The Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative (KLCI), a youth-led nonprofit organization, has recently unveiled Skill2rural.org. This innovative EdTech platform is uniquely designed to provide life and 21st-century skills training to young people in underserved and displaced communities, filling a crucial gap in the education system.
Learning gaps during the school years emerge as inadequate skills in the workforce (World Bank, 2018). Children born in deprived areas have learning difficulties because they lack access to skills, quality education, and opportunities that will allow them to enter the workforce, alter their communities, and compete with privileged children. The Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative (KLCI) was formed to fill these gaps. KLCI aims to reduce inequalities by empowering underserved Youth with life skills and career pathways through Education for Sustainable Development, Global Citizenship Education, Mentorship, and Advocacy.
Sharing his thoughts about the KLCI, Founder Hammed Alabi stated:
KLCI has been nurturing this idea since 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when in-person programmes were halted. During that period, we created an online audio resource to ensure young people continued accessing relevant information and developing essential life skills. We reached over 1,200 young people and realized the potential to get even more by leveraging technology.
KLCI’s in-person bootcamps also faced challenges, with facilitators needing help to reach the communities they serve. This led to the creation of pre-recorded sessions funded by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme Enterprise Competition. These sessions have reached thousands of young people across ten states.
Recognizing the more significant potential, KLCI launched the Skill2Rural.org platform with financing from the Western Union Foundation Fellowship, which the Watson Institute powers. Educators can register on the platform to use the resources to teach essential life and 21st-century skills in an in-person classroom setting. The portal allows young people to register directly, accessing modules and quizzes conveniently.
Founder Hammed Alabi expressed optimism about KLCI’s future. He stated:
In just 24 hours of our soft launch, we already have about 50 users, and we aim to grow exponentially through strategic partnerships. We have partners in Accra, Ghana, ready to use our resources to support young people in underserved communities, and this is just the beginning.
KLCI believes every child deserves access to quality education and the opportunity to reach their full potential. Through its innovative programmes and initiatives, the organization is working tirelessly to bridge the education gap and inequality of opportunity gap, empower communities, and transform futures across Africa.
