World Youth Skills Day 2021: Reimagining youth skills post-pandemic

Observed on 15 July every year, World Youth Skills Day aims at equipping the young population with the required skills in order to become employable.

Declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, the day looks at providing opportunities for dialogue between young people, education and training institutions, and employers from different firms.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown have changed the course of education and training dissemination. According to UNESCO, in June around 19 countries were faced with a complete closure of schools which affected approximately 157 million learners. And the partial closure of schools affected more than 768 million learners.

The list doesn’t end here, for as per the estimates by the International Labour Organisation, youth employment fell 8.7 percent in 2020. The sudden disruption in education and training combined with the dip in employment could leave an ever-lasting impact on the labour and recruitment market experience for the young generation.

This year, the day lays its entire focus on reimagining training and skill programmes keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic and the wide range of possibilities that lie in front of us. It will also acknowledge the resilience and creativity of the young during times of crisis.

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