Life Skills

Life skills—like critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and conflict management to name only a few—are needed for success in life and work.

We call them “life skills” to encompass the ways this set of skills is transferable across a day, career, and lifetime. They are as necessary to navigating the relationships and day-to-day decisions that determine success in a family as they are on the job, at school, and within a community.

Just as a parent wants a daughter or son to be reliable, an employer needs to be able to count on a young newcomer to show up on time and deliver. Just as a teacher or instructor wants to see students learn, progress, and graduate, companies want to retain and promote employees. Likewise, governments want gainfully employed young people to find the stability they seek. One set of skills—life skills—enables all of this growth.

Life skills training is a standard part of many youth employment programs because life skills are considered essential to the modern workplace and are expected to make youth more employable. However, life skills training interventions are not all equal. IYF’s Passport to Success® (PTS), has a strong track record and has amassed strong evidence to support its effects on young people.

Passport to Success meets the needs of diverse stakeholders across a wide-ranging ecosystem, including: 

  • Employers: Tailored to your needs and internationally proven, PTS can help you address the challenges your business faces in hiring and maintaining a reliable, driven workforce.
  • Educators: Helps educational institutions, trainers, and teachers to equip students to succeed with sought-after technical and life skills.
  • Government Agencies: Globally relevant, locally tailored solutions to support young people everywhere. To date, five national systems have selected PTS as their official life skills curriculum and methodology. 
  • Nonprofits: As a nonprofit, we share your commitment to seeing lasting positive change in the young men and women you serve. 
  • Young People: Young people have unlimited potential. PTS helps them discover, unlock, and develop it in ways that will transform lives and communities. 

When an organization, institution, or individual uses PTS, they are provided with more than just world-class content and step-by-step instructions for delivering a powerful PTS lesson.

They also benefit from a range of services aimed at quality enhancement and assurance that include the following:

  • Consultation services and agreements for maximum sustainability.
  • Intensive in-person, virtual, or blended Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for trainers and coaches.
  • Follow-up coaching or training (virtual or in-person) for troubleshooting and addressing individual needs.
  • Measurement and evaluation tools to measure and analyze effectiveness.
  • Toolkit with observation and self-assessment tools and focus group discussion guide.

Over more than a decade and around the world, Passport to Success has changed the trajectory of lives and careers for the better. To learn more about its impact, read the success stories; hear testimonials directly from young people, trainers, and employers; and consult our compelling original research, visit the official PTS website now!​​