Post-primary education

Adolescents have unique needs as they move through life’s developmental stages. In many countries, these needs have not been well addressed and as a result, young people often lack the necessary skills to succeed in the workforce and, ultimately, to become productive citizens.

FHI 360’s post-primary education programs support youth by strengthening the capacity of education systems to provide relevant, quality learning opportunities and by aligning education policies with student needs and labor market demands. Our interventions focus on strengthening education at the classroom, school and system levels while ensuring that youth receive comprehensive support across the learning continuum, beginning with the transition from primary school to lower secondary school, and continuing through upper secondary school and tertiary programs.

Our holistic approach to post-primary education includes:

• Pedagogy and teacher professional development that cultivates student-centered, participatory learning
• Relevant curricula that are built around the cognitive, technical and socio-emotional skills that youth need to succeed
• A positive youth development approach that builds on students’ strengths and promotes supportive relationships among teachers, students and communities
• Safe and inclusive learning environments that protect all students
• Employment resources and supports that include academic and career counseling
• Committed partners from the public and private sectors to improve the effectiveness of education and training and to ensure sustainability

FHI 360 has worked successfully with education institutions and employers in many contexts to improve the quality and relevance of post-primary education and to increase youth employability. For example, in El Salvador and Mozambique, we used a positive youth development approach to improve work readiness and build life skills. In Equatorial Guinea, we developed local capacity to transform classroom pedagogy through the Active Schools methodology, with its strong focus on student participation and initiative. In Afghanistan, Guatemala, Honduras and Jamaica, our programs are preparing higher education students to enter local labor markets. And, in Morocco, career centers are helping to improve youth employability. Additionally, our research on topics such as measuring soft skills and the gap between the skills provided by secondary education systems and what employers need is building evidence on and understanding of how to improve youth development and employability.