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Today’s youth population – now at an unprecedented 1.2 billion, with 88% living in developing countries – is coming of age in a world marked by rapid change and complexity. As the global economy evolves, young people face an overwhelming array of information, shifting career landscapes, and emerging roles that demand new skills and competencies.  

Navigating this environment and making informed career choices has become increasingly challenging. Supporting these young individuals is a task far too big for any one organization to tackle alone. Building globally informed, locally relevant career education – and fostering collaboration among career professionals, educational institutions, and businesses through approaches like Global Value Chains (GVCs) – is essential to creating the strategies, opportunities and policies young people need to thrive. 

A value chain approach to career navigation and support

A value chain describes all the activities a company undertakes to bring a product or service to market – from design and production to marketing and logistics. When these activities span multiple countries, it’s referred to as a Global Value Chain (GVC). Everyday products like your coffee, shoes or smartphone pass through countless steps performed by different firms and workers across the world. 

GVCs are more than economic concepts; they are reshaping the nature of work and opportunity. They account for over 60% of global trade and employ millions worldwide, influencing where jobs are created, what skills are needed and who has access to them. Understanding GVCs – whether global or rooted in local sectors like agriculture – is crucial for identifying new market opportunities and career pathways.  

In 2024, Teach For All and the DHL Group developed a flexible framework designed to equip educators and student-facing practitioners with tools and resources to ensure all children and youth have access to quality career education. The aim of the Career Readiness Education Framework was to prepare students to succeed in future careers within a rapidly changing economy.  

“GVCs are more than economic concepts; they are reshaping the nature of work and opportunity.”

This framework is a strong example of a globally informed, locally led multi-stakeholder collaboration – which is key to integrating a GVC approach into career development. Supported by Teach For All and DHL Group, the framework draws on Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) career readiness research, insights from Teach For All’s Future of Work Initiative, and DHL’s GoTeach Program. The collaboration continues to evolve, incorporating ongoing learning and responding to emerging local needs, including efforts to strengthen local research capacity and generate evidence-based insights. While the framework itself may not be explicitly labelled a Global Value Chain (GVC) framework, it shows how a GVC perspective can enhance career navigation. 

I’m excited to be piloting this approach through our TC Career with Purpose Program with educators in Zambia and partners across various industries. Through career workshops and online modules incorporating the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and value chains, we’re equipping educators with the tools to spark meaningful conversations and inspire both themselves and their students to embrace lifelong learning and problem-solving as they explore future career paths. It’s just the beginning, and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead. 

Being GVC aware and uniting to empower youth

Career professionals and businesses are uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in this collaborative ecosystem. Their expertise, resources and direct connection to the demands of the job market are invaluable. 

By learning more about the Global value chain, opportunities and challenges it presents to the world of work, career professionals and businesses can help in the following ways:  

Helping the next generation find their place in the evolving global economy is a shared responsibility. Effective career development and navigation, informed by a GVC perspective, requires engaging various stakeholders who contribute to shaping strategies, policies, and delivery. By widely adopting a value chain perspective and working together, career professionals, schools, higher education institutions and businesses can move beyond traditional career guidance to create more relevant, accessible and impactful strategies.  

By coming together, we could open up a world of possibilities – where young people can discover their strengths, grow their skills and confidently find their place in vibrant industries and global value chains early in their career journey.