World Youth Skills Day

July 15 is World Youth Skills Day. Young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to lower quality of jobs, greater labor market inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions. In addition, women are more likely to be underemployed and under-paid, and to undertake part-time jobs or work under temporary contracts.

World Youth Skills Day – One Girl’s Adventure

That is why education and training are key determinants of success in the labor market. But unfortunately, existing systems are failing to address the learning needs of many young people, and surveys of learning outcomes and skills show that a large number of youth have low levels of achievement in basic literacy and numeracy. To raise awareness on the importance of investing in youth skills development, the United Nations General Assembly decided in resolution A/RES/69/145 to designate 15 July as World Youth Skills Day.

World Youth Skills Day – Discussion

Rising youth unemployment is one of the most significant problems facing economies and societies in today’s world, for developed and developing countries alike. At least 475 million new jobs need to be created over the next decade to absorb the 73 million youth currently unemployed and the 40 million new annual entrants to the labour market.