WorldSkills Africa: future goals and priorities

On Saturday, 17 February 2024, African Heads of State joined leaders from the African Union Commission, the African Union Development Agency, and WorldSkills International for the official launch of WorldSkills Africa. The event was celebrated with words of optimism for the future of skills development across Africa, urging African nations to join this ever-growing skills movement. But what will success look like for WorldSkills Africa and what are its priorities?

Build the capacity of educators

Young people are only as skilled as the educators who teach them and the resources they can access. That is why building capacity of educators across its Member base will be the key focus of WorldSkills Africa. WorldSkills Africa will also work with partners to encourage governments and private sectors to improve the Vocational and Education Training (VET) equipment and infrastructure across Africa’s colleges and educational institutions. The success of capacity building programmes in countries like Ghana, Kenya and, most recently, Uganda is proof that “train the trainer” programmes not only build technical skills, but they build confidence among educators and their students, and inspire them to work and train to even higher standards of excellence in their trade. Capacity building is also about making sure the skills taught in colleges match the needs of industry. So WorldSkills Africa will be looking to bring more business leaders into these programmes to ensure the next generation of Africa’s workforce is fit for the future.

Demonstrate the value of skill competitions

Skill competitions increase skills excellence and they are an effective tool to improve the perception of VET. This was evident at WorldSkills Africa Kigali 2018 and WorldSkills Africa Swakopmund 2022, and it is something that WorldSkills has seen time and again, during the seven decades it has been hosting competitions. The training required and the conditions during a competition not only improve a young person’s technical skills but equip them with additional life skills such as resilience, good communication, precise timekeeping, effective teamwork, and ambition. This blend of skills makes them more successful at work, and more able to meet the challenges of an increasingly uncertain world. WorldSkills Africa will be drawing on experience and best practices across the skills community to provide a regional platform for benchmarking VET systems within the continent. The WorldSkills Africa Competition will be a stepping stone for the African countries to compete on the international stage. WorldSkills Zambia is preparing to host WorldSkills Africa Livingstone 2025, set to be the biggest skills event that the African continent has seen and attracting government officials, business leaders, educators, and the public all coming to be inspired by Africa’s youth.

Advocate for VET with industry leaders, educators and policy makers

Africa has the fastest growing and youngest population in the world. Yet it is the continent with the greatest unemployment. Skills, therefore, are critical to sustainable development and prosperity. WorldSkills Africa will be using its platform and its position to connect policymakers, education thought leaders, and the private sector. It will aim to embed the WorldSkills Occupational Standards as the benchmark of global excellence across all skills to lift ambitions around the quality of skills in Africa. It will advocate for green skills that can help businesses meet its ESG targets. It will champion inclusivity so more women can secure employment. It will also foster a spirit of cooperation and consultation between stakeholders to ensure Africa’s youth have the knowledge and skills they need to thrive within emerging and fast-moving industries.

Building the WorldSkills movement in the continent

The ultimate goal of WorldSkills Africa is to harness the power of skills for Africa’s development by creating a paradigm shift in the perceptions of VET. It will play its part in achieving sustainable development and inclusive growth for all African people, in line with Agenda 2063 – and specifically Aspiration 6 that says Africa should be people-driven, and harness the talent of all Africans especially women and youth. The first step in realizing this goal is giving all African nations access to the same expertise and knowledge. That is why an invitation has already been extended to African Union member states to join WorldSkills Africa and work alongside current WorldSkills Africa Members: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zambia. Membership grants countries entrance to regional skill Competitions. It allows them to learn from best practice and collaboration with existing Members. It allows countries to adopt the WorldSkills Occupational Standards as a benchmark of global excellence and elevate skills through the dynamism of the WorldSkills brand.

It is early days for WorldSkills Africa and there is much work to do. But there are already some accomplishments to celebrate and future milestones in sight, including:

• Two successful regional Competitions.
• Dozens of capacity building programmes.
• Membership from ten African nations.

The official launch is a powerful springboard to more success and greater engagement, proving, as we know, that the world is not complete without Africa.