Introduction
This report draws on five years of participant data across four cities to examine a question rarely asked directly: how much of youth unemployment is a skills problem, and how much is a city-design problem?
The problem
Across the sample, transport cost and time were cited more often than skill gaps as the reason a job offer was declined or a business relocated. This runs counter to much of the policy conversation, which centres almost entirely on training.
What changed
Programmes that addressed transport and documentation costs directly saw materially higher completion and retention rates than programmes offering training alone, holding other factors constant.
What we learned
Skills programmes remain necessary but are not sufficient. A city's basic infrastructure sets a hard ceiling on what any training programme can achieve.
Conclusion
Future programme design should treat transport, housing and documentation support as core components, not peripheral accommodations.