Creating Decent Work Opportunities for Youth in the DRC: Four Employment Pathways

The DRC Child Rights Action Hub is helping to break the cycle of hazardous child labour by promoting decent work for out-of-school adolescents living in and around artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) communities. By connecting youth to safe employment and skills training, the Hub significantly reduces the risk of them entering dangerous, exploitative work. The Hub focuses on four key Youth Employment Pathways:

This pathway supports companies near ASM areas to recruit youth (aged 16–18) into non-hazardous, decent jobs. It includes:

• Company assessments to ensure safe working conditions.

• Soft skills and technical training for youth.

• Education on workplace rights and safety.

• Training for company management to better support young workers.

• Opportunities for long-term employment.

To build the capacity of local small businesses – such as mechanic shops, hairdressers and hotels – the Hub supports the creation of decent internship and apprenticeship roles for youth (aged 16–18 and younger adolescents in vocational training). Key features include:

• Training and toolkits for community workshops.

• Local apprenticeship placements.

• Soft and technical skills development.

• Six-month programme duration.

This pathway empowers children (14–15), youth (16–18), and their parents with skills to start and sustain small businesses. It focuses on:

• Business and financial education.

• Practical vocational training (e.g. tailoring, mechanics, digital).

• Financial access and literacy (e.g. savings, loans, income management).

With digital skills in growing demand, this pathway prepares youth for online jobs and entrepreneurship. It includes:

• Foundational digital skills training (e.g. coding, AI tasks).

• Support for remote or gig work and online businesses.

• Infrastructure support (internet, devices, and safe workspaces).

• Collaboration with global companies to develop digital job pathways.

Through these four pathways, the DRC Action Hub is building a safer, more inclusive future for youth in mining communities, ensuring they have real alternatives to hazardous work.

Are you a company or local organisation interested in exploring youth employment opportunities with the Action Hub? Get in touch to learn how we can work together to create safer, more sustainable livelihoods for youth.