Supportive Relationships Promote Social-Emotional Skills and Work Readiness Among Rural Out-of- School African Youth

Abstract

Improving the work readiness of youth in the developing world is a crucial international priority. The current study examined how youths' experience of supportive developmental relationships can contribute to that goal. We examined how relationships and social-emotional skills were related to work readiness and socioeconomic outcomes in a multi-year positive youth economic development program for youth ages 12-18 in rural Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Uganda. Nearly all work readiness and socioeconomic
outcomes in each country improved from pre-test to post-test. Structural equation modelling and multiple regression analyses showed that youth with better developmental relationships with parents, peers, and other adults had higher post-program levels of internal social-emotional strengths (e.g., commitment to learning, and positive identity). These in turn were related to higher post-program
levels of work readiness skills (e.g., literacy, numeracy, financial literacy, self-employment skills) and some socioeconomic outcomes (savings and access to credit). These results suggest that youths' access to supportive relationships may have contributed to increases in their work readiness and socioeconomic condition.