World Youth Skills Day
World Youth Skills Day is observed every year on July 15th to recognise the strategic importance of equipping young people with relevant skills for employment by providing a unique opportunity for dialogue among key stakeholders including young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, firms, employers’ and employees’ organizations, policy-makers and development partners.
According to the Recovering Learning, a new report from the Education Commission and UNICEF published to coincide with the United Nations’ World Youth Skills Day stated that only around 1 in 4 of the world’s young people are on track to learn the skills they need to get a job - either through education, employment or training.A global event was hosted to commemorate World Youth Skills Day 2022 under the theme “Transforming youth skills for the future” by the International Labour Organization (ILO), together with other agencies such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth. The event brought together youth, governments, UN agencies, private sector and civil society representatives to analyse the impact of current crises on youth across the world, and discuss how young people can pivot to the demands of an ever-changing world.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that "...we must ensure the right of young people to effective and inclusive education, training, and lifelong learning. That requires ramping up youth skills development while investing in Technical Vocational Education and Training, broadband connectivity, and digital skills.” In addititon, UNICEF Director of Education Robert Jenkins highlighted the wider importance of closing the skills gap “an inspired, skilled generation of children and young people is critical for prosperity, progression, and the success of societies and economies” and further advised that “investment in cost-effective, proven solutions to fast-track learning and skills development for today’s generation and future generations is urgently needed to address this crisis.”
It was noted that young women and girls, young persons with disabilities, youth from poorer households, rural communities, indigenous peoples, and minority groups, as well as those who suffer the consequences of violent conflict and political instability, continue to be excluded due to a combination of factors. In addition, the COVID-19 Pandemic accelerated several transitions that the world of work was already undergoing. This added additional layers of uncertainty regarding the skills and competencies which will be in demand after the pandemic is overcome.