Education is the foundation of all development. However, preparing for the future labour market requires more than traditional schooling. It requires the ability to adapt, solve unexpected problems, and the courage to believe in one's own ideas. This is where our vision, Shaping the future of society through technology, aligns with one of UPSHIFT’s missions: we want to empower young people to shape their own futures through innovation and entrepreneurship.

UPSHIFT - An accelerator for social innovation

At the heart of our partnership is UPSHIFT, UNICEF’s global flagship programme for social innovation. It is designed to equip youth (aged 10–24) - often in disadvantaged communities - with the skills to analyse problems in their surroundings and actually develop the products or services to solve them.

The journey doesn’t start in a textbook, but in reality. Participants, known as "UPSHIFTERS," identify challenges they care deeply about. Through workshops and mentorship, they design solutions, and much like in the startup world, they pitch their ideas. The most promising projects receive seed funding and extended support to turn their visions into reality.

_{© UNICEF/Choyang Namgay Dolma}

Mindset is the key to success

What makes UPSHIFT unique, and what resonates so strongly with our culture at Visma, is the focus on two transformative mindsets. In a fast-changing world, it is not just about what you know, but how you think:

• Growth mindset: the belief that intelligence and ability are not fixed. Through effort, learning, and persistence, we can develop. It’s about daring to fail in order to learn.
• Entrepreneurial mindset: the ability to see opportunities where others see problems, to take initiative, and to turn ideas into action.

Beyond this, the programme trains "21st Century Skills" such as critical thinking, collaboration, resilience, and empathy. These are exactly the qualities we look for in our own leaders and employees. Seeing young people develop these skills is proof that potential exists everywhere - it just needs the right conditions to flourish.

- UPSHIFT resonates with our culture because it teaches exactly what we believe in: that you must dare to fail in order to learn and grow. It moves beyond traditional learning to equip young people with resilience and critical thinking. Empowering them to trust their own ideas and become the architects of their own future is why this partnership feels so personal to us, says Henny Hasselknippe Dahl-Hansen, UNICEF partnership owner at Visma.

Technology enabling global scale

Our partnership is about more than financial support. It is about using Visma’s core competence - technology - to make education accessible to more people. A major challenge for global programmes is adapting them to local languages and cultures, which is often time-consuming and costly.

This is where Visma’s support makes a tangible difference. Throughout 2025–2026, Visma is contributing to:

• Integrating UPSHIFT into Google Classroom: this is a crucial initiative to expand reach. By migrating the curriculum to globally accessible platforms, schools in developing countries can implement the methodology much more cost-effectively.
  
• Leveraging the power of AI: we are supporting UNICEF’s work in using AI to rapidly adapt educational materials to different countries, as well as giving teachers better tools to coach their students.

By building this digital infrastructure, we help UNICEF reduce costs and increase speed. This means more young people get access to quality education, faster.

Impact by the numbers

Investing in youth pays off. In 2024 alone, UPSHIFT reached milestones that demonstrate the power of the programme:

• 1.1 million young people were certified.
• The programme was operational in 55,000 secondary schools globally.
• 104,000 teachers were trained in the delivery of the curriculum.

Real-world impact: Innovation in the Himalayas

Statistics tell one part of the story, but the true impact of UPSHIFT is best seen on the ground. A recent example comes from Bhutan, where two notable innovations were presented at the Royal Highland Festival:

• Nexacore (Tech): 16-year-old Trisha used sensors to build a smart water distribution system, tackling water scarcity in remote schools.
• Bashika Soap (Entrepreneurship): 16-year-old Meto revived local knowledge to create an affordable soap from medicinal plants. Her team nearly sold out their stock at the festival and is now exploring scaling production.

The students not only proved their business models but also had the honour of pitching their ideas directly to the King of Bhutan. These UPSHIFTers embody the exact entrepreneurial spirit and technological curiosity Visma is proud to support.

_{© UNICEF/Royal Highland Festival}

Merete Hverven on our shared mission

Our CEO, Merete Hverven, summarises why this aligns so well with our DNA:

— Our partnership with UNICEF is a reflection of our commitment to empowering young people and entrepreneurship around the world. We view UPSHIFT as a powerful catalyst for transformation, enabling people to develop entrepreneurial skills, innovate, and lead – regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. We’re eager to see the continued positive impact of this programme as we continue to support UNICEF’s mission to pave the way for future leaders and innovators.

On the International Day of Education, we want to look forward. When we invest in the mindsets of young people and support them with smart technology, we are not just building individuals - we are building a sustainable future for us all.