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The UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre: Who We Are | What We Do | Working With Us | Get in Touch


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The UNEVOC Network: Learn About the Network | UNEVOC Network Directory
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Skills for Work and Life

Thematic Areas: Inclusion and Youth | Digital Transformation | Private Sector Engagement | SDGs and Greening TVET
Our Key Programmes & Projects: BILT: Bridging Innovation and Learning in TVET | Building TVET resilience | TVET Leadership Programme | WYSD: World Youth Skills Day
Past Activities: COVID-19 response | i-hubs project | TVET Global Forums | Virtual Conferences | YEM Knowledge Portal


Knowledge Resources

Our Services & Resources: Publications | TVET Forum | TVET Country Profiles | TVETipedia Glossary | Innovative and Promising Practices | Toolkits for TVET Providers | Entrepreneurial Learning Guide
Events: Major TVET Events | UNEVOC Network News


Speaker biographies

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | V


Ashwani Aggarwal

Global Work Group Leader, ILO

Dr. Ashwani Aggarwal is the team leader for ILO’s thematic work area on Work based Learning, Apprenticeships and Recognition of Prior Learning. He holds a Ph.D. degree in TVET policy, system and institutions, and has advised more than 50 countries in improving skills and youth employment policy and programmes including apprenticeships. He previously worked as ILO’s Youth Employment Coordinator and Senior Skills Specialist in Africa. Overall, he has 34 years of experience of working with the private sector, government and international organizations.


Muferihat Kamil Ahmed

Minister of Labour and Skills Development, Ethiopia

Muferihat is an Ethiopian politician who is the current Ministry of Labour and Skills Development in Ethiopia. She was the Speaker of the House of People's Representatives. Muferihat previously served as the first Minister of Peace from October 2018 to 6 October 2021 She was the Chair of the SEPDM (Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement), one of the four parties that make up the former ruling coalition in Ethiopia, the EPRDF. In 2008, Muferiat Kamil, became Minister of Women’s Affairs at the age of 32, at the time, the youngest appointee of the late Meles Zenawi.


Hamid Ahmed

Advisor to the Prime Minister and Executive Director, The Higher Committee for Education Development, Iraq

Hamid Ahmed has worked with UNESCO for years on rebuilding Iraq’s educational system, fighting to undo ISIS’ influence on children and young people.


Mariya Aleksynska

Development Economist, OECD Development Centre

Maria is a Development Economist at the OECD Skills Development Centre since September 2020. As a research and policy economist, she has over 15 years of experience in international, development, and labour economics. After receiving PhD in Economics at Bocconi University in 2008, she spent 4 years doing research on international migration in a Paris-based research center CEPII and teaching in both public and private universities. Attracted by a possibility to apply research to policy, between 2012 and 2018, she worked for the International Labour Organization in Geneva, being in charge of a range of analytical and technical projects on non-standard employment and the role of labour market institutions. Between 2018 and 2020, Maria worked as an independent consultant for various international organizations and academic institutions, on topics ranging from labour migration to work in the digital economy.


Niels Annen

Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development

Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany

Short bio will be added soon


Iñigo Araiztegui

Director of Internationalisation, TKNIKA, Basque Country, Spain

(Bio to be added)


Jefferson Azevedo

Rector, IFF and Coordinator, CONIF, Brazil

Full Professor and Rector of the Fluminense Federal Institute, Vice-President for Americas and Director of World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP), Coordinator of UNESCO/UNEVOC Center of the National Council of Institutions of the Federal Network of TVET (CONIF) and president of the Interinstitutional Forum of Higher Education Leaders of Campos dos Goytacazes (FIDESC). He holds a PhD in Systems and Computing Engineering, a Master's Degree in Computer Science and an Engineering degree in Systems and Computing. For 27 years he has been teaching at different levels of Professional and Technological Education: Vocational, Technician, Undergraduate and Post-Graduate. As a TVET manager, he has worked in the last 18 years as Academic and Administrative Coordinator, Pro-rector (Vice-President) of Research and Postgraduate, General Vice-Director, General Director and Rector (President) since April 2016. He has experience in Professional and Technological Education, Computer Science, with emphasis on Computer Networks and Science and Digital Inclusion and Technology and Society Studies, working and being interested mainly in the following topics: Professional and Technological Education, Digital Inclusion, Technologies Applied to Teaching and Learning, Public Policies on TVET and International and Comparative Education.


Jens Brandenburg

Parliamentary State Secretary

Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany

Since December 2021, Dr. Jens Brandenburg is Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Minister for Education and Research. Dr Jens Brandenburg has been a member of the German Bundestag from the Rhein-Neckar constituency since 2017. In the 19th legislative period, he was spokesman for higher education, vocational training and lifelong learning and spokesman for LGBTI people for the Free Democrats. He was also the chairman of his parliamentary group in the Committee for Education, Research and Technology Assessment and in the Commission of Inquiry “Vocational Education in the Digital World of Work”. He headed the Education and Research working group for his parliamentary group.

He completed a BA in Political Science and Economics (2008) and an MA in Political Science (2010) from the University of Mannheim. He completed his doctorate in 2015 at the Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences at the University of Mannheim. During his studies and doctorate, he worked at the Mannheim Center for European Social Research (MZES) and at professorships at the University of Mannheim. Before joining the German Bundestag, he worked for a global management consultancy (2014-2017).

For better educational opportunities and social diversity, he has been a volunteer on the board of trustees of the German AIDS Foundation (since 2019) and on the board of trustees of the Magnus Hirschfeld Federal Foundation (since 2018), as state chairman of the Young Liberals in Baden-Württemberg (2010-2013), in the Free Democratic Party (since 2006), in the liberal university groups (2005-2009, including AStA of the University of Mannheim 2006/07) and in the school education initiative SchLAu NRW (2001-2005). As a student he lived in Little Rock, Arkansas (USA) for a year.


Borhene Chakroun

Director, Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems, UNESCO

Mr Borhene Chakroun is an engineer, with a PhD in Education Sciences from Bourgogne University in France. Borhene worked during the 1990s as a trainer, chief trainer, and project manager. He has also worked as a short-term consultant for the EU, World Bank and other international organisations before coming to the European Training Foundation (ETF) in 2001. At the ETF, Borhene worked as a Senior Human Capital Development specialist. He is now Director of Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems Division at UNESCO-HQ. Borhene has conducted a range of policy reviews and skills systems diagnosis in different contexts. He has authored and co-authored various articles and books in the field of skills development and lifelong learning. Much of his most recent work focuses on global trends in reforming education and training systems and global agenda for skills development in the context of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.


Daniel Christophersen

World Skills Champions Trust Representative for Europe, Germany

Daniel Christophersen is 29 years old and lives in Hannover, Germany. He is currently a member of the WorldSkills Champions Trust, a group of past Competitors who represent the voice of youth in the WorldSkills movement. Danial competed in Web Technologies at WorldSkills Sao Paulo 2015.

Already at the age of 11, Daniel started programming and showing a strong interest in IT. After school, he completed an apprenticeship in the IT field and had various roles in software development and consulting. Currently he is a software engineer at an insurance company. What he loves most about his job is finding solutions to problems together with others. He has also been involved in vocational training in his companies for several years.

Through his experience at WorldSkills and international exchanges, Daniel has come to realize the importance of a sustainable and modern vocational education system to ensure equal opportunities and develop transferable skills.


Hubert Ertl

Vice President and Director for Research

German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB)

Prof. Dr. Hubert Ertl is Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) since September 2017.

BIBB is recognized as a center of excellence for vocational research and for the progressive development of VET in Germany. BIBB works on a legal basis to identify future challenges in VET, stimulate innovation in national and international vocational systems, and develop new, practice oriented solutions for initial and continuing VET.

He studied business education in Munich and conducted his doctoral research on European Union policies in the area of vocational education.

He has been lecturer and researcher at the Universities in Munich and Paderborn before he worked as Associate Professor of Higher Education at the Department of Education, University of Oxford from 2004 to 2017.

At the BIBB he is working on issues concerning permeability between vocational and higher education as well as challenges for vocational education and training arising from the process of digitalisation.


Laurence Gates

Board Member, WorldSkills International

Born and educated in France, Laurence graduated with a Master’s Degree in international relations. She moved to Finland in 1996 following the end of her studies, where she worked as a journalist and editorial assistant before being put in charge of the internal and external communication of ICSID, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. Following the move to the Canadian office, she stayed in Finland and became involved with the European Leonardo programme, organizing student exchanges between vocational education training centres in Finland and France. After having collaborated with WorldSkills France as a volunteer for a few years from 2005 onwards, Laurence worked for WorldSkills France at their headquarters in Paris in 2007, taking over as CEO in 2012. She left WorldSkills France to move to the UK in June 2015 to work at the Education and Training Foundation, where she provided strategic and operational leadership of vocational education and training, focusing in particular on apprenticeships and employer engagement, and other special projects around offender learning and prevention of radicalisation. In 2017, she left the Foundation to start work as a consultant and currently provides management services to small and medium not for profit organisations, one of which is WorldSkills Europe. Laurence also has Level 3 qualification to teach Pilates in the UK, and enjoys teaching classes especially for people suffering from back pain. Laurence was elected to the WorldSkills Board in 2014.


Stefania Giannini

Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO

Ms Stefania Giannini was appointed UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education in May 2018, becoming the top UN official in the field. In this position, she provides strategic vision and leadership in coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the Education 2030 Agenda, encompassed in Sustainable Development Goal 4.

During her term, she has given fresh impetus to multilateral and bilateral partnerships, including through the establishment of the Multilateral Education Platform; increased global focus on education’s ethical role in providing learners with the skills to respond to 21st century challenges; heightened attention to the responsibility of universities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and fostered closer relations between education, culture and the social and natural sciences.

With an academic background in the Humanities, Ms Giannini has served as Rector of the University for Foreigners of Perugia (2004 –2012), being one of the first and youngest women to hold this position in Italy. As Senator of the Republic of Italy (2013 –2018) and Minister of Education, Universities and Research (2014 –2016), she developed and implemented a structural reform of the Italian education system, centred on social inclusion and cultural awareness. She has also been closely involved in an advisory capacity with the European Commissioner for Research and Innovation.


Hubert Gijzen

Regional Director & Representative, UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa

Prof. Hubert Gijzen (The Netherlands) holds a PhD in biotechnology, and has an established career of over 40 years in both academics and international cooperation for sustainable development. Throughout his career, he has lived and worked in various countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, in a range of senior functions as Full Professor and Chair in Universities, as a Diplomat, Team Leader, Regional Representative, and currently as UNESCO Regional Director and Representative.

Besides his current work for UNESCO, he holds academic positions as full Professor of Environmental Biotechnology at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (since 1995) and as Visiting Professor in other institutions. He has published over 400 articles and books, and presented numerous keynotes in the fields of water management, microbiology, environmental sciences, biotechnology, and sanitary and environmental engineering. He also covered topics on international cooperation, sustainable development, the MDGs, SDGs, education, big data and climate change. He served in various international advisory functions and on Boards of prestigious Institutes and programmes.

Hubert Gijzen joined the UN in 2006 as the Director of the UNESCO Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific based in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2015, he was appointed as the Regional Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe. As per July 2021 he serves as UNESCO Regional Director for Eastern Africa in Nairobi, and as UNESCO Representative to Kenya, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia and Uganda. He is the UNESCO Representative to IGAD and EAC, serves on the UN Regional Directors Team and is member of the UN Regional Coordination Platform for Africa.


Pierre Gomez

Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, The Gambia

For ten years he served as the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, where he was awarded on three consecutive times, The Best Dean of the Year Award. Until his recent appointment as Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology of The Gambia, Prof Pierre Gomez was serving as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic at the University of The Gambia.

Prof Gomez is a Professor of Comparative Literature and he once served as the Acting Vice Chancellor at The University of The Gambia. He is currently the Honourable Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology.


Friedrich Hübler

Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC, UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for TVET, Germany

Friedrich Huebler joined UNESCO-UNEVOC in November 2021. Prior to this, he was the Head of the Education Standards and Methodology Section at the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. In that position, he contributed to the methodological development of the global monitoring framework for Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education. He also supervised the documentation of UIS indicator methodology and the production of education statistics and analysis based on household survey and census data, including literacy and educational attainment.

Before he moved to the UIS, he worked as Statistics and Monitoring Specialist at UNICEF, with a focus on child labour and school attendance.

Mr Huebler holds an M.A. in Business Studies and Economics from the University of Bremen and a Ph.D. in Economics from the New School for Social Research.


Seungjae Huh

Head of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Bonn Office

(bio to be added)


Hervé Huot-Marchand

Chief of Section, Youth, Literacy and Skills Development, UNESCO

Mr. Hervé Huot-Marchand has been working at UNESCO Headquarters since October 2019 as Chief of the Section for Youth, Literacy and Skills Development (YLS) in the Education Sector.

Mr. Hervé Huot-Marchand has nearly 20 years of international experience in the field, notably in Sub-Saharan Africa in the domain of education, including technical and vocational education and training (TVET), teacher development, higher education and literacy. He has worked for UNESCO and other bilateral partners. He was notably responsible for TVET at the regional Bureau in Dakar (BREDA), acting first as an expert and then as the Regional adviser for Sub-Saharan Africa from 2006 to 2016. In this capacity, he was actively involved in research, publications, policy support and continuous development, monitoring, evaluation and coordination of TVET programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa.

From 2016 until his appointment to UNESCO Headquarters, he served as the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Mali.


Ramon Iriarte

Education Programme Specialist, Unit on Quality and Lifelong Learning UNESCO Santiago

(bio to follow)


Affero Ismail

Associate Professor, Department of Engineering Education, Faculty of Technical and Vocational Education, Universiti Tunn Hussein Onn, Malaysia

Affero Ismail is the Head of the UTHM Digital Innovation Centre, the UNEVOC Centre Coordinator, and an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education, Faculty of Technical and Vocational Education. He formerly served as the Head of Department at the Malaysia Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (MyRIVET). He has a Ph.D. in TVET, a Master of Science in Human Resource Development, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer and Communication Systems. He is a professional member of the Malaysia Board of Technologist and Young Scientist Network, Academy of Science Malaysia. His research interests include curriculum development, digitization, training, teaching and learning, professional development, the Sustainable Development Goals, and green skills. He has over 100 papers published in national and international journals on TVET, education, and professional development. He has written over 200 articles on TVET, education, and professional development in national and international proceedings, indexed journals, and peer-reviewed journals. He has written the TVET Professional Educator: Guidance on Competency Development, Graduate Students' Resource Needs, and Digital TVET Framework. He also actively participates in national and international project consulting in the areas of TVET, teaching and learning, curriculum, apprenticeship, and TVET digitization supported by UNESCO-UNEVOC, British Council, International Labour Organization, and others. He has provided professional expertise to ASEAN countries and other UNEVOC Network members. He has been invited as a speaker and guest lecturer at several educational institutions to various conferences and seminars.


Mr. Young-Saing Kim

KRIVET, Korea

(bio to be added)


Derica Yi Ru Kon

Student, School of Design, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore

Ms Derica Kon Yi Ru is a third year student in Temasek Polytechnic pursuing a diploma in Communication Design. She is currently the President of Temasek Polytechnic Ambassadors for AY2022/2023 and she served as President for Design Student Ambassadors as well as Vice President for Temasek Polytechnic Ambassadors both in AY 2021/2022. In her leadership roles within her CCAs, she has led school-wide events such as Design Open House 2022 and helped out in Temasek Polytechnic’s Open House efforts. She is also currently a World Youth Skills Day (Asia-Pacific) Youth Ambassador 2022 and was a Youth Moderator for the WYSD Main Symposium. In her course of studies, she has participated in various programmes such Singapore Model Cabinet 2021 as well as Pre-University Seminar 2022 where she met other tertiary students and discussed topics vital to Singapore’s growth and development. She is also keen in Singapore’s affairs and thus participates in external school events such as the Asia Europe Foundation-Fireside Chat with Minister Maliki Bin Osman.


Kipkirui Langat

Director General, TVETA, Kenya

Dr. Kipkirui Langat is the Director General of TVET Authority (TVETA), Kenya. He joined the Authority with a wealth of experience from public and private sectors. He is responsible for implementation of TVET policies in Kenya, creating communication and implementing the Authority Vision, Mission and overall direction, leading the development of the overall Authority Strategy and guiding, directing and evaluating work of Authority employees.

He has experience of over 25 years in TVET sector having taught in various TVET institutions and universities in Kenya as well as consulting for public and private sectors in the region. He also has depth knowledge in TVET policy formulation and implementation, Competence Based Training, Assessment and Certification (CBTAC), TVET regulations, project monitoring and evaluation. In the last six years he has interacted and have vast experience with TVET systems across the globe which include Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Russia, United Kingdom and United State of America. Dr. Langat holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Systems and Management from Egerton University, Master of Business Administration (Strategic Management), Master of Philosophy in Technology Education and B.Ed Technology all from Moi University. He is a registered Professional Engineering Technologist and a Fellow Member of Institution of Engineering Technology (IET) of Kenya.


Mona Laroussi

Director, Institut de la Francophonie pour l'Education et la Formation (IFEF-OIF)

Mona Laroussi is a professor at the University of Manouba (Tunis) and the University of Lille (France). She holds a DEA, a Ph.D. and an academic habilitation in Educational Technology.

She is currently the Director of the (IFEF, Institute of the Francophonie for Education and TVET) based in Dakar, Sénégal. This institute comes under the OIF (International organisation of the Francophonie).

From September 2014 to September 2017, she worked for the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) as Executive Director of the Institut de la Francophonie pour l’Ingénierie de la Connaissance et la formation à distance (IFIC).

Mona Laroussi's research activities focus on TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning), and more specifically PEL (Personalized Learning Environment), how to combine adaptation and contextualisation in learning environments.

She is the (co-)author of several books and articles for international reviews and national and international conferences.


Teng Leng Lim

Deputy Director, International Relations, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore

Mr Lim Teng Leng graduated from the National University of Singapore majoring in Statistics and Japanese Studies. Under the Scholarship Programme of the Civil Service College (CSC), he completed and obtained a Master of Public Administration from Tsinghua University in 2012.

Mr Lim is currently the Deputy Director (International Relations) with Temasek Polytechnic. The department supports the enhancement of staff capability development, student learning experience and graduate employability through inculcating a Global Mindset, providing an enriching Global Experience, forming Global Partnership with industry and establishing a strong Global Branding for TP.

Mr Lim has served with several public agencies of the Singapore Public Service since 1999. He has worked with the National Youth Council, CSC and the Ministry of National Development (MND). Mr Lim has also served with the Confucius Institute (CI) of Nanyang Technological University.

With CSC, Mr Lim led the team to develop thought leadership in, as well as to enhance the understanding and to advance the practice of public policy in the area of international relations and Singapore’s public sector management and governance.

With MND, Mr Lim led the efforts in developing learning strategies and efforts to drive capability building in the liveability and sustainability of cities space for the international audience. Under his leadership, he developed the ASEAN Smart Cities Network - a key deliverable during Singapore’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2018. 


Benjamin Marteau

Director, Pix

Benjamin Marteau is the director of Pix (pix.org), a French online public service designed to assess, develop, and certify digital skills, already shared with other countries as an educative common good. Former General Delegate of the French National Education-Economy Council, he also served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the French Minister of Education (2012-2014) and as Parliamentary Assistant in the European Parliament.


El-Iza Mohamedou

Director, Centre for Skills, OECD

El Iza Mohamedou is the Head of the OECD Centre for Skills which supports countries to achieve better economic and social outcomes by taking a whole-of-government approach and engaging with stakeholders to develop & implement better skills policies.

She has more than 20 years of international experience working in the field and at headquarters with various international organizations and in the private sector. El Iza holds a PhD in Economics, MBA in International Business and a BA in Economics. @ElIzaMohamedou


Carmen Morenes

Executive Director, Fundación Telefónica

Graduated in Economic and Business Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid, she obtains the Professional Certification of European Financial Analyst from the Spanish Institute of Financial Analysts. She develops the first part of her professional career in the financial sector specializing in capital markets. She subsequently reorients her career to the direction of social projects collaborating with Manos Unidas. In January 2015, she joined Fundación Telefónica in the management team of the corporate volunteer program, assuming a year later the global strategic coordination of the program. In 2019 she is appointed general director of Fundación Telefónica with the aim of continuing to improve people's opportunities through educational, social and cultural projects.


Yoko Nagashima

Senior Education Specialist, World Bank

Yoko Nagashima is a Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank and has led the World Bank’s education engagements in low- to upper-middle-income countries in East Asia and Pacific, South Asia, and in Africa regions over the past 20 years. Her operational and analytical work have focused on provision of quality of basic education, addressing learning loss during COVID-19; skills development and Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and tertiary education covering strategic planning, development of quality assurance mechanism, building innovation ecosystem and entrepreneurships for tertiary education. Her publications include analysis on sustainable financing strategy for tertiary education in South Africa; Zimbabwe’s tertiary education sector to support a robust economic recovery; public expenditure review of the basic education in Botswana; graduate employability of affiliated colleges in Bangladesh; and challenges and benefits of research collaboration in South Asia. Currently, she is managing the Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation Project in Bangladesh which aims to equip more than one million students and workers with the skills to improve their employment prospects and leading the dialogue with the government on skills development for green jobs.


Robert Okinda

Adviser, Skills for Work, Commonwealth of Learning

Robert Okinda is currently placed as Adviser: Skills for Work (SfW) initiative at the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). The SfW initiative aims to use open and distance learning approaches to build the resilience of TVET systems at national and institutional levels, strengthen TVET training and fostering employability in green jobs for all to improve lives and livelihoods. He is an experienced TVET trainer of trainers with specialization in instructional Systems Design and Technology. Previously, he was the head of Kenya’s National Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL) in TVET Secretariat. He was also in charge of ODeL at Kenya Technical Trainers College (KTTC) and founding chair of the African Foundation for Quality eLearning in TVET. He has had short-term ODeL engagements with InWent, VVOB, SCI, UNESCO, GIZ, World Bank, DHL, SOS Children’s Villages International, Colleges and Institutes Canada, JICA, and Social Enterprise Academy (Scotland), among others.


Wuikelman Angel Paredes

Vice Minister of Education, Venezuela

Short bio will be added soon


Olivier Pieume

Chief of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Technical Cooperation Unit

Olivier Pieume joined UNESCO-UNEVOC in August 2022 as Chief of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Technical Cooperation Unit. The Unit coordinates UNESCO-UNEVOC’s work related to technical assistance and capacity building. The Unit also leads technical cooperation and collaborations with partners willing to work in synergy with UNESCO-UNEVOC to provide support to UNESCO’s Member States in the field of TVET and skills development. Olivier Pieume also assumes the role of Team Leader for the UNEVOC Network Secretariat.

Before joining UNESCO-UNEVOC, Olivier was the UNESCO TVET Regional Advisor for Africa, cumulatively with the function of Head of the “Skills for life and the world of work cluster” at the UNESCO Regional Office at Dakar. He was managing four teams working respectively on TVET, STEM, Higher Education, and Literacy and Non-formal Education. In addition to these responsibilities, he was Chief of the Secretariat of the Pan African Initiative for Digital Transformation of TVET and Skills Development Systems in Africa.

Olivier Pieume joined UNESCO-UNEVOC in August 2022 as Chief of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Technical Cooperation Unit. The Unit coordinates UNESCO-UNEVOC’s work related to technical assistance and capacity building. The Unit also leads technical cooperation and collaborations with partners willing to work in synergy with UNESCO-UNEVOC to provide support to UNESCO’s Member States in the field of TVET and skills development. Olivier Pieume also assumes the role of Team Leader for the UNEVOC Network Secretariat.

Before joining UNESCO-UNEVOC, Olivier was the UNESCO TVET Regional Advisor for Africa, cumulatively with the function of Head of the “Skills for life and the world of work cluster” at the UNESCO Regional Office at Dakar. He was managing four teams working respectively on TVET, STEM, Higher Education, and Literacy and Non-formal Education. In addition to these responsibilities, he was Chief of the Secretariat of the Pan African Initiative for Digital Transformation of TVET and Skills Development Systems in Africa.


Manuela Prina

Head, Skills Identification and Development Unit, Knowledge Hub Department, European Training Foundation (ETF)

Manuela is Head of the Skills Identification and Development Unit, within the Knowledge Hub department of the European Training Foundation (ETF), the EU Agencies supporting countries outside the European Union (EU) in the area of human capital development, life-long learning policies and skills identification and development. As Head of Unit, Manuela is responsible for steering ETF’s work in the area of skills relevance and anticipation, development of skills and validation, leading the knowledge co-creation and sharing across ETF partner countries, with the EU and the international community. Manuela joined ETF in 2008 and in her career at the ETF covered several assignments, including being responsible for the area of governance, the implementation of several projects in the area of monitoring and assessment of VET systems and human capital development policies, and leading in 2018-19 the development of the ETF’s strategy 2027. Prior to working at the ETF, Manuela served as social sector specialist at the Asian Development Bank, and as a Junior Professional at the World Bank. Manuela holds a PHD in International Political Economy – and two Master degrees, in Economics and international relations, and in Educational sciences. She is an alumni of the Indian Institute of Management (IIMC) of Calcutta (2000), and a graduate of the executive course on Foresight and vision building of the University of Manchester (2017) and of the Business Coaching Academy of Business Coaching Italia (2020).


Hary Lala Razafimpiasa

Director General, Training Engineering, Madagascar

Mrs. Razafinimpiasa Hary Lala has more than 30 years of experience in the Ministry in charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training of Madagascar. She has held positions of responsibility such as Head of the External Relations Department, Director of Curricula and Quality Assurance and currently Director General of Training Engineering.

Her professional career is marked by international cooperation activities. She was the Madagascar Focal Point at UNESCO for the Joint Programme for the Promotion of Education for All. She was part of the multilateral pool of experts of the International Organisation of the Francophonie in the field of vocational and technical training. She initiated the use of Interactive Digital Boards in the framework of the Digital Education for All programme in Africa. From 2012 to 2016, she was the facilitator of the UNEVOC-UNESCO Centre for the National Institute for the Training of Technical Education and Vocational Training Personnel.

Her academic background is mainly focused on Education Sciences - ICTE course, with a professional Master's degree in ICTE delivered by the University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg - France and a Certificate of Pedagogical Aptitude from the Ecole Normale Supérieure of Madagascar. She is a member of regional and international networks for exchanges and capacity building in the fields of ICTE and the training of trainers and supervisory staff.


Srinivas Reddy

Chief of Skills and Employability Branch, ILO

Srinivas B Reddy is Chief of Skills and Employability Branch at ILO Geneva since January 2018. Prior to taking up this position at ILO Headquarters, he was Country Director of the ILO Country Office in Bangladesh from 2013 to 2017. He has previously been a senior advisor on Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Skills Development Specialist and has worked in ILO offices in India, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. Mr. Reddy’s professional career in Industrial relations, skills development, and general management has spanned over 30 years. He has had extensive experience as a skills development specialist and industrial relations expert working with a wide range of partners including employers and workers organizations having previously been employed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in India, before joining the ILO. Mr. Reddy has gained a wide range of skills and experience in skills development, social dialogue, human resource, and general management.


Tomás Dias Sant’Ana

Secretary of Professional and Technological Education, Brazil

He works as Secretary of Vocational and Technological Education and was Deputy Secretary of Higher Education (Sesu), Director of Development of the Federal Network of Professional, Scientific and Technological Education (DDR/Setec) and General Coordinator of Expansion, Management and Academic Planning of Ifes (CGEG/Sesu).

He is also one of the creators of the Open Platform for Management and Monitoring of the Institutional Development Plan for Brazilian Federal Universities (ForPDI), of the Open Platform for Monitoring and Risk Management (ForRisco) and author of scientific articles, book chapters and books on innovation and transformation of public administration.He was Distance Education Manager and Professor at the Centro Universitário do Sul de Minas (Unis-MG).

He was a university professor at private institutions in the South and Southwest of Minas Gerais. He has worked as a Systems Analyst and Programmer in companies in the South of Minas Gerais.

He holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Brasília (UnB), a Master's in Computer Science from the University of São Paulo (USP), a degree in Computer Science from the José do Rosário Vellano University (Unifenas).


Tim Schreiber

Policy Officer, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

European Commission

Tim Schreiber is a Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL). He works in the unit in charge of Vocational Education and Training (VET). Tim’s tasks focus on the internationalisation of VET, skills needed for the green transition on the labour market, higher VET as well as the SELFIE tool for work-based learning. Previously, he worked in DG EMPL on the implementation of the European Social Fund and the European Semester in Germany and Austria, in a Brussels-based consultancy and in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN). Tim studied in Berlin, Strasbourg and Potsdam. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science as well as a master’s degree in International Relations.


Thomas Schröder

UNESCO Chair of TVET and Competence Development for the Future of Work

Prof. Schröder has extensive experience in planning and implementing policy reform processes in the VET sector in a variety of countries. He has experience in leading, designing and implementing reform initiatives and pilot projects, on behalf of the Federal Government in Germany and governments from South East Asia and Central Asia. In addition to his technical expertise, he is characterized by his participatory and cooperative approach, which enables stakeholders from politics, business associations and other interest groups to bring their interests into the reform process and develop ownership.

Prof. Schröder possesses a vast record of managing research and development projects. In the context of a BMZ project, which was operated by GIZ, he established the Regional Association for Vocational Education and Training in Asia (RAVTE) from 2011-14. Today, RAVTE is a platform in Southeast Asia with 25 members from 10 countries that focuses equally on the interests of academia, politics and business with regard to TVET. The Online Journal for Vocational Education and Training in Asia (www.tvet-online.asia) belongs to RAVTE but is edited by Prof. Schröder. In 2016, Prof. Schröder received an honorary doctorate from Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in recognition of his reform achievements in Thailand.

As the holder of the "UNESCO Chair of TVET for competence development for the future of work", Prof. Schröder has committed his chair to making a substantial contribution to the achievement of the SDGs, i.e. also with regard to Greening TVET. During his time as a vocational school teacher and research assistant, he was in charge of implementing green teaching projects in the construction industry. He also initiated and was responsible for the issue: "The Greening of Technical and Vocational Education and Training" in TVET@Asia (Issue 6 | TVET@Asia (tvet-online.asia). He is currently responsible for a 1 million Euro project in the chemical industry (BB Chemie by the German Federal Ministry of Education) in which greening plays an important role in the qualification of company trainers and trainees.

In numerous curriculum development projects, the consideration of greening is always status quo. As a German VET expert, he represents the positions of the Dual VET system, its elements and modes of action nationally and internationally. Work-based learning is one of his key research and development areas. He started his professional career with an apprenticeship in the Dual VET system and then became a vocational school teacher in Hamburg, where he was additionally responsible for the training of teachers. He developed numerous ToT concepts in cooperation with stakeholders, most recently for in-company trainers for the Government of Georgia on behalf of the World Bank. Prof. Schröder combines the perspectives of all stakeholders in Dual VET, including the different learning venues and stakeholders.

Prof. Schröder started his career with an apprenticeship in bricklaying in the German Dual TVET system, which was followed by a study program at Hamburg University. He worked as a TVET teacher at the Vocational College for Construction at the Hamburg Institute for Vocational Education and Training (HIBB) and he was additionally involved in the education of TVET teachers, in curriculum development activities and in the development of competence-based assessment instruments. In 2005, he participated in Sri Lanka in a post-tsunami technical assistance to design short courses for skilling and upskilling labourers from the construction sector. In 2008, he developed occupational profiles for the construction sector in Kosovo and developed equipment lists for workshops for practical training at the Centre of Competence for the Construction Sector in Skenderaj.


Apoorva Shankar

Labour Market Specialist, Circle Economy, The Netherlands

Apoorva is a Labour Market Consultant in the Circular Jobs initiative team at Circle Economy. She works to support governments, businesses and educators in enabling a just transition by placing people at the heart of the circular economy transition.

Apoorva’s work at Circle Economy focuses on researching the impact of circular strategies on jobs and skills and building the capacity of institutions to support the circular transition, including through skills initiatives and training. In her previous roles, she has developed and delivered training initiatives. Before joining Circle Economy, Apoorva worked as a Social Policy Advisor at the Economic Policy Research Institute. She has a double master's in Public Policy and Human Development from Maastricht University and United Nations University (UNU-MERIT).


Matt Sigelman

Founder, Burning Glass Technology Institute, USA

Matt Sigelman is President of the Burning Glass Institute. He has dedicated his career to unlocking new avenues for mobility, opportunity, and equity through skills.

Matt and his team created the field of real-time labor market data, a breakthrough innovation that has transformed the way that policy makers, researchers, employers, education institutions, and workers understand, plan for, and connect with the world of work. By mining billions of job openings and career histories, Matt led Emsi Burning Glass to become a leading authority on the global market for talent, harnessing advanced AI and natural language processing to render data that provide unprecedented granularity on the changing landscape of opportunity for workers.

By tracking demand for tens of thousands of skills across over 30 countries, Matt’s work has cracked the genetic code of an increasingly dynamic market, with deep insights that not only chart how work is being redefined but also identify the skills that bridge the gap between people and opportunity. This intelligence is critical in protecting the workforce from obsolescence and in highlighting routes to social mobility even amidst the threat of massive automation-driven displacement.

Before launching the Burning Glass Institute, Matt served as CEO of Emsi Burning Glass for nineteen years and continues to serve as the company’s Chairman. Previously, Matt worked at McKinsey & Company and at Capital One. He is also Founder of the Main Line Classical Academy, an elementary school bringing the classical liberal arts curriculum and rigorous study in math and science to the kindergarten level on up and dedicated to the idea that children are never too young to learn great things.

He writes widely on the job market and is consulted frequently by public officials and the global media. Matt holds an AB from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard.


Sumi Somaskanda

Journalist

Sumi Somaskanda is a freelance reporter, writer, editor, and news anchor living and working in Berlin for more than a decade. She covers politics, breaking news, immigration, and economics. Her reporting has taken her across Germany and Europe.

Sumi is currently a senior news anchor at DW News (Deutsche Welle), Germany's international broadcaster. Sumi reports on Germany for various international publications, including The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, Global Post, Newsweek, PRI, and USA Today. She served as an editor at the Berlin Policy Journal, Germany's premiere English-language foreign affairs magazine.

She regularly moderates panels and conferences both in Germany and the US and lectures American university students at the CIEE Global Institute in Berlin. Sumi is an alumna of the Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship program and part of the BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network. In addition to her native English, she speaks fluent German and Spanish, and conversational Tamil.


Virpi Stucki

Chief, Rural Entrepreneurship, Job Creation and Human Security Division

UNIDO

Virpi Stucki is the Chief of Rural Entrepreneurship, Job Creation and Human Security Division at UNIDO. In that role, she oversees the Division’s interventions on improving the income and employment opportunities for women, youth and crisis-affected populations by empowering people with demand-driven skills and by fostering entrepreneurship. Prior to her current role, she worked as a Business Partnership Officer and as an Industrial Development Officer at UNIDO. 

Prior joining UNIDO in 2012, Ms. Stucki worked at the Royal Dutch Shell, the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN) and Aalto University School of Engineering. Virpi Stucki holds a PhD in civil and environmental engineering. 


Zafiris Tzannatos

Senior Consultant for Development Strategy and Social Policy, Jordan, and Fellow of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies in Lebanon

Professor Zafiris Tzannatos is a Senior Consultant for Development Strategy and Social Policy based in Jordan, as well as Fellow of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies in Lebanon where he was previously Professor and Chair of the Economics Department at the American University of Beirut. He has held senior academic positions in the UK, and has been manager and advisor in several international organizations (including the World Bank and ILO) and governments of industrialized, emerging, developing and fragile economies, including those in conflict, across all continents. His publications include 15 books and monographs, and more than 250 reports and papers in the areas of development strategy, labor, education, training, gender and child labor and broader social policy.


Marieke Vandeweyer

Senior Policy Analyst, OECD

Marieke Vandeweyer is a senior policy analyst in the OECD Centre for Skills, where she leads the work on Vocational Education and Training (VET). Since joining the organisation in 2014, she has worked in the areas of skills, activation policies and labour market reforms. She has been actively involved in the OECD’s Getting Skills Right project, analysing the match between skills demand and supply and the responsiveness of adult learning systems to changing skill needs. Her current projects focus on the future-readiness of VET systems, including comparative analysis of employer engagement in VET, flexibility of provision and higher-level VET programmes. 

Marieke holds a MSc in Business Engineering and a MSc in European Politics and Policies, as well as a PhD in Economics from the University of Leuven (Belgium).





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