15 July is World Youth Skills Day!

United Nations Youth

15 July is World Youth Skills Day! The UN estimates that the number of unemployed youth globally reached 74.5 million in 2013, the majority of whom live in developing countries. Find out about the Day and why‪#‎YouthSkills‬ matter: http://bit.ly/297WqN9 - For details about the event on 15 July at the UN Headquartres in NYC, visit: http://bit.ly/29ISNRA

World Youth Skills Day 2015

The information below refers to World Youth Skills Day activities in 2015.

You may be looking for WYSD activities in 2016.

Save the date!!

To raise awareness on the importance of investing in youth skills development, the United Nations General Assembly has decided to celebrate the first World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) on 15 July 2015.

#WYSD2015 – spread the word!

Join us in celebrating the first-ever World Youth Skills Day on 15 July 2015! Use the hashtag #WYSD or #WYSD2015 on social media to join a global movement for youth and skills and share your story let us know what you think!

Did you know...

With the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and UNESCO’s Education for All (EFA) campaign coming to their term in 2015, more young people than ever around the world have gained access to education. This has sparked career expectations and raised hopes for a better future in many young people. Education, skills and jobs are rated high in people’s priorities for development: in the global My World 2015 Survey, young people up to the age of 30 across all regions and education levels rated education as their number one priority, with better job opportunities being the third priority. Yet globally,

• youth represent 25% of the total working age population but make up 40% of the unemployed (ILO, FAO, 2013).
• almost 74 million young people (aged 15 to 24) were looking for work in 2014 (ILO, 2015).
• two thirds of youth in developing economies are without work, not studying, or engaged in irregular or informal employment (UNDP, 2014).
• never before have there been so many young people on the planet: 1.8 billion people are aged 10 to 24 (UNFPA, 2014).
• the working-age population is poised to more than double in the least-developed countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa between 2015 and 2050 (UNFPA, 2014).
• the youth unemployment situation is common to all regions in the world and is happening despite improvements in average educational attainment (ILO, 2015).

Never again is there likely to be such potential for economic and social progress. How we meet the needs and aspirations of young people will define our common future. Skilling people through relevant and good-quality vocational education is seen as a factor that can really make a difference in the global youth employment crisis. Yet weak governance structures are key factors holding back the increase of employment opportunities for youth and the sustainable development of countries and economies.

#WYSD at the United Nations in Bonn

WYSD celebrations coincide with an important year of setting the agenda for the future: a new climate agreement, and the adoption of the Sustainable Development goals are just around the corner. That is why this year’s theme is “Youth skills for work and life in the post-2015 agenda”.

WYSD is in line with the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, which propose two goals on education and skills for employment:

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

In this context, the UN is organizing several events at UN Headquarters in Bonn (Germany), New York (USA), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and elsewhere.

WYSD Event in Bonn

The United Nations in Bonn will observe the first World Youth Skills Day together with guests from Bonn University, WorldSkills competitors and UN Bonn staff with a panel discussion on “Youth skills for work and life in the post-2015 agenda”.

• When? 15 July 2015
• What time? 16:00
• Where? UN Campus Bonn

Speakers

Carina Lange

Carina Lange is the 2015 German Youth Delegate to the United Nations. She was selected by the German Government to represent young people in United Nations decision-making processes.

Max Dolge

Max Dolge is competing at the upcoming WorldSkills competitions in Sao Paulo in August 2015. He is a trained cook and has passed the national selection rounds to compete in Brazil.

Elena Singer

Elena Singer is a WorldSkills champion: she won the Silver medal at WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 in Print media technology

Opening remarks

• Shyamal Majumdar is the Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC. Originally from India, he has served as Director General of CPSC in Asia in the area of technical and vocational skills development.

• Ahmad Alhendawi, a Lebanese national, is United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Youth Envoy and advises the Secretary General on all important policy matters from the perspective of youth. Mr Alhendawi will provide a video message.

Moderators

• Nicholas Nuttall, Chief of Communications, UNFCCC
• Alix Wurdak, Associate Publication and Information Officer, UNESCO-UNEVOC

More information

• UNESCO-UNEVOC Youth and skills http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/go.php?q=page_Youth+and+skills
• UNFCCC Youth Portal: http://unfccc.int/cooperation_and_support/education_and_outreach/youth/items/8945.php
• WYSD at WorldSkills: http://www.worldskills.org/wysd
• German Youth Delegates: http://en.jugenddelegierte.de/
• United Nations resolution on WYSD: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/C.3/69/L.13/Rev.1

More facts: What is the Situation of #YouthNow? The Office of Ban Ki-moon‘s Envoy on Youth has compiled an overview highlighting the situation of young people around the world:

• Youth and employment: http://www.un.org/youthenvoy/employment/
• Youth and education: http://www.un.org/youthenvoy/education/

Celebration of World Youth Skills Day at UNEVOC Centres

28 July 2015 World Youth Skills Day celebrations in Georgia To celebrate the first World Youth Skills Day, the UNEVOC Center of Georgia organized a cultural and traditional art skills exhibition at Gldani Vocational Training Centre. (more)

15 July 2015 Celebration of the World Youth Skills Day at NBTE Nigeria The Executive Secretary and Management of NBTE, Kaduna, Nigeria congratulates the TVET community on the celebration of July 15, 2015 as the World Youth Skills Day. (more)

15 July 2015 COTVET Ghana celebrates World Youth Skills day On the occasion of World Youth Skills day, the government of Ghana called on the public to its efforts to make TVET an enterprising venture. Sebastian Deh, Executive Director of the Council for Technical Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), urged the youth, as well as master craft persons involved in the delivery of skills training, to upgrade their skills for increased productivity and a better future. (more)

10 July 2015 Yaba College of Technology marks World Youth Skills Day Under the title of "Skills Acquisition: Panacea 4 Youth Unemployment", Yaba College of Technology, Nigeria, hosted an event celebrating World Youth Skills Day on 15 July 2015. (more)