The United Nations (UN) World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) is annually observed across the globe on 15 July to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship.
- The theme for WYSD 2024 is, “Youth Skills for Peace and Development.” It underscores young people’s crucial role in peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
Significance:
i.WYSD recognises the potential of young people as agents of peace and commits to providing them with the skills and opportunities to build an equitable, peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable future.
ii.The WYSD annual events facilitate dialogue among youth, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, employers, policymakers, and development partners.
Background:
i.On 18 December 2014, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/69/145, proclaiming 15 July of every year as World Youth Skills Day.
- The resolution was initiated by Sri Lanka, with the assistance of the Group of 77 (G-77) and China, highlighting the importance of youth skills development at a global level.
ii.The first-ever WYSD was observed on 15 July 2015.
Note:This is the only resolution promoted by Sri Lanka at the UN in New York, the United States of America (USA) since 1999.
2024 Events:
i.On 15 July 2024, a hybrid online event on “Building an equitable and inclusive future of work that fosters peace, global citizenship, and sustainable development was organised in Bonn, Germany.
- The event was organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-UNEVOC International Centre, WorldSkills International.
- The UNESCO’s Global Skills Academy (GSA) also organised an online session on “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Skills for the Future of Work” on WYSD 2024.
ii.On 15 July 2024, the Permanent Missions of Portugal and Sri Lanka to the UN, the UNESCO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the UN Youth Office organised a virtual event on Youth Skills for Peace and Sustainable Development to mark WYSD 2024 in New York, the United States of America(USA).
Note: UNEVOC, the UNESCO International Project on Technical and Vocational Education was launched in 1992.
Significance of TVET:
i.Education and training are pivotal to achieving the 2030 Agenda. The Incheon Declaration: Education 2030 aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, emphasising inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning.
ii.Education 2030 prioritises technical and vocational skills development, ensuring access to affordable, quality TVET.
iii.TVET helps youth and adults:
- Acquire essential skills for employment and entrepreneurship;
- Support equitable, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth;
- Facilitate transitions to green economies and environmental sustainability.
iv.TVET can also offer skills development opportunities for low-skilled people who are under or unemployed, out-of-school youth, and individuals Not in Education, Employment, and Trainings (NEETs).
Global context:
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF):
i.TVET emphasises the growing importance of sustainable skills, with projections estimating 600 million jobs will be needed by 2030 for youth employment.
ii.It’s estimated that 85% of jobs in 2030 haven’t been invented yet, highlighting the need for adaptable skills.
iii.Across Eastern and Southern Africa, adolescents and youth face multiple challenges in learning and making the transition from school and higher education into the workforce.
- Only 33% of adolescents complete lower secondary education; only 24% complete upper secondary education; and many lack digital skills needed for future labor markets.
iv.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) predicts that new jobs created by 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, including green technologies, will outnumber jobs displaced.
- The energy transition could create 30 million jobs in clean energy, efficiency, and low emissions technologies by 2030.
About the UNESCO-UNEVOC:
The UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training is one of 8 UNESCO institutes/centers working in the field of education, and the only organisation working to promote the UN mandate through TVET.
- The acronym UNEVOC is a combination of ‘UNESCO’ and ‘vocational education’.
Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC– Friedrich Huebler
Headquarters– Bonn, Germany
