Be Bold For Change — Inclusive Growth through Skills Development, 6 to 17 March
Moderadores
Akiko Sakamoto is Senior Skills and Employability Specialist at the International Labour Organization (ILO) for Southeast Asia and the Pacific and is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. She has been working in the field of skills development and technical vocational education and training (TVET) for nearly 20 years at ILO Headquarters in Geneva and its field offices in New Delhi, Bangkok, and Manila. She has undertaken policy advisory, project formulation, and project implementation work, covering a wide range of skills-related issues. These include: formulation of national policies on skills development; reform of skills/TVET systems; skills for enhanced productivity and employability; qualifications framework and recognition of non-formally acquired skills; and skills for the informal economy workers and disadvantaged groups. Akiko has a PhD in Education with a focus on workforce skills development from University of London.
Joni Simpson is the ILO’s Senior Specialist in Gender, Equality and Non-Discrimination for East and South East Asia and the Pacific, based in Bangkok, Thailand. In her current role, she provides technical guidance and support on gender equality, non-discrimination and women’s economic empowerment approaches to ILO constituents and partners for policies and programmes relating to jobs and entrepreneurship. For seven years, she was ILO’s Global Coordinator & Specialist in Women’s Entrepreneurship Development and Entrepreneurship Education in Geneva, Switzerland. She sits on an Expert Committee for the Global Women Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard. In addition to her work at the ILO, she has over ten years of experience in Community Economic Development and Community Credit micro finance, working on building accessible and adapted resources and advocating for inclusive services in Entrepreneurship Development. Her past experience includes work in micro-finance, social economy and youth employability. She holds a Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology and a degree in Education.
Laura Brewer is currently the Skills Development and Youth Employment Specialist at ILO Geneva. Her research and technical assistance work focused mainly on skills for social inclusion and enhancing the employability of disadvantaged youth. Before joining the Skills and Employability Department of the ILO in 2008, Ms. Brewer was a Senior Policy Specialist in the Youth Employment Network (YEN), an ILO, UN and World Bank initiative established in 2001. Laura holds a PhD in Public Policy from the Australian National University and a Master’s degree in Criminology from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Prior to joining the ILO in 2001 she was an academic at Flinders University of South Australia.
Drawing inspiration from this year’s International Women’s Day, this E-Discussion aims to explore and share innovative programmes and good practices that can contribute to the building of a better working world for present and future development—especially for women and other disadvantaged groups. Share your experiences now! Some contributions may also eventually be featured in an ILO publication on the subject.
Many of the global drivers of transformational change will have major implications for skills development. For example, technological advances will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another. Referred to by many as The Fourth Industrial Revolution, evolution in robotics, nanotechnology, 3D printing and biotechnology will require enormous changes in the skill sets needed to thrive in the new landscape. This revolution is also expected to result in significant job creation and displacement, heightened labour productivity and widening skills gaps.
The pledge that “no one will be left behind” in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its accompanying Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), commits member States to plan to end poverty, combat climate change and fight injustice and inequality.
A number of SDGs are particularly relevant in tackling these transformational drivers of change in the world of work:
- SDG 4 on quality education and lifelong learning;
- SDG 5 on gender equality; and,
- SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth.
Bold changes are needed to stimulate hope and drive for the inclusion of all individuals in present and future development processes. Yet, ensuring that inclusion is equitable is not automatic.
Please read full Guidance Note below.
Week two questions include, among others:
4. Different countries have taken different approaches to promoting inclusive growth through skills development. Yet, is it about broadening access to formal training institutions? Is it about improving the quality and perception of TVET? Is it about specific skills that could promote disadvantaged groups in gaining decent and productive jobs? What is your view and experience?
5. What are unique and innovative programmes in your country that reach out and address specific skills needs of disadvantaged groups?
6. Increased automation will change the nature of jobs and low-skilled workers are likely to face highest employment risks. What kind of skills or skills-plus programmes can assist in enhancing their employability and career prospects?
7. We all know that skills alone may not be sufficient for realizing inclusive growth. How do your country’s skills development initiatives connect to broader programmes that promote inclusive employment and equality of opportunities?