The Impact of Digital Skills Training on Youth Employment and Sustainable Socioeconomic Development: A Policy Framework for Developing Countries

Youth unemployment is among the most endemic development issues in both the low- and middle-income countries, as labour markets are becoming more rewarding to digital skill. The paper analyzes the role of training in digital skills in determining youth employment and sustainable socioeconomic growth in developing nations and suggests a policy framework to enhance robust overt action. The research design is qualitative document analysis, where thematic analysis is applied to peer reviewed evidence based on empirical studies with preference assigned to Nigerian and Sub-Saharan African studies. The review shows that digital skills training can improve job readiness, access to employment information, enterprise creation, and income resilience when programmes match labour demand and include post training support. Yet gains remain uneven because infrastructure deficits, gender gaps, weak certification systems, and limited transition pathways continue to restrict outcomes. Human Capital Theory explains why digital skills raise productivity and employability, while the Capability Approach shows why skills alone do not secure inclusion without access, agency, and enabling institutions. The paper argues that developing countries need a policy model that links digital training to infrastructure, labour market intermediation, entrepreneurship support, and equity focused design.