Contact us

Skills and Employability Branch (SKILLS)

Staff
Employment Policy Department

International Labour Office 4 Route des Morillons

Geneva 22
Switzerland
CH-1211

Tel : +41 22 799 7512
Fax : +41 22 799 6310
Email : skills@ilo.org
Website : www.ilo.org/skills

Recent publications and reports

  1. Lifelong Learning in the Informal Economy: A Literature Review

    This literature review aims to provide an update to current debates on how to bridge the gap for informal economy workers to access and participate in relevant and quality skills development and recognition throughout their lives, identifies research gaps and provides recommendations for future programming.

  2. Skills for a greener future: a global view

    The first global report on the implications of the transition to low-carbon and resource-efficient economies for skills, gender and occupations.

  3. Apprenticeships

    ILO Toolkit for Quality Apprenticeships - Vol. 1: Guide for Policy Makers

    The ILO Toolkit for Quality Apprenticeships provides a comprehensive but concise set of key information, guidance and practical tools for policy-makers and practitioners who are engaged in designing and implementing Quality Apprenticeships

  4. Skills and jobs mismatches in low- and middle-income countries

    This publication reviews literature and produces new analysis using data on educational mismatch from 60 low- and middle-income countries.

Events

  1. Launch of the 1st Cambodia Skills Challenge Innovation Call

    16 October 2020

  2. Webinar on Innovations and Strategies for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

    14 October 2020

  3. Webinar on Labour Market Relevance and Quality Assurance of Apprenticeships

    6 August 2020

  4. Skills Challenge Call winner announcement

    Skills for a Resilient Youth in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond

    15 July 2020

Skills and Employability Branch (SKILLS)

Governments, employers' associations and trade unions around the world are working to improve the employability of workers, move young people into productive and decent work, and increase the productivity of enterprises through better quality and relevant training. The Skills and Employability Branch conducts comparative research and provides policy guidelines and technical assistance to help constituents integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies.

The ILO's work with constituents focuses primarily on three areas: linking training to current labour market needs as well as anticipating and building competencies for the jobs of the future; building quality apprenticeship systems and incorporating core skills into training for young people; and expanding access to employment-related training in rural communities in order to improve livelihoods, reduce poverty, and equip women and men to work in the formal economy.

What's new

  1. Guide and digital interactive assessment tool on Making TVET and skills development inclusive for all

    The guide aims to help skills decision-makers and practitioners assess to what extent their TVET system is currently excluding certain individuals or groups, identifies underlying reasons, and provides practical ideas on what could be done to redress inequalities.

  2. Effective governance and coordination in skills systems: towards a lifelong learning ecosystem

    This policy brief revises the key issues that affect governance and coordination in skill systems and proposes a number of measures and principles through which reforms can take place.

  3. Guidelines on Rapid Assessment of reskilling and upskilling needs in response to the COVID-19 crisis

    The guidelines focus on three broad types of impact on the labour market, and hence on demand for skills and opportunities for workers, with implications for reskilling and upskilling needs.

  4. The Digitization of TVET and Skills Systems

    This joint ILO-UNESCO report provides a global, high-level overview of how digitalization is affecting TVET and skills systems. The study draws on developments in Brazil, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, New Zealand, Slovenia, Turkey and the United States.

  5. The Role of Employers in Skills Development Systems

    This policy brief discusses how employers and Employer and Business Membership Organizations (EMBOs) can strengthen their involvement in skills systems, and highlights some of the benefits in doing so. It analyses interventions at the national, sectoral and enterprise levels and presents a range of strategy, policy and operational interventions.

  6. A review of Entitlement Systems for Lifelong Learning

    This joint ILO-UNESCO paper presents the results of an international literature review of how countries have introduced systems and initiatives to provide individuals with an entitlement to lifelong learning. It seeks to establish what is meant by an ‘entitlement’, and how that can be interpreted in the context of lifelong learning.

  7. Winner announcement

    Domestic Workers Association of Zimbabwe wins the ILO Skills Innovators Challenge

    The winner of the first ILO Skills Challenge Innovation Call has been announced, and the USD 50,000 prize has gone to a domestic workers association in Zimbabwe

  8. Rapid STED: A practical guide

    This new guide provides advice on implementing an updated approach to STED. It aims to speed the process, to deepen collaboration, to build capacity among national and sector partners, to improve their skills strategies, and to help move more effectively from diagnosis of skills needs to implementation of the skills development responses required.

  9. ILO Toolkit for Quality Apprenticeships - Volume 2: Guide for Practitioners

    A comprehensive resource for helping improve apprenticeships programmes offering over 125 tools and guides from more than 40 countries and institutions worldwide.

  10. Policy Brief

    Distance and online learning during the time of the COVID-19

    This brief reflects on some innovative solutions being adopted in technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

  11. Employer organizations in the governance of TVET and skills systems

    This report explores the engagement of employer organisations in the governance of TVET and skill systems. It presents the experiences of 28 national employer and business membership organisations in key aspects of skills development

  12. Skills partnerships on migration

    The ILO conducted 13 country studies and 2 sub-regional studies identifying the potential for skills partnerships on migration between different countries and key skills stakeholders.

  13. Podcast

    Global challenges, Global solutions: The skills challenge in the time of COVID-19

    In this interview, ILO Senior Skills and Employability Specialist Ashwani Aggarwal discusses the new world of on-line learning and e-training that is taking shape, and some of the challenges that have emerged.

  15. Skills for Employment Policy Briefs

    Policy Briefs in the series are authored by the technical specialists of the Skills and Employability Department and aim to present a short overview of particular areas related to skills development, policies and systems, and training.