How do we reach and engage young people – with research, with advice, with training? We know that the answer is going to lie partly in the digital world, but there are lots of different tools out there. There isn’t an abundance of rigorous evidence on what works where – and why.

Welcome then, is a recent paper published by the World Bank Innovation Lab that sheds light on one tool – text messaging in Côte d’Ivoire. The experiment tested the impact of different text message outreach methods on increasing participation in a youth employment program. Specifically, it aimed to see if reminding eligible youth that the program was free via SMS would boost enrolment.

SPOILER ALERT: it didn’t.

But even more surprising was the finding that sending SMS messages highlighting that the program was free to both eligible youth and their trusted contact led to fewer enrolments.

Take a look at the paper to find out why.

The number of people of working-age in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to reach 1.3 billion by 2050, but up to one third of youth are currently not in employment, education, or training. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs are essential if the continent is to equip young people with skills to ensure their meaningful employment. Understanding how best to reach and engage them with these programmes becomes critically important.