Platform-Led Upskilling Report

How marketplace platforms can transform emerging markets by investing in skills development

Platform-led upskilling is the training that marketplace platforms provide to small-scale vendors and self-employed workers, even outside the scope of a conventional employer-employee relationship. It is a widespread and necessary part of doing business, especially in regions with significant skills gaps. 

Upskilling happens via face-to-face or interpersonal interactions, online training, and in-workflow training moments. Content includes platform proficiencies (how to use the service), financial and digital literacies, vocation-specific skills, and soft skills. 

The most important part of platform-led upskilling in Africa may be what we call transformational upskilling, which results in portable skills and adds to the overall level of skill in a workforce. When delivered by platforms, transformational upskilling has the potential to strengthen the social contract between platforms and vendors/workers, and brings platforms into the broader education landscape of the markets in which they operate. Indeed, transformational upskilling is the kernel of a potentially powerful alignment between the respective strengths and goals of marketplace platforms, their users, and the development community’s interest in promoting prosperity and the skilled workforces.

Platform-Led Transformational Upskilling is difficult and expensive; there’s a lot of work to be done to refine it as a craft and create sources of advantage for marketplace platforms. Mobilizing platform-led upskilling will involve platforms, governments, and the development sector in new knowledge exchanges and partnerships to create better livelihoods in the digital age.

Learn more about Platform-Led Transformational Upskilling from the platforms doing it.

We spoke to platforms like Jumia, Sendy, Uber, and more, to learn how they are building better businesses, more skilled workers, and stronger economies by implementing transformational upskilling. Find case studies, watch interviews, learn best practices, and find out how you can get involved.

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