Standard Chartered Foundation and UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited partner to secure 1,500 jobs for young women

The Standard Chartered Foundation (the Foundation) and UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited (UNICEF GenU) have today announced a partnership to help secure 1,500 decent jobs for young women in Kenya and Nigeria.

The three-year partnership will focus exclusively on women aged 18-24 from under-served backgrounds and will support UNICEF GenU’s dynamic and expanding ecosystem of global and local partners, which is a public-private approach that has already made significant strides in skills training for young people. The partnership builds on this successful work by selecting participants from the existing pool of talent that have come through UNICEF GenU’s skills training initiatives, prioritising support to help young women secure decent work*.

UNICEF in Kenya and Nigeria will work closely with local job placement experts to connect young women with employment opportunities in the private sector. Additionally, UNICEF will support collaborations with local government initiatives to explore pathways to jobs which are based on local needs.

Tanuj Kapilashrami, Standard Chartered Foundation Trustee and Chief Strategy and Talent Officer at Standard Chartered, said: “This new partnership with UNICEF GenU focuses on empowering young women across Kenya and Nigeria with the training and opportunities they need to build meaningful careers. By coming together, the Standard Chartered Foundation and UNICEF GenU are helping create pathways to employment and driving lasting change from the ground up – because opening doors to decent jobs is vital for broader economic growth and unlocks potential that benefits entire communities.”

Kevin Frey, CEO Generation Unlimited at UNICEF, said: “Standard Chartered has been a committed partner since 2022, and supported a global public-private coalition to improve girls’ access to education and employment. This new partnership with the Standard Chartered Foundation focused on Kenya and Nigeria will build on the past efforts to create opportunities for young women in these countries to not only shape their individual futures but also create positive impact for their communities.” 

UNICEF does not endorse any brand, product or service. 

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* Decent work is based on the International Labour Organization definition: Participants must be paid at or over minimum wage, have a safe working environment, and meet any one of the following additional criteria: formal contract; stable working conditions (decent working hours); social security (worker welfare/safety nets)

About Generation Unlimited
Launched by the UN Secretary-General at the 2018 UN General Assembly, Generation Unlimited is a leading global Public-Private-Youth Partnership on a mission to skill and connect the world’s 1.8 billion young people to opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, and social impact. Anchored in UNICEF, the partnership brings together global organizations and leaders including Heads of State, CEOs, Heads of UN agencies, and civil society champions with young people to co-create and deliver innovative solutions on a global scale. Visit us at generationunlimited.org

About Standard Chartered Foundation
The Standard Chartered Foundation is a charitable organisation established by Standard Chartered in 2019. It is committed to helping tackle inequality by empowering under-served young people, especially women and people with disabilities. It sets the strategy for – and funds – youth employability and entrepreneurship programmes across Standard Chartered’s markets, helping young people access the skills, networks and support they need to secure decent work and create jobs. The Standard Chartered Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1184946). See the website for more information: The Standard Chartered Foundation

We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 54 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.

Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.