In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2023 is Skilling teachers, trainers and youth for a transformative future. It highlights the essential role that teachers, trainers and other educators play in providing skills for youth to transition to the labour market and to actively engage in their communities and societies.
Technological advancements and shifting labour market dynamics increasingly call for agile and adaptable skill sets. It is crucial that we empower young people to navigate these changes effectively. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is well placed to meet these demands by reducing access barriers to the world of work, ensuring that skills gained are relevant, recognized and certified, promoting green skills and practices, and offering skills development opportunities for youth who are not in education, employment and training.
On World Youth Skills Day, let us unite in recognizing the potential of young people as catalysts for change and commit to providing them with the skills and opportunities they need to build a prosperous and sustainable world for all. Together, we can shape a brighter future where no young person is left behind.
Find out more about UNESCO-UNEVOC's work on Inclusion and Youth.
The first panel includes a youth focus group and a discussion on how teaching and learning processes can be optimized to prepare young people for a changing labour market. The second panel reflects on UNESCO’s Global Skills Academy and its work to scale up youth skills development as well as what more can be done to build employability, entrepreneurship, and resilience among youth.
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Launched on World Youth Skills Day 2020 in response to COVID-19, UNESCO's Global Skills Academy (GSA) mobilizes resources and programmes to help learners develop skills and competencies for employability and resilience. Despite the end of the pandemic, there are still over 267 million young people aged 15-24 who are not engaged in any form of employment, education or training. To address this, the GSA adopted a scale-up initiative under the new UNESCO Strategy for TVET 2022-2029 and aims to support 10 million learners by 2029.
As part of our World Youth Skills Day celebrations, we asked young people to share their perspective on three questions:
View the full videos on the UNEVOC YouTube Channel.
Are you an amateur or professional photographer with an interest in youth skills? Don’t miss your chance to enter the UNESCO-UNEVOC Skills in Action Photo Competition! This year's theme is Skilling youth for the future.
Photos should highlight the innovative aspects of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and showcase how TVET is equipping young people with skills for a sustainable future.
Deadline for submissions: 31 August 2023
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