Asia-Pacific Regional Thematic Consultation on

Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda 28 February – 1 March 2013

Bangkok, Thailand

Theme 3 – Global Citizenship, Skills and Competencies for Life and Work Introduction Increasingly, governments are recognizing the need to take a wider perspective on the learning outcomes beyond those measured by current learning assessment tests, such as the skills, competencies, attitudes and values that are required for young people and adults to live in and be able to adapt to an interconnected and rapidly changing world. How the life and development challenges faced by individuals and societies alike can be tackled will depend a great deal on the availability and level of skilled human resources equipped with not only content knowledge, but also generic skills and application competencies. Based on the solid foundation skills learned in basic education, today’s learners are required to acquire further skills, including critical thinking, creative and problem solving skills, collaboration, media literacy, intercultural understanding and respect for diversity. In addition, increased attention is paid to the acquisition of broader life skills. There are great variations in the definition of life-skills, but in general they include psycho-social skills, income-generation skills, entrepreneurship and livelihoods development, and healthy behaviours and risk reduction for HIV prevention. In the context of emerging and strengthening knowledge-based economies, primary, even low secondary school graduates will be ill-prepared to cope with the changing economic and social development trends and levels. They need to learn to continue learning and acquire transversal competencies and appropriate specialized skills through continuous learning opportunities, be they in general, technical and vocational or higher education institutions and through formal, non-formal and informal channels. On the other hand, considering the rapid changes that are taking place in our connected societies and interdependent economies, education systems should be reoriented to facilitate pathways between different education streams and the transition from school to work, and even from work to school, while allowing for an appropriate mix of generic skills training in vocational education. The role of education in preparing young people and adults for “global citizenship” has also taken on increased importance. This recognition is echoed in a number of recent initiatives, including last year’s launch of the UN Secretary General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI), which upholds fostering global citizenship as one of its three key priorities. With an overall goal of “prepar[ing] students to play an active and positive role in their dealings with school, family, society and globally”1, global citizenship education aims to prepare young people and adults to participate actively and responsibly in their communities and in the global sphere more generally. Skills, competencies, values and attitudes such as respect for cultural diversity, tolerance, empathy, communication, conflict resolution and environmental awareness are vital aspects of global citizenship.

1 Education Above All. 2010. Education for Global Citizenship. Doha, Education Above All.

Selected Facts and Figures • Over the previous ten years, the number of 15-24 year olds in Arab States, South and West Asia, and sub-Saharan

Africa has increased from 474 million to 566 million2. 55% of the world’s youth populations live in the Asia-Pacific region3. By 2020, the global figure is expected to reach 623 million. In order to accommodate this increase, an additional 57 million jobs will need to be created globally for new entrants to the labor market to prevent unemployment rates from rising above current levels4.

• The Global Monitoring Report 2012, which focused on Youth and Skills, identified three main types of skills that young people need: foundation, transferable and technical and vocational skills. There are millions of adolescents and adults who lack foundation skills for whom appropriate learning opportunities, including second-chance education, should be provided, while imparting an appropriate set of vocational skills for them to enjoy a decent life and work.

• The provision of skills training, including workplace-based training, requires the contribution of the private sector, businesses and non-governmental organizations, in addition to the important role that the state should play. This calls for greater coordination and collaboration among different stakeholders, with the state facilitating and supporting such partnerships including establishment of national skills standards and quality assurance mechanisms. This also requires that the government establishes an education sector that is flexible and can adapt to rapidly changing job market opportunities, especially for young people in rural areas and the urban poor.

• At a time of major demographic, economic and social transition and crisis in many parts of the world, there is greater consensus that while education cannot remedy all local and global problems, it can contribute to addressing them over the longer term through its transformative potential.

• Improving skills and competencies for life helps young people find new ways to respond to the impact of different types of issues and crises. These also provide a foundation to engage youth on broader issues, such as poverty, climate change, food insecurity, migration, etc.

Guiding Questions • What are the key challenges in your context or country in relation to skills training for young men and women?

• What skills and competencies do you think young people and adults need to acquire more in order to cope with the future challenges in their life and work?

• How can education and training systems be strengthened in order to take into account the current and emerging challenges, such as technological advances, globalization, sustainable livelihoods as well as changes in the demand for skills and jobs?

• In what ways can education concretely prepare young people and adults for global citizenship?

• Drawing on the above, what are the priority areas relating to skills and competencies for life and work (e.g. generic skills, vocational skills, life skills, transversal skills, global citizenship) which should be included in a post-2015 development agenda?

2 UNESCO. 2012. Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2012. Paris, UNESCO.

3 UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2011. World Population Prospects. New York, UN.

4 UNESCO. 2012. Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2012. Paris, UNESCO.