Shifting Mindsets – Shaping Mali: Can The Problem-Based, Blended-Learning Approach Of Edtech Be The Future Of Adult Education And Training In Africa

Young adults in Africa face a precarious labor market situation, as the demand for jobs far exceeds the supply. Previous training methods targeting formal employment have proven ineffective in this context. We propose that alternative training methods focusing on learners’ mindsets enable young adults to tackle their difficult labor market situation through entrepreneurship and self-employment. EDTECH trains young adults in Africa in a context-sensitive manner. The primary objective is not to secure formal employment for learners, but rather to promote a growth mindset among learners, enabling them to improve their economic situation. With the data provided by EDTECH, we conducted a field experiment among the participants and a control group to measure the impact of its learning and training program. Our findings show that learners address urgent community issues through problem-based and blended learning. More generally, this paper shows that this training package can act as a long-term, immersive growth mindset intervention to enable the participants to enhance either their chances of regional employability or to engage themselves in small or micro levels of entrepreneurship. Based on these results, we suggest EDTECH could serve as a role model for young adult training and education in Africa.