Why is the connection between skills and economic growth so crucial for WorldSkills?
In short, skills drive human development. They are the building blocks of our industries and our economies. They help us create well-functioning, sustainable communities. They enable individuals to find professional and personal satisfaction. They make people and countries thrive. That is why the economic impact of skills sits at the heart of our mission.
I have always seen it as a key part of my role, as Board Chair, to ensure economic prosperity is stitched into our strategy and is a key measure of our success. Through the WorldSkills Occupational Standards and through our Competitions, we are setting international benchmarks for skills excellence so businesses can increase their productivity and be more competitive. This, in turn, drives industrial productivity and helps create more opportunities and better jobs for young people. With healthy industries and good employment rates, economies grow.
How will WorldSkills Conference 2024 support economic growth and impact?
WorldSkills Conference 2024 has been designed very deliberately to elevate skills to the top of the global agenda and demonstrate how critical they are to economic security, sustainability, and prosperity. Any WorldSkills Member interested in advancing their country’s development through skills will find plenty of insights and inspiration in our sessions.
I am privileged to help open the Conference with a plenary session about how skills excellence can strengthen our industrial and educational systems. We will also explore how skills can create greener and more sustainable economies, as well as explore the specific skill needs of fragile economies affected by conflict or climate breakdown.
Day two will dig deeper into how emerging technologies like AI can close skill gaps and improve productivity and demonstrate how competition-based training can lift the value of skills in lower to middle-income countries. These, plus many other sessions, all have economic growth and industrial transformation at their heart.
Who will WorldSkills Members hear from and meet, if they attend?
WorldSkills Conference 2024 will be a gathering of some of the globally most influential figures in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). We are delighted to have Ministers representing trade and education from around the world. We have heads of industries. We have policymakers and advisors from leading TVET institutes. We have experts in new technologies and skills strategies. And we have thought leaders from NGOs and academia.
The Conference will also benefit from the biggest attendance ever of International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) in our field. The Conference is our opportunity to emphasize this important economic message: WorldSkills is about creating job opportunities matched to industry requirements for economic growth and future prosperity. We need to make sure that every politician, business leader, minister, and civil servant understands that.
Why is it important that industry partners play a role in WorldSkills Conference 2024?
Industry partnerships are vital to the conversations we need to have at the Conference. How else can we be sure that our initiatives meet the needs of businesses now, as well as in the future? That is why it is so encouraging to see so many of our WorldSkills Global Partners playing an active role in the Conference, either by adding their expertise to our panel discussions or by attending in large numbers so they can take insights back to their respective organizations and used them to inform new skill strategies.
Of course, we have a delicate balance to strike around skills development. There is clearly a desire to support new and emerging skills so industries can be ahead of the curve and prepared to meet the digital transformation with the right talent. Yet, we also need to close skill gaps in so many of our existing and established industries. We intend to use the Conference to hear from industry about what skills they need now. For WorldSkills Members, this insight will be vital for the development of national TVET roadmaps and may even lead to national industry partnerships or opportunities.
Lastly, why should WorldSkills Members make time to attend WorldSkills Conference 2024 when so much of their focus will be on WorldSkills Lyon 2024?
I understand that our Members will be focused on WorldSkills Lyon 2024 and that their energies are now being channeled into preparing their young Competitors. But once they are in Lyon, they have an incredible – and I believe unmissable – opportunity at the Conference to plug into the world’s most experienced and knowledgeable global skills network and learn how to better serve their national interests through skills development. I would not want a single Member to miss out.
It is important for all of us to remember that success at Competitions only becomes meaningful when it connects to success in the real world. Our Members all share our mission to raise the standards of TVET systems to the highest levels possible. But if our standards – and the skills of our Champions – are not aligned with the needs of industries then our efforts will fall short. By making time to come to WorldSkills Conference 2024 and by engaging in the conversations taking place, Members have a chance to learn from international best practice, to speak to fellow experts, and to engage in a bigger vision that will enhance the value of skills and lead to stronger, more assured economic development.
WorldSkills Conference 2024 takes place between 11 to 12 September 2024 in Lyon, France. Register to join us and explore the agenda to start planning your time.