According to Recovering Learning, a recent report from the Education Commission, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), only about one in four of the world’s young people are on track to learn the skills they need to get a job. This is problematic and clearly speaks to the work ahead for the education ministry in narrowing the skills gap among the youth population.

The reports state that with the high number of young people out of school and the low attainment of secondary level skills, countries worldwide are facing a skills crisis as the majority of youth are unprepared to take part in today’s workforce, and there is increasing inequity across countries and among those from the poorest communities. In at least one in three low-income countries with available data, more than 85 per cent of young people are off track in secondary level, digital, and job-specific skills attainment.

Alarmingly, at approximately 10 years old, the majority of children in low- and middle-income countries are unable to read and understand a simple text. This speaks to the widening learning gap between developed and developing countries. These foundational skills are the building blocks for further learning and skills development. Basic literacy and numeracy; transferable skills, including life skills and socio-emotional skills; digital skills, which allow individuals to use and understand technology; job-specific skills, which support the transition into the workforce; and entrepreneurial skills are essential for children to thrive. These skills are also critical for the development of societies and economies.

UNICEF and the Education Commission are urging governments to reach every child with quality education and break down the barriers that put them at risk of dropping out by providing holistic support. The growing global youth population, rising unemployment in many countries, and changes in the labour market due to technological developments are only a few of the reasons policymakers must ensure that future generations are equipped with the entrepreneurial skills and mindsets they need in order to prepare themselves for this rapidly changing world.

Historically, our students have stayed away from careers in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) because of the stigma associated with that pathway.

In 2014 the United Nations General Assembly declared July 15 World Youth Skills Day to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship. Since then, World Youth Skills Day has provided a unique opportunity for dialogue between young people, TVET institutions, employers’ and workers’ organisations, policymakers, and development partners. This year’s theme is ‘Transforming Youth Skills for the Future’.

World Youth Skills Day 2022 was staged in tandem with efforts to recover from the socio-economic challenges experienced during the novel coronavirus pandemic as well as those that existed before its onset, such as climate change, conflict, persisting poverty, rising inequality, rapid technological change, demographic transition, and others.

Young women and girls, young people with disabilities, youth from poorer households, rural communities, indigenous peoples, and minority groups as well as those who suffer the consequences of violent conflict and political instability continue to be excluded due to a combination of factors.

In addition, the crisis has accelerated several transitions that were being experienced by the global job market, which add layers of uncertainty regarding the skills and competencies that will be in demand in the post-pandemic era.

IN PURSUIT OF A SKILLS-BASED SOCIETY

According to UNESCO, the celebrations of World Youth Skills Day 2022 were aimed at highlighting the ongoing focus on the Transforming Education Summit (September 2022) and contributing to the work being done under its thematic action track ‘Learning and skills for life, work, and sustainable development’.

The summit is aiming to mobilise political ambition, action, solutions, and solidarity to transform education; to take stock of efforts to recover pandemic-related learning losses; to reimagine education systems for the world of today and tomorrow; and to revitalise national and global efforts to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal number 4, which addresses quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The 2019 Global Competitiveness Report ranks Jamaica 36th out of 141 countries for the quality of its vocational training, but 93rd for digital skills within the country’s active labour market. This shows that TVET needs to play a greater role in addressing youth unemployment.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution represents a fundamental change in the way we live, work, and relate to one another. It is a new chapter in human development, enabled by extraordinary technological advances commensurate with those of the first, second, and third industrial revolutions. These advances are merging the physical, digital, and biological worlds in ways that create both huge promises and potential perils. The speed, breadth, and depth of this revolution is forcing us to rethink how countries develop, how organisations create value, and even what it means to be human.

This industrial revolution is about more than just technology-driven change. It is an opportunity to help everyone, including leaders, policymakers, and people from all income groups and nations, to harness converging technologies in order to create an inclusive, human-centred future.

The Jamaica Education Transformation Commission’s 2021 report compiled by Professor Orlando Patterson states that educational disparity is chronic in the island and has been considerably worsened by the pandemic.

There are two extremely different school systems in the country, one that is world-class and serves mainly the haves, the other serves the have-nots, which comprise the vast majority, and is largely failing. The report posits that Jamaica’s education system faces two major challenges: the need to train students to function in a technologically based economy and the need to help solve its catastrophic problem of crime, including unusual levels of violence toward females, children, and people with non-traditional sexual and gender orientations. Therefore, the curriculum ought to be configured to allow for as much attention to be given to social and emotional learning as is given to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) so as to engender respect for human life and a sense of responsibility and civility in human relations.

If we are truly serious about TVET, then there needs to be a wider consultative, youth-integrated approach. Obviously there is still a place for a university degree; however, we need to interrogate the societal biases we continue to harbour regarding skills-based training.

The time is now for the Jamaican society to move towards pursuing a skills-based society in order to assist our youth in making better decisions about their future. It is time for a more holistic approach be taken regarding TVET in the society. Our policymakers must continue to pursue plans to inspire the youth to learn new skills as well as to raise awareness around youth skills in order to better prepare our youth for their future.

In the words of Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, “Young people are drivers of change and must be fully engaged in decisions affecting their future.”

Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and/or gender issues. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or waykam@yahoo.com.