World Youth Skills Day celebrated around the globe

From Zambia to Germany, India to the United Kingdom, and many places in between, the world is taking notice today how youth improve the world with the power of skills.

WorldSkills Members and partners are hosting events around the globe promoting 15 July as the second annual World Youth Skills Day! 

In Bonn, Germany, WorldSkills Champions, WorldSkills Board of Directors, and Secretariat are attending the World Youth Skills Day 2016 UNESCO TVET (Technical Vocational Education and Training Forum) “Looking Ahead: Inspiring and Empowering Youth through Skills Development”.

Three WorldSkills Champions, Barthélémy Deutsch of Belgium, Anna Prokopenya of Russia, and Karin Fischnaller of Italy, as well as Jos de Goey, WorldSkills Board of Directors Vice President for Strategic Affairs, are speaking at the forum. Segments will be livestreamed 09:00-13:00 (GMT+2) 15 July on the UNEVOC website.

The forum is the official launch of the newly adopted UNESCO Strategy for TVET (2016-2021). The strategy will guide UNESCO’s TVET activities towards three focus areas, fostering youth employment and entrepreneurship, promoting equity and gender equality, and facilitating transition to green economies and sustainable societies.

Champions Trust representative for Africa, Tayla Schou, and

 Simon Bartley, President of WorldSkills, are in Zambia and Namibia this week meeting with TVET leaders, participating in a TVET Conference, and taking in a Try-a-Skill and Career Exploration Carnival. During the week, WorldSkills Zambia has also organized in partnership with FESTO Didactic, training for the Mini-Regional Skills Competition happening in Tanzania in November 2016.

The final day of the Community Plumbing Challenge 2016, organized by IAPMO (International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials), coincides with World Youth Skills Day. IAPMO has teamed up with another WorldSkills Global Partner, Autodesk, to pilot sanitation options for communal toilets in Diepsloot, South Africa.

Four international student teams, representing Australia, India, United States, and South Africa, are collaborating with local talent to develop the most effective and sustainable solutions for the defunct communal toilets. Teams assembled and tested their new designs to reinstall and reconnect these communal toilets for local Diepsloot residents.

During the six weeks leading up to World Youth Skills Day, WorldSkills social media received thousands of contributions and engagement in the #SkillsRuleTheWorld photo contest. Participants used #SkillsRuleTheWorld on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to demonstrate what makes their skill essential, inspirational, and life-changing.

In support of World Youth Skills Day, many Members and partners encouraged their followers to submit a behind the scenes photo in #SkillsRuleTheWorld, as well as hosting their own events and campaigns.

Member events include WorldSkills India hosting competitions in 24 Skills, seminars, and Try-A-Skills at an event inaugurated by President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. Representatives from WorldSkills UK and the British Council, are in India this week to share best practises on competitions. WorldSkills UK also has every member of Team UK meeting with their local Member of Parliament today. Additional Member events include WorldSkills Singapore hosting their Closing Ceremony for their National Competition, WorldSkills Palestine is hosting the biggest skills and TVET event ever in Ramallah, and WorldSkills Jamaica is hosting a Mini Skills Competition.

Follow the WorldSkills Facebook page for the latest on World Youth Skills Day activities around the globe.

Contact Shawna Bourke, Marketing and Communications Manager at Shawna.bourke@worldskills.org to include your World Youth Skills Day events in our calendar of 2016 activities.