Skills development is a primary means of enabling young people to make a smooth transition to work. Skills and jobs for youth feature prominently in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and SDG target 4.4 calls for a substantial increase in the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills.
Unfortunately, the disturbing fact is youth unemployment is increasing which is the most significant problem facing today’s economies and societies in the world for developed and developing countries alike. The number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) is on the rise.
One of the reasons for youth unemployment is structural unemployment, a mismatch between the skills that workers in the economy can offer and the skills demanded of workers by employers. Structural unemployment affects all regions around the world and it impacts not only economies but also hampers the transition to equitable and inclusive societies envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Education and training are central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The vision of the Incheon Declaration: Education 2030 is fully captured by Sustainable Development Goal-4, which aims to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
Education 2030 devotes attention to technical and vocational skills development, acquisition of technical and vocational skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
In December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 15th July as World Youth Skills Day. The goal is to achieve better socio-economic conditions for today’s youth as a means of addressing the challenges of unemployment and under employment.
The day is celebrated as an opportunity for young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, and public and private sector stakeholders to acknowledge as well as celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
TVET addresses the various demands of an economic, social, and environmental nature by helping youth and adults in developing the skills that are required for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. It also promotes equitable, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and supporting transitions to green economies and environmental sustainability.
It also helps in providing the skills required for self-employment. TVET also improves the responsiveness to changing demand in skills by companies and communities, increase productivity, and increase wage levels. It reduces the access barriers to the world of work like via work-based learning, and ensuring that skills gained are recognised and certified.
It is absolutely just to say that ‘Skills Change Lives’. Through the power of skills individuals, communities, and countries can move towards a more prosperous future. How we meet the needs and aspirations of young people will define our common future. Skilling people through relevant and good-quality vocational education is seen as a factor that can really make a difference in the global youth employment crisis.