Navigating the Future: Shaping the future of work and skills

Navigating the Future: Shaping the future of work and skills

With initiatives like the European Skills Agenda, Erasmus+, and the Pact for Skills, the EU is championing the development of skilled, dynamic workforces able to meet the challenges of the future. The European Training Foundation (ETF), with its unique focus on EU neighbouring countries, is committed to supporting its partners in building education and training systems that deliver targeted and forward-thinking 21st-century skills, creating economies that strive to be both sustainable and inclusive.

In January 2024, the ETF launched its forward-looking Navigating the Future series of events, designed to explore the evolving role of education and skills training in responding to some of the biggest challenges of our time.

By bringing together experts, thought leaders, and policymakers from major organisations, institutions, and industries across Europe and beyond, the Navigating the Future events have provided a unique platform for the ETF and its partners to imagine the world in 2050. Together, we have analysed the changing face of the global economy and explored how education and training systems need to adapt to meet the social, technological, and environmental demands of an uncertain future.

Central to all events has been the role of strategic foresight, an approach that provides the tools to help anticipate and prepare for alternative futures when the path ahead is uncertain. The true strength of strategic foresight lies in its ability to shape the present by exploring future scenarios. By understanding the potential risks and opportunities underlying these futures, we can take proactive steps today to build readiness for the challenges of tomorrow, thus embracing uncertainty while shaping the collective future we want.

2024: The beginning of the future

For the past 30 years, the ETF has provided strategic policy advice, expertise in skills anticipation, and support to help EU neighbouring countries reform their education, training, and labour market systems. Our strong commitment to partnership and collaboration has led to the creation of dynamic peer learning networks, such as the Skills Lab Network of Experts, the Creating New Learning initiative, and the GLAD and GRETA networks. These networks have played an important role in sharing knowledge and co-creating best practices, helping to make education and labour market systems more responsive to the growing demands for greener, more digital, and equitable societies.

While huge progress has been made, the forces shaping the future of work and skills demand that we remain resilient and strategically focused. The challenge now is to capture the voices of all stakeholders and partners, looking ahead to the next 30 years to understand how education and skills development must evolve for a more sustainable and inclusive future.

Fast-forward to 2050

Each of the Navigating the Future events has taken participants on a journey to 2050, encouraging them to think beyond the present and reimagine education and skills development for the future. With distinct themes at each event, we have collectively considered key questions about how we can prepare for the challenges ahead, how education systems can adapt, and what skills will be critical in the future. These discussions have enabled participants to step outside conventional thinking and explore innovative approaches to building an agile and inclusive world of work.

Bringing together high-level audiences of leaders, experts, and academics from around the world, the events so far have gathered perspectives on:

What next?

The Navigating the Future events have powerfully highlighted that the future of education and work depends on the decisions and strategies we set in motion today. Equipping learners and workers with the skills to navigate and thrive in this rapidly changing environment is crucial, and we are committed to working with our partners across the EU’s neighbouring regions to build a workforce that is resilient, sustainable, and inclusive for the future.

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