World Youth Skills Day 2022 promotes TVET as a Solution
“Young
people are drivers of change and must be fully engaged in decisions
affecting their future. Guided by the United Nations Youth 2030
strategy, I urge everyone to act for youth skills development as a
priority, at the Summit and beyond.” UN Secretary-General António
Guterres.
“Young people are drivers of change and must be fully engaged in
decisions affecting their future. Guided by the United Nations Youth
2030 strategy, I urge everyone to act for youth skills development as a
priority, at the Summit and beyond.” UN Secretary-General António
Guterres.
The UN Chief made these words on Friday, July 15, 2022 during the World Youth Skills Day celebrations.
In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared July 15 as World Youth Skills Day.
The
idea behind this move is to celebrate the strategic importance of
equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and
entrepreneurship.
And since then, World Youth Skills Day has
provided a unique opportunity for dialogue between young people,
technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions,
firms, employers’ and workers’ organizations, policy-makers and
development partners.
World Youth Skills Day 2022 took place amid
concerted efforts towards socio-economic recovery from the COVID-19
pandemic that are interconnected with challenges such as climate change,
conflict, persisting poverty, rising inequality, rapid technological
change, demographic transition among others.
Research shows 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 crisis has accelerated several
transitions the world of work was already undergoing, which add layers
of uncertainty regarding the skills and competencies that will be in
demand after the pandemic is overcome.
TVET is well placed to
help address these challenges by reducing access barriers to the world
of work, ensuring that skills gained are recognized and certified, and
offering skills development
opportunities for out-of-school youth and those not in employment, education or training (NEET).
Experts
have declared that during this Decade of Action for the 2030 Agenda,
the full engagement of young people in global processes is vital to
generate positive change and innovation.
The celebrations of
World Youth Skills Day 2022 highlighted the ongoing focus on the
Transforming Education Summit (September 2022), and contributed to the
work being done under its Thematic Action Track “Learning and skills for
life, work, and sustainable development”. The summit is a
youth-inspired global event of major importance for the future of
millions of young people; it is prepared by, with and for youth.
The
“Transforming youth skills for the future” global event was
co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Portugal and Sri Lanka to the
United Nations, together with UNESCO, ILO and the Office of the
Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth. It 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 discussed how young people can quickly adapt to the demands of an ever-changing world.
Moreover,
organisers state, the growing youth population, rising unemployment in
many countries, changes in the labour market and in our economy due to
technological developments are just some of the reasons why we must
provide future generations with the entrepreneurial skills and mindsets
they need to cope with a changing world.
And to help technical
and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions form the
entrepreneurial values that are important for young people’s lives,
economic development and a sustainable society, UNESCO–UNEVOC has
developed a practical guide on how to introduce
entrepreneurial learning where it is lacking, and how to mainstream it in vocational training.
To
the question of: What role do technical and vocational education and
training play? The overwhelming response from experts and industry
leaders is that, education and training are central to the achievement
of the 2030 Agenda.
And the vision of the Incheon Declaration:
Education 2030 is fully captured by Sustainable Development Goal 4
“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning
opportunities for all”.
They add that, Education 2030
devotes considerable attention to technical and vocational skills
development, specifically regarding access to affordable quality
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET); the acquisition
of technical and vocational skills for employment, decent work and
entrepreneurship; the elimination of gender disparity and ensuring
access for the vulnerable.
In this context, TVET is expected to
address the multiple demands of an economic, social and environmental
nature by helping youth and adults develop the skills they need for
employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, promoting equitable,
inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and supporting transitions to
green economies and environmental sustainability, the experts
emphasize.
