Thousands of experts and changemakers will arrive in Lyon, France this September to discuss ways to elevate skills within national and international strategies for growth, under the banner of “Moving TVET to the top of the global agenda.” From 11 to 12 September, WorldSkills Members and their guests will be able to join prominent politicians, policymakers, educators, young learners, and industry leaders at what is being described as the largest skills summit to take place on European soil in over five years.
This is an unmissable opportunity for WorldSkills Members as they have a critical part to play in these conversations as well as a chance to unlock valuable insights and connections that can enhance their own TVET programmes and initiatives.
Here are three key reasons why WorldSkills Members should attend.
1. Knowledge-sharing on a global scale
WorldSkills Conference 2024 takes place in a week when over 250,000 people will be congregating in France for WorldSkills Lyon 2024 to watch 1,500 young people compete in 62 skill competitions. These Competitors represent over 70 countries and regions and will be accompanied by thousands of guests and dignitaries who share a passion for skills development. Quite simply, there is no other skills event like it.
The Conference will be the platform for this unique skills community to discuss initiatives and debate future challenges and opportunities. Leading the discussions will be officials from national governments as well as representatives from UNESCO-UNIDO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the African Union.
WorldSkills Members can benefit from insights into relevant and urgent issues such as Gender Segregation in Skills, Digital Transformation in TVET, and Sustainability. From keynote speeches to plenary sessions, delegates will get unprecedented access to the latest global thinking and research which they can take back to their countries and regions to assess and enhance their own national skills programmes.
2. Partnerships to accelerate change
WorldSkills Members already appreciate the value of networking and there are many examples of productive alliances between Members and Partners. Attendees will be able to use WorldSkills Conference 2024 to extend their network far beyond the WorldSkills community.
Delegates are expected from national Ministries, NGOs, charities, education, corporations, trade associations, international research institutions, and think tanks. For Members this is an incredible opportunity to establish meaningful connections that can accelerate the transformation of their TVET systems.
To help forge these connections, the format of the conference is designed to facilitate networking. From the creative use of conference space to scheduling time for networking between the formal agenda, Members will have many opportunities to meet other delegates and nurture international collaborations.
3. Mobilizing stakeholders into action
In a time of rapid change and increasing uncertainty, there is an urgent need to mobilize the skills community into action and help global leaders see the valuable role that skills play in sustainable development. Reports from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have shown that despite increasing evidence of the benefits of high-quality TVET programmes to fuel economies and boost the labour market, TVET is being deprioritized.
The Conference’s ambitious programme will tackle some of these challenges head-on, with topics including global standards and assessment, gender segregation in skills, the transition to green economies, skills development for fragile economies, and digitalization and the role of AI.
WorldSkills Conference 2024 is an ideal way for Members to elevate these issues in their national agenda and persuade key stakeholders to invest more in skills. That is why WorldSkills Members are being encouraged to attend with guests from government, education, and industry so they can use the Conference to start new conversations and galvanize decision makers into action.
David Hoey, CEO of WorldSkills International, urges Members and their national leaders to attend this landmark event. He says, “Our world is facing challenges on multiple fronts and investing in TVET should not be in debate. And yet our young people, who represent the workforce of the future, are not getting equitable and sustainable access to high-quality skills training. WorldSkills Conference 2024 is a powerful and timely way to show the social and economic change that is possible when there is greater investment in skills. That is why we urge all our Members to attend, along with their guests and dignitaries, so together we can elevate TVET higher up the global agenda.”
Space is limited for this event and WorldSkills Members are encouraged to register for priority access.