A gateway to the job market for vulnerable Argentinian youth
(Programme concluded and no longer supported by the Trafigura Foundation)
In Latin America, there is an increasing number of young people who aren’t in education, employment or training (NEETs). More than a lack of competency or demand, the greatest barriers to the job market that underprivileged NEETS face are strong prejudices that often – and mistakenly – associate them with crime, a lack of skills and disinterest in developing a professional career.
Arbusta, a social enterprise specialised in youth empowerment and IT services, has devised an innovative business model that has the capacity to unlock young people’s talent and break the vicious circle of exclusion surrounding NEET people.
With IT services delivered in Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia, Arbusta has identified an enormous opportunity in the IT industry, a growing market and a competitive and attractive sector for young people.
Arbusta selects young people from low-income backgrounds, particularly women, to help them build their IT skills in digital content and support management. It offers IT training and, crucially, a first job experience within Arbusta, a vital step to paving a career path.
The Trafigura Foundation is proud to have supported Arbusta in this innovative programme which is providing an effective and durable solution to the high rates of youth unemployment and social exclusion in Latin America.
In 2019,Arbusta trained over 200 vulnerable youth and offered other 260 young people full- or part-time job opportunities within its businesses. Another important achievement has been the creation of a new office in Montevideo, Uruguay.
One of the programme’s beneficiaries, Cinthia, from Rosario (Argentina), values the independence she gained from her IT job. “Nowadays in the technology industry, it is still difficult for women to be considered as capable as men. Arbusta gave me the push I needed to feel able to lead projects and manage clients in an area that is very macho,” she says.
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