About the Skills Innovation Network

Our vision

Skills systems are confronted by the need to respond to increasingly dynamic and fluid labour market and societal conditions. Climate change, technology, demographic shifts, migration and globalization are causing disruption to the world of work, while making skills development even more complex, fluid and unpredictable.

Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has made skilling, reskilling and up-skilling more difficult for young people and adult workers around the world. Whilst the pandemic enhanced opportunities for distance learning to a certain extent, it has significantly disrupted the planning and implementation of training and learning, as well as examinations and assessments processes for certification. Unless actions are taken now, the global loss of skills training and education will have long-lasting impacts on people, businesses, and societies in a way that will be felt far in the future.

This challenge is particularly pressing in developing and emerging economies, where education and training systems are not equipped to deliver high-quality programmes, well-paid jobs are limited and where skilled workers have no option but to work in lower-skilled jobs or find employment in the informal economy. As we look for ways to recover from the pandemic and build a “better normal”, there is a clear need for opportunities where multiple stakeholders come together to contribute and create innovative and scalable solutions.

The Skills Innovation Network aims to provide a safe place for skills innovators interested in sharing ideas and experiences and collaborating to develop and scale innovations that support skills development for employability of workers, productivity of enterprises and promoting social justice.

Our work

The Skills Innovation Network is a unique platform for skills innovators from different backgrounds to share and support each other’s work. By applying a peer-to-peer mentoring and learning approach, everyone in the network will have an opportunity to participate, contribute and learn from the community.

Moreover, through regional and global knowledge sharing sessions, members will be able to showcase their solutions not only to innovators, ILO Constituents, TVET institutions, academia, and development practitioners; but also to potential partners and sponsors to establish and expand collaboration and partnerships.

The Skills Innovation Network also supports the design and implementation of national, regional and global innovations on skills development and lifelong learning. It provides technical advice and access to ILO tools and resources, private ideation workshops, innovation clinics, tailored trainings and mentoring programmes. Networking with partners and experts in the area of skills development will also be facilitated.

Original members

The core members of the Skills Innovation Network are the finalists of previous Skills Innovation Challenge Calls. The original members who have been with the Skills Innovation Network for the longest amount of time include the following individuals and organisations:

Ánima, Uruguay

Ánima is a technological baccalaureate with two orientations: Management and Information Technology. It is a privately run educational institution with free access aimed at socially vulnerable young people. Ánima has been implementing dual training in Uruguay since 2016. Learn more

Blink 42-21, North Macedonia

The Center for Social innovations of Blink 42-21 believes that innovation - the creation and adoption of new ideas - is the key to human progress, prosperity and happiness. Blink 42-21 is a platform that connects people who believe that social innovation can lead to economic, educational and social transformation and cultural challenges. Learn more

CoSchool, Colombia

Coschool envisions a world where today’s youngest generations in Colombia and Latin America, who require a wide-ranging set of socio-emotional skills, are prepared to face a rapidly changing workplace, positioned to achieve better academic outcomes and equipped to contribute to society. In line with this vision, we firmly believe that access to high quality teacher training can improve learning outcomes and transform education systems. 

Digital RPL System – Ms Swati Arora (Freelancer), India

Digital RPL system aims to formally recognize and validate the skill competencies of digitally literate population of the Indian workforce by using an interactive application through a customised model. The application shall use interactive interface and advanced algorithms to help users in identification of preferred trades, prepare proofs for validation, undertake self-evaluation tests, and issue credits at each passing stage. Recommendations or ratings from past or current employers shall also attract credits. Users could thereafter undergo proctored assessments at their own pace and comfort, by recognized awarding agencies and obtain minimum credits to get RPL certified.

First Real-time Worker Solutions Ltd, Kenya

First Realtime Solutions Limited is a leading human resource agency that provides online workforce management systems & services to enable high performing teams. Under the brand name SmarterJobs, we offer state of the art realtime systems to support remote working, virtual teams and online employee services to ensure organizational and team success. 

GAN Argentina, Argentina

GAN Global empowers people and businesses by promoting and advocating for the uptake of work-based learning including apprenticeships, as a way to address the mismatch between the skills people have and the skills employers need.

GAN Argentina creates alliances with companies, organizations and education and training centres to promote the early development in young people of professional skills required by the labour market. GAN Argentina’s goal is to encourage local companies to commit to the training and incorporation of young people into the world of employment.

Instituto Técnico de Capacitación y Productividad, Guatemala

The Instituto Técnico de Capacitación y Productividad (INTECAP) was established in 1972 by the Guatemalan business sector to promote human resources development and training in the country, as well as to provide technical assistance for the improvement of productivity in all economic sectors. It has 27 training centres and five departmental delegations and provides training to 425,000 Guatemalans in over 140 technical careers each year. Learn more

Layertech Software Labs, Inc., Philippines

Layertech Software Labs, Inc. is a research and development company specializing on systems design, implementation, and data analytics. Layertech works with various local, national, and international institutions to solve various community issues with technology. 

Mavared Dan. Eg. Hizm. LTD STI, Turkey

Mavared is a Turkish company established in 2014 providing several activities and services in Education Consultation Services, Entrepreneurship, Information Technology, and Robotics with others related services. 


MIESES Global, Spain

MIESES Global is a non-profit association, whose mission is to help organizations, especially SMEs, to be healthy and sustainable in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of UN, placing people and their skills at the heart. Learn more


Secretaría de Trabajo y Fomento al Empleo (STyFE), Mexico

The objective of Mexico City´s Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion (Secretaría de Trabajo y Fomento al Empleo, STyFE) is to promote and guarantee decent work. To that end, its evidence-based and comprehensive labour policy includes a wide-ranging array of social programs and institutional actions that aim at generating decent jobs and improving existing ones. 

Skills Development Hub, Tanzania

Skills Development Hub Skills Development Hub has been a registered company in Tanzania since 2019, which aims at developing and offering blended trainings and career development programmes, including the provision of career guidance and planning for individuals and institutions targeting the transformation of mindsets, especially for youth in higher education.

ProAbled Online Academy, Lebanon

ProAbled is shareQ NGO’s major programme. It has two complementary departments: ProAbled.com and ProAbled Academy. Both are handled by a team of experts in their fields of entrepreneurship, IT, online tools, work psychology, occupational therapy, architecture, HR, recruitment, among others. Learn more

Qutoof, Jordan

Qutoof is a local non-profit professional development organization aimed at advancing the sector of waste management and the recycling industry, in order to achieve environmental sustainability and green growth in Jordan. Qutoof’s services and activities are focused on driving sustainability by integrating education and communication capacities within local communities. Learn more

Universal Learning, Switzerland

Universal Learning is a non-profit mobile-learning organisation creating digital skills training for the under-served communities to equip them for the future of work.