates affect data accuracy. Moreover, some surveys identify apprentices across employment statuses, complicating WBL analysis.
