West Africa Vocational Education Inc
Recruitment | Job Matching | Strategic Partnership | Corporate Training I Workforce Development I Youth Unemployment I WestAfrica
WAVE (West Africa Vocational Education) envisions a future where every young African is empowered to choose and become what they imagine. We work to level the playing field for underserved African youth by building an ecosystem that supports relevant skills development and increased incomes for work-ready youth.
WAVE empowers youth (ages 18-35) by equipping them with the essential life skills they need to get a job, start a career, and build a bright future. We also advocate for the widespread adoption of a “competencies over credentials” philosophy to encourage employers to hire hardworking youth from low-income communities.
WAVE began in Nigeria by turning undervalued talent into a reliable pool of human capital for local businesses.
Since 2013, WAVE has been transforming the education-to-employment landscape with a dual approach that resolves gaps in the supply (education system) and demand sides (hiring practices).
We upskill youth with our Screen-Train-Match-Support model through direct training and growth partnerships. After training, we match youths to jobs with our 350 employer partners in high-growth industries. Alumni receive support through periodic professional development workshops to encourage lifelong learning.
WAVE’s Impact to Date
WAVE’s significant impact has helped develop Nigeria's youth workforce and improve its larger education-to-employment system. Since 2013, WAVE has:
● Reached nearly 70,000 youth: WAVE has trained 4,312 unemployed youth directly and 65,240 through growth partners on essential life skills that have enabled them to gain new
opportunities for themselves and their families.
● Secured stable employment for 73% of WAVE graduates
● Increased income potential by 200%: WAVErs’ average starting salaries are twice the national minimum wage of $83, and four times their income prior to WAVE. Their average salary over an 8-year period after training remains high at $145, 344% higher than their pre-training income.
● Partnered with over 300 employers: A growing number of businesses are investing in WAVE's workforce model, helping us create a more equitable career landscape for Nigerian youth by hiring employees based on skills rather than academic credentials.
Fundraisers
Official fundraiser
Every African Youth deserves meaningful employment
Today, more than 20M young people in Nigeria are locked out of gainful employment due to a lack of skills and work experience. Some will call it a powder keg waiting to explode if ignored At WAVE, we tackle youth unemployment across West Africa by empowering youth from low income backgrounds with the job ready skills required to access job opportunities in high growth industries and matching them with employers. Over the last 10 years, we have impacted the lives of over 65,000 young men and women supporting over 70% of them with job opportunities across various sectors and industries including hospitality, retail and administration. Our alumni earn at least twice their last known salaries and at least 3 times more than the national minimum wage. By 2028, we have a goal to reach 250k underserved African Youth Where some people see the youth unemployment crisis as a ticking time bomb, we see it through the lens of possibility as a pipeline for future leaders and business owners that will ultimately transform the region, the continent and the planet. By donating to WAVE, you are helping a young brilliant, diligent and talented person like Emmanuel who only had a high school certificate and was essentially locked out of the job market, access the relevant skills required by employers and who is now able to work as a waiter in a top hospitality organisation and who over the past 3 years has increased his income by 10x and is now in a position to pay for his younger brother and sister to get a secondary school education and transform their life trajectory. Your donation not only transforms 1 life but has a multiplier effect to their families, communities and countries. Thank you!
- Raised
- $0
- Goal
- $500,000