Decent Work and Social Protection for Youth e-learning course
Entering the world of work can be challenging, particularly for young people who may have limited access to clear and practical information about their rights, responsibilities and available protections. This is especially true in informal and vulnerable employment settings, where written contracts, occupational safety measures, social protection coverage and effective grievance mechanisms may be limited or poorly understood.
To help address this gap, Enabel’s Decent Work and Social Protection intervention in Uganda, in collaboration with Enabel in Morocco, developed the bilingual Decent Work and Social Protection for Youth e-learning course. The collaboration helped ensure that the course would be relevant across different country contexts, including informal, fragile and low-income labour markets.
Designed primarily for young workers aged 16 to 30 in both the formal and informal economies, the course introduces the essential principles of decent work and their application in everyday working life. It helps young people understand what they should expect from a safe, fair and dignified working environment, while strengthening their awareness of their responsibilities in the workplace.
The course is organised around six interconnected modules:
What is Decent Work?
Labour Rights and Responsibilities
Occupational Safety, Health and Well-being
Social Protection Fundamentals
Gender-Based Discrimination and Violence in the World of Work
Reporting and Grievance Mechanisms
Together, the modules provide a practical introduction to workers’ rights, safe and equitable working conditions, social protection and the mechanisms available when rights are not respected.
The self-paced course takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete. It combines simplified explanations with practical examples, visuals, animations, short videos, games, voice-over narration and knowledge checks. Designed to engage young people from different educational and professional backgrounds, including those working outside the formal economy, the course is mobile-compatible and accessible through an open online platform.
At the end of the course, learners complete a questionnaire to assess and consolidate their understanding. Participants who achieve the required score can receive a course certificate. A feedback mechanism also allows learners to share their experience and contribute to the continued improvement of the resource.
The course is fully available in both English and French, with each version adapted to provide a coherent, accessible and comparable learning experience.
Drawing on examples from Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco and Belgium, the course is a reusable resource for young workers, jobseekers and organisations promoting decent work and social protection. It helps learners understand their rights and protections, recognise unsafe or unfair practices, and identify where to seek support. Above all, it reinforces that decent work means more than having a job: it also encompasses productive employment, rights, social protection, equality, safety, dignity and worker voice.
The Decent Work and Social Protection for Youth e-learning course is now available in English and French. Young workers, practitioners, partners and organisations working with youth are invited to explore the course, share it through their networks and integrate it into training, awareness-raising and onboarding activities.
Learn more about decent work. Know your rights and responsibilities. Help build safer, fairer and more inclusive workplaces.