The recent OECD Local Skills Week – a co-production with the JPMorgan Chase Foundation – was a pretty timely event. With reskilling top of the priority list in most countries, this was a great (virtual) platform for taking stock of latest innovations and skills initiatives alongside nearly 2000 employment and skills experts from across the globe. Here’s a snapshot of some of the insight:
* Join the dots or lose the plot – Lamia Kamal-Chaoui , Director of OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, amplified the call for joined-up skills systems at a local level. One facet of this must be strong relationships between employers and local schools/colleges. The fact that 2 in 5 employers across OECD countries have flagged major challenges in finding the right staff and skills underlines the urgency. A failure to join up the dots jeopardises future opportunities for individuals and businesses alike.
* Let’s build ‘progression nations’ – In the words of Karin Ernlund, Vice Mayor for Labour Market, Stockholm City Council “It is not just about creating pathways into work for the unemployed, it’s about creating progression routes for those already in work”. Agree with that, let’s build progression nations across the globe!
* Invest or regress – “Talent is the new oil. Massive investment in skills is key to competitiveness, especially as companies will go where skills are”. Strong messages from Pao Solanilla Franco, Commissioner of City Promotion of Barcelona. What does progress look like? ‘Cities of Talent’ will be built on public-private co-operation, that’s definitely one way forward.
* Upskilling is for all types workers – It was good to hear Lena Forsgren, Labour market expert for the City of Stockholm, underline the importance of upskilling opportunities for temporary staff. One initiative in Sweden is focusing on the care sector where staff shortages are acute. Skills support is key to attracting and retaining people in high-demand sectors, whether in temp or perm roles.
* Digital skills can unlock inclusion – There was an inspirational intervention from Anne Kjær Bathel, CEO and co-founder of The ReDI School of Digital Integration in Berlin. The school equips people from different backgrounds with digital skills. Anne provided a great case study of helping migrants to integrate through reskilling. Other highlight of the talk? 65% of the people enrolled at the school are women!
* Boosting transitions is a must – It was good the hear reference to Nesta Mapping Career Causeways initiative during one of the sessions. I remember taking part in one of the scoping workshops a few years back at Nesta’s Victoria Embankment HQ. Boosting transition opportunities is a must; and reviewing hiring criteria and procedures must be part of the formula for change. New approaches to mapping viable pathways for people whose jobs are likely to change or be lost as a result of automation is a priority in cities and nations across the globe.
* Location still rules – Some great points raised by Pawel Adrjan Chief Economist at Indeed – particularly the fact that job-seekers are still primarily searching for jobs by location according to latest data . The thought was that hybrid work might make location less critical. Doesn’t seem to be the case as yet! The fact that location remains a determining factor is an opportunity for hiring employers to make it clear that they are open to applications from people with experience of different sectors and roles.
The extent to which local economies can reap the benefits of ongoing labour market disruption and a shape-shifting business landscape will largely depend on the future readiness of local skills systems. As the speed of change accelerates, it becomes ever more important to step back, take a breath and engage with skills and employment experts from across the globe. Initiatives like Local Skills Week provide a vital pit-stop as we hurtle at great speed into the future of work.