This post is a summary of a article published at OECD.org on May,11,2012. Title is above.
Boosting investment in education, skills and training now is the key to strong, sustainable and shared growth in the future, according to the OECD skills strategy.
The skills strategy, to be discussed by ministerial meeting, acknowledge that with public finances under pressure, governments have tough budgetary decisions to make but spending on education and skills is an investment for the future and must be a priority.
OECD secretary-general Angel Gurría, said: " Skills have become the global currency of 21st century economies, they transform lives and drive economies. Government must invest more effectively in the education and skills that people will need in tomorrow`s workplace. They need to deploy their talent pool more strategically so that these investments translate into better jobs.
Today in many countries a third of adults lack the minimun core skills needed to engage in further learning and get a good job. The social and economic costs are huge: OECD analysis shows that people with poor skills are at much risk of unemployment, poverty and reliance on social benefits.
In the short-run, the focus should be on helping youth acquire the skills required by the labor market. The OECD skills strategy provides a framework for countries to analyse their strenghts and weaknesses and recommends ways they can develop the skills. Among its recommendations are that countries should:
- Improve the quality of learning outcomes by putting skills-oriented learning.
- Involve employers and trade unions more closely on developing training programmes.
- Help local economies to move up the value-added chain, foster entrepreneuship and stimulate the creation of high-skilled jobs.
To help countries get a clearer picture of their workforce`s skills, the OECD is carrying out a survey of adult skills. The results will be published in October 2013. The OECD has also developed an online portal: Skills.OECD.org , it features data and analysis on 40 countries and links to OECD work on skills.
