WorldSkills Conference 2019 as world’s driver of vocational education and training

The WorldSkills Conference 2019 is to take place in Kazan from 23 to 24 August. Held under the theme “Skills for Change: Building Blocks for Impact”, the event is a platform for discussing economic, social, and technological trends and to find solutions to the most pressing issues in educational systems, workforce training, and labour market transformation.

The Conference will host over 30 sessions which will include representatives from the world’s foremost vocational and skills development organizations, from leading corporations, as well as a series of inspiring young people who are using skills to create exciting opportunities for themselves and the world. International experts will deliberate over the dramatic changes the world is facing, and the transformation process of the economy and the labour market.

The Conference is divided into three main tracks addressing how technologies and economies change, how society is being reshaped, and how environmental processes transform. The overall objective is to shed light into how these spheres drastically affect the approaches to training the workforce.

“This is the largest WorldSkills Conference we have ever held, and as you will see from the programme and speaker list the most ambitious in our history. We can proudly say that we have realized our ambition to make WorldSkills, the global meeting place for skills training and vocational education,” said Simon Bartley, President of WorldSkills.

The Conference will start with a panel featuring Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Social Policy; Heinz Koller, Regional Director, Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, International Labour Organization; Jaime Saavedra, Global Director, Education, World Bank; Amelia Addis, Regional Representative for Asean and Oceania, WorldSkills Champions Trust, and Nassim Nicholas Taleb, researcher, risk specialist, and author.

On an attempt to solve the questions of who or what can leverage approaches to revealing and reaching human potential, and what should be done to prepare the youth for the future, the discussion will touch upon the opportunities to harness collective efforts aimed at unlocking our full human potential, so that we can face the challenges of climate change, globalization, and the technology revolution.

The WorldSkills Conference 2019 will host an important debate between Nassim Taleb and Dmitry Peskov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Digital and Technological Development, Director of the department “Young Professionals” of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives. The experts will share their opinions on the essence of risk-engineering and its benefits for creating better management tools and building a strong competitive economy. They will explain why traditional risk management used by governments and corporations is useless and why we need to invest in risk for a breakthrough.

“Currently, the education and workforce training system has been undergoing major transformations dictated by the digitalization era. Moreover, training workforce to build the digital economy is still a challenge. I believe that WorldSkills Kazan 2019, together with its International Conference, will provide a unique platform to build solutions for developing skills in those who will be making breakthroughs, forming new markets, and building the economy of the future,” notes Dmitry Peskov.

Representatives of 60 countries and regions, including industry partners, heads of educational organizations, politicians, and HR professionals will gather at the WorldSkills Conference 2019. For the first time ever, the Future Skills Zone, a specialized area dedicated to high-tech skills, will be part of the event. Furthermore, there will also be the first-ever national track of the WorldSkills Conference. Training methods tested during that track will find a systemic and large-scale application within the workforce training system across all Russian regions.

“Answering the question ‘How to train professionals for the economy of the future?’, we should discuss, consider, and analyze the available existing practices and search for sound solutions addressing the whole set of skills for the future. That is why it is essential for us to use the forum offered by the 45th WorldSkills Competition to share our know-hows and learn the world’s best practices in the field of professional education and training,” highlights Ekaterina Loshkareva, WorldSkills International Official Delegate for Russia.

The Conference will become one of the milestones on the path to form a new education and training system matching the needs of the future economy.

“WorldSkills Conferences are fast becoming the best place to learn about the latest developments in skills, skills provision, and skills development”, said Crispin Thorold the Conference lead for WorldSkills International. “WorldSkills Conference 2019 will bring together some of the most interesting and exciting speakers in this field. We hope that the debate will generate practical new ways to help to improve the lives of us all through skills.”