Youth and transferable skills: an evidence gap map
3ie Evidence Gap Map Report 2
Policymakers, programme implementers and educators recognise that the skills a young person needs to succeed in today’s world go beyond technical know-how in an employment setting. Transferable skills, also referred to as soft skills and life skills, provide youth with critically needed tools to be able to succeed in terms of employment, health and personal well-being. This report by Rankin et al. presents a 3ie evidence gap map that catalogues the full body of impact evaluation evidence for transferable skills interventions in low- and middle-income countries. The map is built on a framework developed in consultation with key stakeholders. The report documents the methods used for search, screening, and coding studies and examines evidence clusters and gaps identified on the map.
The map reveals a few evidence clusters where synthesis research could be promising, including skills courses inserted in schools and TVET combined with transferable skills training. There is more evidence for the effect of interventions on individual learning and behaviour outcomes than for demographic and employment outcomes. There are significant gaps in evidence for several intervention categories, including teacher training programs and curriculum reform, learner-centred teaching, and institutional management and capacity building.
3ie has recently developed a new interactive and dynamic online platform which allows users to explore the evidence included in a particular EGM, with links to user-friendly summaries of all studies.
View the youth and transferable skills evidence gap map on this interactive platform.
3ie also produced a scoping paper that reviews the supply of and demand for evidence from impact evaluations and systematic reviews on youth and transferable skills interventions. It reveals several areas where a high demand for evidence combined with low or moderate supply of evidence suggest the need for further research.
