New UK education tie-up to benefit youth in India with jobs, training

Cambridge University Press and Assessment has partnered with Alsama Project to launch the G12++ qualification, a pathway for displaced youth worldwide to access further education and skilled employment.

Cambridge University Press and Assessment and an education charity have signed an agreement at the Education World Forum in London that will offer a new qualification for young people in India and around the world.

The G12++ qualification to be offered by Cambridge and Alsama Project is designed to tackle the education crisis faced by displaced youth worldwide by providing them with a recognised pathway to further education, training and skilled employment.

A call out has also been launched for universities, employers and policymakers to help scale the offer globally to benefit youth who may be excluded from university, training and employment.

''As a University of Sanctuary, the University of Cambridge is committed to supporting displaced people who come to the UK,'' said Professor Bhaskar Vira, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Cambridge.

''Now, working with Alsama Project, we will be able to support them in India and across the world, while demonstrating that high-quality assessment for displaced and marginalised learners is both achievable and replicable.

''As such, the G12++ is a unique, transformative opportunity for refugee youth, universities and the global education community alike,'' he said.

The agreement was signed this week in the presence of senior representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

''The G12++ partnership with Cambridge is a milestone – not just for Alsama's students, but for the millions of displaced youth worldwide who have been told that their education doesn't count because it happened outside a formal system,'' said Meike Ziervogel, co-founder and CEO of Alsama Project.

Under the new pact, Cambridge and Alsama Project will work together to further develop the G12++ qualification and support a learning programme; expand delivery through a network of trusted NGO partners around the world; build recognition with universities, vocational education providers and employers; engage governments and international bodies; and work with funders to support implementation and scale.