#SkillsRightNow #WorldYouthSkillsDay Wereld Jonge Talentendag / Werelddag van Vaardigheden van Jongeren 2026
juli 15
In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
The world of work is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, the green transition and growing social complexity are transforming how we learn, work and participate in society. To thrive in this changing landscape, young people need more than technical skills alone. They need a balanced set of competencies that combines technical, digital, AI, green, social-emotional and civic skills with the human qualities that technology cannot replace. Under the theme “Skills for a shared future”, this year’s World Youth Skills Day activities will spotlight the urgent need for innovative youth skills programmes—initiatives that empower young people not only to adapt, but to lead with empathy, bridge cultural divides, build resilience, and actively shape a more sustainable and inclusive tomorrow. Youth unemployment remains a major economic and social challenge worldwide. According to the ILO’s Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024, the global youth unemployment rate fell to 13% in 2023 – a 15-year low and below the pre-pandemic level of 13.8%. However, recovery has been uneven: in the Arab States, East Asia, and South-East Asia, rates were higher in 2023 than in 2019. Meanwhile, one in five young people globally – and over a quarter of young women – were NEET (not in employment, education, or training), with young women’s NEET rate (28.1%) more than double that of young men (13.1%). Even for those who work, decent jobs remain scarce. Over half of young workers are in informal employment, and in low-income countries, three in four hold only self-employment or temporary jobs. Investment in green and blue sectors could create 8.4 million youth jobs by 2030, but these must come with decent working conditions – including fundamental rights like equal pay, collective bargaining, and protection from harassment.
Education and training are central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The vision of the Incheon Declaration: Education 2030 is fully captured by Sustainable Development Goal 4 “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. Education 2030 devotes considerable attention to technical and vocational skills development, specifically regarding access to affordable quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET); the acquisition of technical and vocational skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship; the elimination of gender disparity and ensuring access for the vulnerable. In this context, TVET is expected to address the multiple demands of an economic, social and environmental nature by helping youth and adults develop the skills they need for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, promoting equitable, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and supporting transitions to green economies and environmental sustainability. TVET can equip youth with the skills required to access the world of work, including skills for self-employment. TVET can also improve responsiveness to changing skill-demands by companies and communities, increase productivity and increase wage levels. TVET can reduce access barriers to the world of work, for example through work-based learning, and ensuring that skills gained are recognised and certified. 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 training (NEETs).
In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
The world of work is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, the green transition and growing social complexity are transforming how we learn, work and participate in society. To thrive in this changing landscape, young people need more than technical skills alone. They need a balanced set of competencies that combines technical, digital, AI, green, social-emotional and civic skills with the human qualities that technology cannot replace. Under the theme “Skills for a shared future”, this year’s World Youth Skills Day activities will spotlight the urgent need for innovative youth skills programmes—initiatives that empower young people not only to adapt, but to lead with empathy, bridge cultural divides, build resilience, and actively shape a more sustainable and inclusive tomorrow. Youth unemployment remains a major economic and social challenge worldwide. According to the ILO’s Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024, the global youth unemployment rate fell to 13% in 2023 – a 15-year low and below the pre-pandemic level of 13.8%. However, recovery has been uneven: in the Arab States, East Asia, and South-East Asia, rates were higher in 2023 than in 2019. Meanwhile, one in five young people globally – and over a quarter of young women – were NEET (not in employment, education, or training), with young women’s NEET rate (28.1%) more than double that of young men (13.1%). Even for those who work, decent jobs remain scarce. Over half of young workers are in informal employment, and in low-income countries, three in four hold only self-employment or temporary jobs. Investment in green and blue sectors could create 8.4 million youth jobs by 2030, but these must come with decent working conditions – including fundamental rights like equal pay, collective bargaining, and protection from harassment.
Education and training are central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The vision of the Incheon Declaration: Education 2030 is fully captured by Sustainable Development Goal 4 “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. Education 2030 devotes considerable attention to technical and vocational skills development, specifically regarding access to affordable quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET); the acquisition of technical and vocational skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship; the elimination of gender disparity and ensuring access for the vulnerable. In this context, TVET is expected to address the multiple demands of an economic, social and environmental nature by helping youth and adults develop the skills they need for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, promoting equitable, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and supporting transitions to green economies and environmental sustainability. TVET can equip youth with the skills required to access the world of work, including skills for self-employment. TVET can also improve responsiveness to changing skill-demands by companies and communities, increase productivity and increase wage levels. TVET can reduce access barriers to the world of work, for example through work-based learning, and ensuring that skills gained are recognised and certified. 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 training (NEETs).
Links:
World Youth Skills Day
Gegevens