What We Do

Education- skills training

The Avasant Digital Youth Employment Initiative trains disadvantaged youth in emerging economies in demand-driven technology, customer service, communications and soft skills for succeeding in a corporate work environment.

Over 90% of trainees secure sustainable Level 1 employment with Global Service providers within two months of graduation. AF partners with local organizations across the geographies where we have on going initiatives including tertiary education Institutions such University of Technology in Jamaica, University of Guyana and University of the Bahamas, and government entities such national Industry agencies, chamber of commerce, Innovation and Technology national agencies, as well as local GSS groups to ensure that instruction is customized to each region’s cultural and economic environments.

Avasant Foundation also –

• • offers career mentorship in STEM, digital employment and entrepreneurship skills.
  • provides free online learning in partnership with tech companies such as Microsoft and Cisco.
  • supports teacher training in using technology in instruction. · supports American India Foundation’s Digital Equalizer program improving instruction impacting 13,148 students and 223 teachers across close to 66 public schools in Bangalore, Odisha, and Dehli.

Avasant’s Report On Work With Rockefeller Foundation

This report, “Incentives and Opportunities for Scaling the Impact Sourcing Sector”, is designed to enhance the understanding of the Impact Sourcing sector and specifically focuses on key initiatives that will help to develop and sustain the sector.

History tells us that innovation and technological change have been important catalysts for economic growth, social transformation and improvements in standards of living. However, the benefits have often flowed unevenly and disproportionately to the wealthiest, the best skilled and those living in the most politically stable environments, while others have fallen into deeper relative poverty, exacerbating socioeconomic gaps. Often, the achievement of economic growth necessarily implied a zero-sum contest among different societal groups or countries, where the advancement of some must come at the expense of others. Read the full report >>

Geographies of work

Africa 

Avasant and its Foundation’s work on ICT for Development (ICT4D) initiatives across Africa has helped catalyze the creation of over 6,000 new jobs in collaboration with governments, non-profits and the region’s growing ICT industry. This is critical work as AF’s partner on Digital Jobs Africa, the Rockefeller Foundation, estimates that by 2050, 400 million people under the age of 25 will likely be in need of sustainable employment if the continent stays on its current growth trajectory. 

In 2017, Avasant Foundation will continue its focus on creating jobs while also scaling training opportunities for disadvantaged African youth. To accomplish this, AF will build off the success of recent training pilots for a Digital Youth Employment Initiative in South Africa and a “TechnoSpark” training for ICT innovation center in Uganda utilizing AF’s iGNITE entrepreneurship curriculum. 

Asia 

Avasant Foundation support efforts across Asia to increase access to technology and a quality education as well as sustainable livelihoods through employment and entrepreneurship. Avasant’s Global Strategy team has worked across Asia- including in India, Malaysia, China and the Philippines, on advising governments, ICT employers and industry groups on development initiatives for economic growth and job creation. 

Latin America & Caribbean 

Over the last five years, Avasant and its Foundation have collectively created more the 12,000 new jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean through a combination of introduction of ICT service companies to the region, economic development initiatives for the Inter-American Development Bank & governments, sector strategies, and creation of ICT centers of excellence and training initiatives in Digital Youth Employment. AF gives youth in Latin America and the Caribbean skills in-person and online training and field experience in STEM, ICT employment, and entrepreneurship skills to help them succeed in the new digital economy. Additionally, AF and Avasant’s Global Strategy team collectively work on job creation and ICT4D initiatives including a DigitalWorks social enterprise in Trinidad & Tobago, where Avasant has established its operations hub for the LAC region. 

United States 

Avasant Foundation supports STEM and entrepreneurship education for disadvantaged youth in the United States in partnership with non-profits, including TiE Young Entrepreneurs, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Sharefest, and STEAM Carnival. 

• TYE Program
  One of the star Programs in the TiE Network, the TYE Program began in Boston in 2005, and since become a Global Program that inspires young teens on how to build a startup. The Chapter mentors and team leaders coach students on a Lean startup Business Model curriculum that encourages kids to experiment and innovate. Over the course of the TYE Program, they learn the basics of starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur. 

• USHCC Foundation
  The USHCC Foundation is dedicated to empowering business leaders through life-long education and support. Our initiatives encourage entrepreneurial ideals, cultivate business growth, strengthen local chambers, and foster leadership values. 

• Sharefest Community Development
  Sharefest Community Development is an organization dedicated to creating an imprint of lasting positive change in the South Bay and Harbor areas of LA County. They do this by serving residents, facilitating lasting relationships and building communities of care.
  Sharefest exists to bring together churches, community-based organizations, businesses, local government and residents to meet needs, foster hope and create unity within the greater Los Angeles area. 

• STEAM Carnival
  STEAM Carnival is inspiring the next generation of doers, dreamers, innovators and inventors. We’re showing kids of all ages what it means to get hands on, play and have fun with the coolest gadgets, gizmos and games that science, art and technology have to offer. STEAM Carnival is a playground for those who want to experiment, explore and engage with the world around them, while firing some lasers and programming a robot or two along the way.