UNESCO's Global Skills Academy
The Global Skills Academy (GSA) is an initiative dedicated to addressing the pressing labour skills gaps and empowering individuals for a future-ready workforce. Under the umbrella of UNESCO Global Education Coalition and in line with the GSA is committed to supporting ten million youth and adults globally in building essential skills for improved employability by 2029.
The GSA focuses on empowering learners with key skills, including digital literacy, entrepreneurial skills, and green technologies. These skills are crucial for navigating the rapidly evolving job market driven by technological, economic, and societal transformations.
To achieve this goal, the GSA leverages strategic partnerships and mobilizes 230 TVET institutions across 150 countries through the UNESCO and . By analyzing the evolving labour market鈥檚 skills supply and demand, the GSA offers free training and mentorship programs. These programs empower learners with in-demand skills, including digital literacy and skills, green technologies, and entrepreneurial capabilities.
The GSA is dedicated to bridging this skills gap and empowering individuals to thrive in our 21st-century economy.
Globally, one out of five individuals aged 15-34 remain disengaged from education, employment, or training (). That translates to 360 million young individuals seeking opportunities to build a brighter future through quality education, training and employment opportunities.
The rapid pace of technological, economic, and societal transformations compounds this issue. Recent reports from the World Economic Forum indicate that 43% of business tasks are expected to be automated by 2027. This suggests the need for widespread reskilling (the process of acquiring new skills or knowledge to perform a different job or task) or upskilling initiatives to ensure employees globally can navigate the changing demands of the labour market ().
鈥淚 need to train in entrepreneurship and digital marketing. This way, I will be able to compete in the job market or start my own business.鈥
Digital skills
Digital competence receives a growing demand, with more than 75% of companies looking to adopt digital technologies such as big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, and 86% of companies incorporating digital platforms in their digital marketing strategies in the next five years ().
Access free, certifiable digital literacy and skills training with our partners:
- Aleph Inc.
- Anthology
- Cisco
- Coursera
- Fundaci贸n Telef贸nica
- GIZ-atingi
- Huawei
- IBM
- ITU
- Microsoft
- Orange
- Outsystems
- Pix
- Technovation
Green skills
Green expertise is hired 1.19x more, and demand for green and sustainability skills has grown by more than 60% since 2016 in economies like sustainable fashion, environmental services and renewable energy. Projection shows demand will outstrip supply in 5 years' time, emphasizing the critical need for green skills development ().
Access free, certifiable green and sustainability skills training with our partners:
- FESTO
- GIZ-atingi
- IBM
- Siemens Stiftung
- SkillEd
- WHO Academy
Entrepreneurial skills
Entrepreneurial and transversal skills can boost careers by developing empathy, agility and readiness to learn, improving communication and project management, identifying opportunities and building leadership.
Access free, certifiable entrepreneurial and transversal skills training with our partners:
Mentorship programmes
Mentorship programs provide each mentee a unique experience through a dedicated mentor from industry, providing insights and experience about study and personal development, giving guidance in career planning and advancement, opening doors for potential job opportunities.
Enroll in free mentorship programs with our partners:
鈥樷橧'd say that UNESCO is doing a great job in bridging the gap between students and quality education in developing countries. The Global Skills Academy Initiative has also exposed students like me to experience a new way, the digital way, of enjoying quality education.鈥欌
Our working model
Partnerships sit at the heart of the Global Skills Academy鈥檚 (GSA) success. The GSA leverages multi-stakeholder partnerships and mobilizes over 230 Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions across 150 countries through UNESCO and the UNEVOC Network.
The GSA connects:
- Member States
- institutions
- individual learners
to a wide range of training programs offered by UNESCO鈥檚 Global Education Coalition partners.
This expansive network enables GSA to reach learners worldwide, ensuring that no one is left behind in accessing quality training. By developing flexible, scalable, and inclusive solutions tailored to local labour markets and communities, the GSA empowers individuals to acquire the skills needed to thrive in the current economy.
GSA mission in figures
mobilized across the world
Regional statistics
鈥淕SA is an amazing platform to unite many training and learning offerings that learners, educational institutions, education systems can choose from. HP is happy and proud to be able to contribute to this platform.鈥
Ready to make a positive impact?
Partnerships with organisations prepared to offer free training and skills development opportunities in scale are considered on a regular basis. For further discussion contact us via gsa(at)unesco.org.
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