A global conversation about skilling for a future of good work

This is a very exciting week for the Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN). On Thursday, 28th of March 2019, we are launching our global campaign SkillingNow! Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect.

Why a campaign?

The world of work is changing rapidly, driven by a series of megatrends — globalization, technology, demographics and climate change. These trends affect the composition of the workforce, the nature of tasks, the way work is organized, and they are creating new opportunities and roles that were unforeseen even a decade ago.

Unlocking these opportunities to the benefit of all stakeholders requires a proactive and collective response by government, businesses and individuals of all ages to continuously build the skills needed to meet evolving labor market demands; a window of opportunity exists today for us to understand and proactively shape how we respond.

The debate about skills, and how and when to acquire them, is now a constant drumbeat with a regular flow of publications and conferences on the topic featuring leading global consultancies, international organizations, thought-leaders, businesses and governments. Yet, there are still more questions than answers and numerous potential scenarios.

What kind of campaign?

SkillingNow uses a mix of selected online and traditional channels, as well as in-person events to generate interactive discussions about the skills people and businesses will need for a future of good work and the role work-based learning can play as a link.

We’ll dive into three topics that are at the center of the debate and also explore innovative examples of work-based learning programmes by large and small employers in communities around the world that could provide inspiration for others.

• Lifelong learning: SkillingNow will explore the topic of lifelong learning including examples of where it’s already happening in companies and countries and questions such as what’s the role of government, the employer and the individual; what value will degrees have in the future; and what skills people should acquire?
• Return on investment of work-based learning including apprenticeships: We will investigate the return on investment of work-based learning approaches, including questions such as culture, broader social benefits and cost sharing.
• How large business can support small businesses bridge the skills gap through work-based learning including apprenticeships: Work-based learning is resource intensive, and often difficult to realize for small and medium size companies. We’ll explore how big and small businesses are collaborating, across the world, to make it happen. We will investigate case studies on this type of collaboration and hone-in on how they define success and features that they have in common.

We will explore each of these topics through thought pieces, podcasts, twitter summits and a photo series in collaboration with the GAN’s global members, our Networks in 16 countries around the world, thought-leaders and doers in the field of work-based learning, and numerous committed groups.

• Thought pieces: We are engaging top leaders to co-develop thought pieces that will be shared on our LinkedIn , Medium and Facebook with the goal of inspiring an interactive discussion with our campaign partners and more broadly with audiences around the world.
• Podcasts: Each episode showcases 20–30-minute conversations with influencers, scholars, employees (highlighting stories from apprentices, returnees, trainees), government and business representatives about challenges and what works in the skilling landscape today.
• Twitter Summits: A virtual conference that takes place on Twitter, featuring both keynotes and research presentations, but the talks will be delivered via a series of tweets. The virtual conference will promote open debate where everyone can follow, ask questions, and take part in the discussions.
• Human Skills at Work: A collaborative piece where everyone will have the opportunity to send us their photos with quotes and their personal views on what skilling means to them.

What do we hope to achieve?

SkillingNow aims to open up the discussion by providing a platform for an interactive, global dialogue, engaging people from diverse sectors and backgrounds in an exchange about building the skills we need for a future of good work through work-based learning.

Our hope is to:

1. Spark and facilitate an interactive global discussion on key questions and challenges as well as showcase promising and tested approaches to skilling through work-based learning;
2. Raise awareness about work-based learning as a viable way to connect people and businesses through skills for a future of good work;
3. Generate recognition that government, businesses and individuals all have an essential proactive role to play in building the skills we need to thrive in a future of good work.

What is the GAN’s contribution?

As a business driven multi-sector alliance, the GAN is excited to leverage our partnerships to create an open and global discussion that engages people from diverse backgrounds in an interactive exchange about building the skills we need for a future of good work. Our global members include some of the world’s largest employers; our partners are global thought-leaders on work-based learning and skilling and provide policy guidance to governments around the world; our business-driven and multi-sector networks in 16 countries will contribute perspectives from their own community and cultural contexts, and our campaign partners will enrich the discussions with unique viewpoints and experiences.

Launch event

Join us for the SkillingNow launch event on March 28th 2019, at 14:30 at the ILO.

For more information about the campaign and to find out how you can participate, please contact our campaign manager, Arantxa Cedillo: cedillo[at]gan-global.org