World Youth Skills Day: July 15 was declared World Youth Skills Day by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This significant move marked the reasons to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
It came to be known in 2014 and since then, World Youth Skills Day has provided a unique opportunity for dialogue between young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, firms, employers’ and workers’ organizations, policy-makers and development partners.
World Youth Skills Day 2022 takes place amid concerted efforts towards socio-economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that are interconnected with challenges such as climate change, conflict, persisting poverty, rising inequality, rapid technological change, demographic transition and others.
Young women and girls, young persons with disabilities, youth from poorer households, rural communities, indigenous peoples, and minority groups, as well as those who suffer the consequences of violent conflict and political instability, continue to be excluded due to a combination of factors. In addition, the crisis has accelerated several transitions the world of work was already undergoing, which add layers of uncertainty regarding the skills and competencies that will be in demand after the pandemic is overcome.
The United Nations and its agencies, such as UNESCO-UNEVOC, are well placed to help address these challenges by reducing access barriers to the world of work, ensuring that skills gained are recognized and certified, and offering skills development opportunities for out-of-school youth and those not in employment, education or training (NEET).
During this Decade of Action for the 2030 Agenda, the full engagement of young people in global processes is vital to generate positive change and innovation.
World Youth Skills Day: Significance
World Youth Skills Day provides young people an opportunity to shine their skills by taking part in skill development programs organized by various training institutions. It also provides a pathway between the youths and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, employers’ and workers’ organizations, firms, development partners and policymakers.
The day also highlights the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
World Youth Skills Day 2022 Theme
Every year, World Youth Skills Day holiday is observed with a certain theme set by the United Nations. The theme of World Youth Skills Day 2022 is ‘Transforming youth skills for the future’.
For the year 2021, the theme was ‘Reimagining youth skills post-pandemic which aimed at helping the youth recover from the devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, both on a skill basis and an emotional basis. No theme has yet been confirmed for the 2022 celebrations.
