UNIDO, WorldSkills team up to promote learning opportunities for all

03 / 10 / 2020

By Marwa Nassar - -

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) joined forces with WorldSkills – the global hub of skills which brings together educators, industry, national governments, and international organizations to influence and facilitate salient research and provide a global benchmark for vocational systems – to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote learning opportunities for all in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

WorldSkills is the global hub of skills bringing together educators, industry, national governments, and international organizations to influence and facilitate salient research and provide a global benchmark for vocational systems. UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations, which promotes inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization, and environmental sustainability.

UNIDO – which promotes inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization, and environmental sustainability – joined the WorldSkills Conference Coalition to contribute and to share its knowledge and experience on demand-driven industrial skills development and the role that public-private development partnerships (PPDP) can play in providing technical education.

The Coalition is a group of representatives from international, regional, and national organizations that help to develop the content of each edition of the WorldSkills Conference and shape the strategic direction of the WorldSkills Conference program. For UNIDO, the challenge lays in the content and quality of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) programs. In many countries, there is a mismatch in the TVET offer and the demand from the private sector. As a result, graduates cannot find jobs while employers cannot find skilled personnel.

“UNIDO is another excellent addition to the WorldSkills Conference Coalition”, said David Hoey, CEO of WorldSkills International. “We now have a formidable range of organizations participating including UN agencies, other international organizations, regional organizations, and national institutions. Together they are helping to establish the WorldSkills Conference as a must-attend biennial event.”

“Skills development is an important element for an inclusive and sustainable industrial sector. The UNIDO-WorldSkills partnership ensures that the skills development grows in line with the needs and demands of the industrial sector and its key players.”, said LI Yong, Director General of UNIDO. “UNIDO is pleased to join the WorldSkills Conference Coalition and we look forward to contributing to the work of the Coalition, and to exchange our best practices and knowledge related to industrial skills demand and future skills requirements.”

“The UNIDO and WorldSkills collaboration is already in operation. We are excited to have WorldSkills co-hosting the UNIDO Learning and Knowledge Development Facility (LKDF) Forum in October 2020 to help identify green industrial skills and highlight the need to introduce green skills programs to ensure a sustainable and inclusive future.”

In addition, UNIDO will contribute to the program of the next WorldSkills Conference to be held in Shanghai in September 2021 as part of WorldSkills Shanghai 2021. Together with the members of the Conference Coalition, UNIDO will help examine several themes relating to skills development, including skills as a tool in poverty alleviation.