"Skilled for Excellence and Development" side-event of the ECOSOC Youth Forum

"Skilled for Excellence and Development" is a side-event organized by the Permanent Missions of Germany and Brazil with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and WorldSkills, held on the occasion of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum "#Youth2015: Realizing the Future They Want".

On 2 June 2014, at the UN Plaza in New York, the side-event will feature a presentation of skills needed in developing countries by ILO, a presentation on technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems in Brazil and Germany, and interviews with some of our very own WorldSkills Champions who have participated in WorldSkills Competitions and Projects.

Approximately eight WorldSkills Champions and delegates from different countries will be present to tell the world about WorldSkills and to share their experiences and success stories. There will be a panel discussion featuring Nata Miccael Barbosa (Brazil – Web Design – Gold Medallist, London 2011), Henrique Baron (Brazil – Mechatronics – Gold Medallist, Leipzig 2013), Tobias Becher (Germany - Restaurant Service - Silver Medallist, Leipzig 2013) and Miss Won Jeong Lee (South Korea – Hairdressing – Silver Medallist, London 2011).

This side-event aims to showcase how the Governments of Germany and Brazil, social partners like WorldSkills, and the ILO help young people in the transition from school to work and close potential skills gaps. The participation of WorldSkills at the side-event will assist in addressing the importance of technical and vocational education and recognize the potential in skills excellence that youth have.

This side-event is part of the Youth Forum, which is being held to bring the voice of youth to the Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) of the ECOSOC, with this year’s theme being "Addressing on-going and emerging challenges for meeting the Millennium Development Goals in 2015 and for sustaining development gains in the future." This is a significant event to be associated with, because in attendance of the AMR will be Member States, policy-makers, civil society organizations, representatives of academia and the private sector. The summary of discussions at the Youth Forum will be presented at the AMR in July.

The Youth Forum is organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the Office of the Youth Envoy of the Secretary-General and the United Nations Inter-agency Network on Youth. Participants in the Youth Forum will include Ministers of Youth and Sports, youth delegates, representation from the Children and Youth Major Group, youth representatives from Member States, including from National Youth Councils, representatives of regional youth organizations as well as youth-led and youth focused organizations and networks, including those in consultative status with ECOSOC.

To learn more, visit the ECOSOC website.