World Youth Skills Day: how can business leaders support skills development and lifelong learning?

World Youth Skills Day reminds us of the critical importance in equipping young people with the right skills for employment, a strong career foundation, and future entrepreneurship as they enter the job market.

As technology and industries evolve, having relevant skills is crucial for economic growth and individual prosperity.

With this in mind, see below for industry experts on why World Youth Skills Day is important, and what companies can do to foster a positive culture of lifelong learning.

Dan Pell, VP & Country Manager UK&I, Workday:

“Employers across the UK are focusing more and more on skills and experiences while moving away from degrees and traditional (or, linear) career paths. For 2024’s World Youth Skills Day, this transformational shift should be front of mind.

“For young people looking to begin or grow in their careers, the message is clear: continuous skill development and embracing lifelong learning is key. Stay adaptable, and keep up with new market trends and technologies. However, businesses must play their part, too. It’s up to them to nurture in-demand skills, and help every employee untap their potential through targeted training initiatives.

“At Workday, one way we’re delivering on this is through our ‘Career Hub’, which helps every worker nurture career-relevant skills. It acts as a single space for individual growth, providing personalised development opportunities, networking suggestions and skills recommendations.

“With skills only becoming more important – not only for individual careers but for the growth of businesses and our economies as a whole – we all have a role to play. We must provide our young people with the resources and experiences needed to nurture their talents – and ultimately drive our collective success.”

Mykhailo Dorokhov, Senior Engineering Learning & Development Lead, Pipedrive:

“For this World Youth Skill Day, we should keenly examine ways the private sector can boost skilling support. Businesses are in a unique position for knowledge-sharing, something we focus on at Pipedrive.

“Skilling programmes can provide life-long golden insights, especially for younger individuals entering industry. These programmes can bridge the gap between educational development at school, university, or an apprenticeship, and real-world experience, maximising career opportunities for young people.

“This year Pipedrive’s unique internship and mentoring programme, School of Code, has expanded to the Czech Republic, after successful runs in Estonia. Tapping into a gold mine of industry knowledge, Pipedrive is supporting skilling for students, with paid internships lasting 11 weeks covering software training, TypeScript, databases, back-end and front-end development. For Pipedrive, this is all about giving people the tools to explore curiosity, ensuring we’re setting up the next generation for success in their field.”

Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer, Coursera:

“Emerging technologies – particularly generative AI – have the potential to unlock urgently-needed growth for Britain; the country’s tech sector currently employs over 1.7 million people in the UK, contributing over £150 billion to the economy every year. However, the country’s ability to leverage technology for economic returns is hampered by sizable skills gaps, which threaten to stifle progress.

“A huge proportion of the digital skills we desperately need can come from an influx of younger generations entering the workforce. To enable this, the new Labour government needs to ensure that younger generations are equipped with the right tools for learning. Initiatives like Skills England and a Growth and Skills Levy are promising methods for incentivising skills development. However, effective public-private partnerships and diverse learning pathways are also essential for nurturing robust digital skills among the UK’s young people.”

“At Coursera, we are seeing opportunities across the world through partnering with universities to offer online learning tailored towards today’s digital landscape, with courses on coding, AI and data science offered to university and further education students, often for-credit. Degrees remain a powerful means of cultivating subject-specific expertise. However, we believe that, when twinned with employability-enhancing programs like Professional Certificates – industry microcredentials offered by leading companies such as Google, Meta, and IBM – we will see even greater returns on tertiary education. We are seeing evidence that encouraging this sort of role-based, skills-first, continuous learning approach allows young people to upskill and reskill for in-demand technology jobs, which will both enhance employability, and empower Britain’s youth to reshape the economy – and the world – for the better.”

Nisha Kadaba, Senior Manager, Global Impact, PagerDuty:

“Prioritising youth skills is vital as society relies on highly technical digital infrastructure, and advanced solutions such as AI create sweeping social change. Yet any conversation about hard and soft skills must strike a balance, as the more technical the role, the more important communication and problem solving become to show value and business relevance.

“Technology vendors can add to their existing philanthropy, technical pro bono, and product support programmes with social impact funds or schemes to grow fully rounded young talent. Youth skills education can improve prospects for individuals and their communities, as well as providing a diverse talent pipeline into organisations.

“As the world globalises, diverse, capable talent, able to work effectively in many environments and contexts, is critical. Organisations that nurture this from the digital native generation will be better placed to support a global customer base.”

Bukki Adedapo, International Expansion Leader, Fiverr:

“New technological advancements continue to reshape the workforce. To support the growth of the next generation of workers we need to provide them with the right tools to upskill and succeed in their careers. Fiverr’s recent UK Future Workforce Index found that nearly half of businesses said access to low-skilled talent was the biggest barrier to hiring the right workers this year. Additionally, 93% of businesses are now seeking freelancers and self-employed workers, with AI skills being the most highly sought after.

“With a skills shortage crisis still looming, we must seize the opportunity to engage young people by equipping them with the necessary skills and resources to thrive and make a positive impact on our society and economy.”

On the horizon

As we continue to navigate an ever-evolving job market, an emphasis on skills development will remain crucial for creating inclusive and prosperous societies.

World Youth Skills Day is about bringing together organisations that can affect positive change, and ensure that the future of the workforce is strengthened and supported.

With collaboration from both the public and private sectors, we can create and nurture an environment for learning, helping people develop their passions throughout their lives.