In a rapidly changing world, it can be challenging for countries to adapt their skills systems to new realities, ensuring that people develop the necessary skills to thrive both now and in the future. To start, skills policy spans various interconnected policy areas impacting the demand and supply of skills, including education, employment, economic development, innovation, immigration and taxation. Concurrently, skills policy concerns different levels of government, from local to central, illustrating a vertical division of responsibilities. As a result, there will be diverse and potentially conflicting interests and perspectives.
Skills policy also implicates a wide and diverse array of stakeholders both within and outside government, including employers, labour organisations, education and training providers, and civil society organisations, among others. All these stakeholders have an interest and role in ensuring that people develop the skills most needed in the economy and society and have opportunities to fully and effectively utilise those skills. However, it can be challenging to leverage the knowledge and insights from these stakeholders, engage them in policy making, and build their commitment to take action.
Amid global shifts and transitions, keeping skills at the top of the policy agenda can be an additional challenge. Political changes and external shocks, such as the coronavirus (COVID‑19) pandemic, can shift policy priorities. With many competing policy areas, ensuring that skills remain a focus requires continuous advocacy and adaptation to emerging trends and needs.
As a result, it will be increasingly important for countries to develop skills strategies. These skills strategies enable countries to adopt a co-ordinated and inclusive approach to assessing skills challenges and opportunities, identifying priority areas for action, and setting strategic policy directions for the medium to long term. By fostering collaboration by different government actors and stakeholders on a skills strategy, countries can foster a shared understanding of how to adapt their skills systems effectively to a rapidly evolving world. Ultimately, these strategies ensure that countries can effectively leverage human capital to drive economic growth, increase productivity, create better jobs, improve social well-being, and adapt to the green and digital transitions, thereby securing a resilient and prosperous future.
In this study, supported by the European Commission (Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion), the OECD reviews skills strategies developed and implemented in the European Union over the past ten years. Based on a mapping of 26 skills strategies, desktop research, stakeholder consultations, and expert meetings for selected case studies, the report presents nine key lessons for developing and implementing skills strategies.
The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries or the European Union.