World Youth Skills Day at UNESCO-UNEVOC
Inaugural WYSD hailed a success at UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre in Bonn
On 15 July 2015, some 50 youth attended UNESCO-UNEVOC’s celebration of the United Nations inaugural World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) at the UN Campus in Bonn. Declared in December 2014 by the UN General Assembly at the initiative of the Government of Sri Lanka, WYSD intends to raise awareness of the importance of investing in youth skills as a means of promoting employment and sustainable development. The United Nations in in Bonn and New York as well as dozens of UNESCO-UNEVOC Centres around the world marked the day with their own special celebrations. The inaugural programme at United Nations Headquarters in New York was simultaneously telecast in Bonn. For more details about the event in Bonn, and WYSD in general, see our page here.
In Bonn, the programme included a discussion that brought together a panel of distinguished youth:
- Ms Carina Lange, the German Youth Delegate to the United Nations
- Ms Elena Singer, Silver medalist at the WorldSkills 2013 Leipzig competition
- Mr Max Dolge, competitor in the forthcoming WorldSkills 2015 São Paulo competition.
Together with the audience and with moderators Nick Nuttall, spokesperson of United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Alix Wurdak, informations associate at UNESCO-UNEVOC, the panel engaged in questions about what skills youth require for the future and whether university education provides sufficient skills for today’s job market.
“
The world of work is not just about university degrees” remarked one participant, who shared the value of technical and vocational education in providing him with skills that have enabled him to succeed in his area of work. One of the main conclusions of the discussion was that there is a serious
skills shortage. “
Nowadays” one participant explained “
there are too many people with university degrees and too many people without formal training. There is nothing in between and it is not even clear if education today meets the current demands of the job market”.
In this respect, the role of technical and vocational education in helping bridge the skills gap was highlighted. Two of the panelists remarked that their apprenticeship education had not just prepared them well for work but to succeed: Elena Singer won a silver medal at the WorldSkills 2013 competition in Leipzig and Max Dolge is set to compete in the forthcoming WorldSkills 2015 in São Paulo in August.
Celebration of World Youth Skills Day at UNEVOC Centres
Many UNEVOC Centres seized the opportunity to celebrate the day. Some have shared their activities with us.
| 15 July 2020World Youth Skills Day Every year on 15 July, World Youth Skills Day emphasizes the importance of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in providing youth with the opportunities to develop their competencies and accelerate their transition to work. ( more) |
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| 15 July 2019World Youth Skills Day 2019: Learning to learn for life and workEvery year on July 15, UNESCO-UNEVOC joins global celebrations to mark World Youth Skills Day and spread awareness about the importance of youth skills development. Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, the day is an opportunity to highlight the achievements of young people who have benefitted from skills training and call for increased access to quality training and skills development for youth around the globe. ( more) |
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| 15 July 2019Inspiring Youth in TVETUNESCO-UNEVOC has compiled a series of stories submitted by its UNEVOC Centres about inspiring young people who are realizing their ambitions through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). ( more) |
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| 27 September 2018Winner of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Skills in Action Photo Competition 2018As part of its activities commemorating World Youth Skills Day 2018, UNESCO-UNEVOC organized this year's Skills in Action Photo Competition. More than 200 submissions were received from all over the world, focused on how TVET is empowering young people in their communities, according to the three main thematic priority areas under the UNESCO TVET Strategy. ( more) |
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| 7 April 2017Skills in Action Photo Competititon 2017 - Call for participationAs part of its activities on the forthcoming World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) 2017 on the 15th of July, UNESCO-UNEVOC invites you to participate in the Skills in Action photo competition. We are inviting amateur or professional photographers to contribute and use their skills in capturing pictures that not only show but tell inspiring stories regarding “Youth and Skills” as an entry to our Skills-in-Action Photo Competition. ( more) |
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| 16 August 2016HEART Trust NTA celebrates World Youth Skills DayThe HEART Trust NTA in Jamaica, in cooperation with WorldSkills Jamaica, hosted a one-day skills competition and jobs fair under the theme 'Skills in Motion - Skills Rule the World'. The event was organized to, among other things, celebrate World Youth Skills Day 2016. ( more) |
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| 28 July 2016World Youth Skills Day 2016 in Bonn!Over 140 TVET stakeholders from over 35 counties met in Bonn, Germany, to discuss the role of youth skills development in transitions to sustainable economies and societies. In line with UNESCO’s new Strategy for TVET (2016-21), the meeting provided an opportunity for the global TVET community to gather and explore areas for future collaboration. ( more) |
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| 28 July 2016UNEVOC Centres celebrate World Youth Skills DayOn the occasion of World Youth Skills Day a number of UNEVOC Centres and TVET institutions organized activities which raised awareness of the importance of investing in youth skills as a means of promoting employment and sustainable development. ( more) |
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| 15 July 2015COTVET Ghana celebrates World Youth Skills dayOn the occasion of World Youth Skills day, the government of Ghana called on the public to its efforts to make TVET an enterprising venture. Sebastian Deh, Executive Director of the Council for Technical Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), urged the youth, as well as master craft persons involved in the delivery of skills training, to upgrade their skills for increased productivity and a better future. ( more) |
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