Using technology foresights for identifying future skills needs
English
Academic institutions
Research papers, synthesis reports, country and programme studies are collected from many academic institutions and national, regional and international professional associations.
ILO
The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org
Anticipating and matching skills needs
Anticipating and building skills for the future is essential to a rapidly changing labour market. This applies to changes in the types and levels of skills needed as well as in occupational and technical areas. Effective methods to anticipate future skills needs and avoid potential mismatches include: sustained dialogue between employers and trainers, coordination across government institutions, labour market information systems, employment services and performance reviews of training institutions.
Promotional material
Presentations, discussion papers, meeting reports, promotional materials, videos, fact sheets, brochures and newsletters on skills development for employment.
Project: Applying the G20 Training Strategy
The problem of identifying future skills needs is becoming more and more acute in the context of the current dynamics of the global economy. In the turbulent times the speed of change is growing while the global competition in numerous sectors is further becoming tighter, with former leaders leaving and new actors joining the game. To avoid disorientation caused by the pace of the economic globalization, governments need to look forward to the long-term development of the critical sectors of the national economy. In particular, of interest are the technology-driven industries – as the focal points concentrating research and development, foreign direct investment, talent and cutting-edge technology. The use of technologies increases labour productivity and economic competitiveness and may potentially fuel growth with a positive impact on employment. The technology can partially substitute the labour thus influencing the structure of the demand: skill-intensive jobs become more sought-after while jobs with routine tasks can be fully substituted by the technological solutions.
With the launch of Skills Foresight project under the auspices of the G20 Training Strategy, an attempt was made to bridge the two areas of research and planning to introduce a technology foresight-based method of skills anticipation built around international best practices. One of the key landmarks of the project was the Global Workshop “Using Technology Foresights for Identifying Future Skills Needs” which featured leading skills anticipation and technology foresight experts across the globe. The workshop results are presented in this publication.