Youth
Empowering the future generation through increased access to education, employment opportunities, and mentorship.
Youth
Empowering the future generation through increased access to education, employment opportunities, and mentorship.
Youth
Young people represent more than half of the Caribbean’s population and are the Region’s most powerful resource for driving growth, innovation, and resilience. Recognising this immense potential, the Bank is investing strategically to equip youth with the skills, opportunities, and support needed to shape a sustainable future.
CDB’s initiatives strengthen education and training systems to improve learning outcomes, expand access to finance for young entrepreneurs, and work with governments to open pathways to decent and secure employment. The Bank also promotes greater youth participation in decision-making, fosters social inclusion, and reduces barriers to tertiary education.
In tackling the root causes of unemployment and outward migration, while creating environments that enable young people to thrive, CDB is helping to position the Region’s youth not only to meet today’s challenges but to lead its transformation.
Focus Areas
CDB prioritises policies and programmes that create opportunities for young people to engage meaningfully in economic and social life. The Bank supports initiatives that expand access to decent jobs, foster entrepreneurship, and strengthen youth leadership. It also ensures that young people, including women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous communities, and those from underserved areas, have a voice in regional and international policy forums.
Through these efforts, CDB empowers youth to contribute to development discussions and to help shape solutions to pressing challenges such as citizen insecurity and climate change.
Education and skills development are fundamental to breaking cycles of poverty and exclusion. The Bank places strong emphasis on training and capacity building to equip individuals with the knowledge and competencies required for meaningful participation in the labour market. These efforts span life skills programmes, vocational training, and tertiary education, all designed to expand opportunities for personal and professional growth.
CDB also fosters innovation and strengthens entrepreneurship ecosystems, ensuring that young people have access to the tools, mentorship, and financing needed to transform ideas into viable opportunities within an evolving global economy.
Events