Skills – North Star Skills for Development

Happy World Youth Skills Day

July 15th is World Youth Skills Day. The ILO and UNESCO coordinate and offer a number of events during the day. This year’s theme is Skills for a Shared Future.

This is what the UNEVOC says of today’s celebration.

Every year on 15 July, World Youth Skills Day celebrates the importance of equipping young people with the skills they need for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. The day also provides an opportunity for dialogue between young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, the private sector, policymakers and development partners on the role of skills in shaping inclusive and sustainable societies.

What will it take to equip every young person with the competencies they need to thrive in a shared future?

The world of work is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, the green transition and growing social complexity are transforming how we learn, work and participate in society. To thrive in this changing landscape, young people need more than technical skills alone. They need a balanced set of competencies that combines technical, digital, AI, green, social-emotional and civic skills with the human qualities that technology cannot replace.

https://live.ilo.org/event/world-youth-skills-day-2026-skills-shared-future-2026-07-15

World Youth Skills Day 2026: Skills for a shared future | UNEVOC International Centre for TVET

If you have time, check the information out today. If you miss the events, there is usually follow-up recording.

UNESCO India Assignment

I worked with UNESCO for four years as Team Leader on the STEP Malawi project. It was a fantastic project in skills and technical education like this one coming up in India but the latter has a particular focus on young women.

The position is “Project Associate” to support the implementation of the UNESCO–NIKE “Kickstart Her Future – India” project.

Application Deadline is: July 26th

To see information on the STEP Malawi program use the following link.

STEP – Skills and Technical Education Programme – Malawi

I found the UNESCO India request interesting for several reasons. One, the request shows the level of detail that goes into requests of this type, and secondly it provides a link to the UNESCO recruitment page.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/call-for-applications-the-unesco-regional-share-7477247192085340160-LBgb/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAAT6WVYBoOng7VOGUXAeFXrhWNx2_Umpivg

Good luck if you apply.

In my long career, I had several assignments in South Asia including one with the ITU in India. To read about my experience there, you can check out my book Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between available from my website or from AMAZON Canada.

Proud to See My Work Supporting TVET Strategy Development in Dominica Recognized

Group of five individuals in safety vests and hard hats standing at an industrial site in Dominica, featuring large piping in the background. The image highlights a focus on vocational education and training.

Catalyste+ Advisor Arthur Shears recently completed a pivotal assignment supporting the Dominica Technical Vocational Education and Training Council (DTVETC) in crafting a comprehensive 5-year strategic plan (2025/26–2030/31), as part of our CCEDM program. The plan outlines a transformative vision for inclusive, competency-based training, institutional strengthening—particularly at the Goodwill Secondary School TVET Centre of Excellence—and enhanced access to funding. Through strategic pillars focused on access, quality, governance, and labor market alignment, the plan sets the foundation for a resilient, future-ready workforce and positions Dominica to leverage regional opportunities like the Caribbean Future Skills Fund.

The above story was recently carried in the Catalyste+ Connects newsletter. My support was provided in-person to the DTVETC on the island for two weeks this past summer, with additional support provided virtually via Zoom before and afterwards. I had the privilege of working closely with a fantastic technical working group of national experts.

For Canadians, especially older professionals like me, Catalyste+ may be an opportunity to share our skills in Northern Canada and/or in developing countries.

Check their website for further information. You can also explore my BLOG posts for opportunities at Catalyste+ and elsewhere.

BLOG – North Star Skills for Development

And don’t forget my memoir – Overseas Adventures… – is available from my website as well. Dominica doesn’t feature in it, but it will if I eventually write a Further Adventures.

Want to Learn More About How to Become a Catalyste+ Advisor and Work in International Development

This year I applied to Catalyste+ and became an Advisor. I reviewed the various opportunities that matched my skill set and was chosen for two assignments in Dominica in the Caribbean. One was in-country for two weeks and the other virtual which lasted on and off over three months. They were both enjoyable and productive. In fact, during my assignments the Dominica TVET Council was able to draft their Five Year Strategic Plan 2026-2031.

Group of five individuals wearing safety vests and hard hats standing in front of industrial equipment in a mountainous area.

Catalyste+ is having an information session in late October. This is your chance to learn about their work and how you might fit in.

Image promoting Catalyst+ information sessions, featuring a group of people in a forested area with details about English and French sessions scheduled for October 29 and 30.

To register for the English language session, use this link:

Meeting Registration – Zoom

For the French language session, check here:

Meeting Registration – Zoom

Enjoy the information session.

ILO Seeks Project Manager for Ukraine (P4 Level)

A former ILO colleague of mine shared the below opportunity. If interested, check it out but be quick, the deadline for application is midnight Ukraine time, September 2, 2025.

https://jobs.ilo.org/job/Project-Manager-P4/13218-en_GB

Excellent skills in English is a requirement; knowledge of Ukrainian an advantage. The project focuses on labour issues.

I had the pleasure of working on projects with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the past, once as Chief Technical Advisor on the TVET Reform project in Bangladesh (7 years), and as a short-term consultant in employment policy in Afghanistan (before the Taliban takeover).

You can find my experiences with the ILO, amongst others, described in my book “Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between” available from this website or from AMAZON.

Good luck, if you apply.

TVET/skills-based higher education consultant needed

The following opportunity was shared with me by Dr. Julia Dicum, Director of Education at UNRWA.

UNRWA has a TVET programme that serves about 8,000 Palestine Refugee Youth and a similarly structured even smaller education sciences faculty programme (pre-service teacher training only) that serves about 2,000 Palestine refugee youth (mostly females). We are looking for a 6-month TVET/skills-based higher education consultant to advise us on sustainability models for the future management/governance of TVET and educational sciences (pre-service education training).

The JO TVET Consultant / P4 #262571 is online now. For easy reference, please follow the link below:

https://inspira.un.org/psc/UNCAREERS/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/UN_CUSTOMIZATIONS.UN_JOB_DETAIL.GBL?Page=UN_JOB_DETAIL&Action=A&SiteId=1&JobOpeningId=262571&PostingSeq=1

Note that UNRWA has programs in Gaza, the Occupied West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

This assignment is a transformational opportunity for the right person. Unfortunately, I am not available. I did work with UNRWA in TVET in the 2005-2007 period. My experience is described in a chapter of my book Overseas Adventures….

WorldSkills is Hiring

Hello all. I just received a copy of the below job description and wanted to get it online today – World Youth Skills Day. Apologies in advance for the clunky formatting. The original JD was properly formatted but the formatting didn’t carry over to here. Anyway, do apply if you are qualified and interested. Deadline: 31 July 2025. See details at the bottom of this post.

WorldSkills Occupational Standards Specialist

About WorldSkills
WorldSkills International (WSI) is a movement that impacts the lives of young people through initial vocational development. The 89 Member countries and regions that are part of WSI reach two-thirds of the world’s
population and create measurable impact at every level through skills development and promotion. We inspire young people to develop a passion for skills and pursue excellence through competitions, projects, and
programmes.
Every two years we host the world’s largest technical and vocational skills event, the WorldSkills Competition, in which over 1,500 outstanding young practitioners vie to be “the best in the world” in one of around 60 global
occupations. To underpin this endeavour, the WorldSkills Occupational Standards (WSOS) are descriptions of the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that capture occupational mastery and excellence.
Over the last decade, WSI has become more engaged with global trends, pressures, and opportunities affecting both TVET and work. As a “tool with a vision”, the idea and practical manifestation of the WSOS now actively
contributes to the global search for common reference points and benchmarks for best practice in TVET and work. The WSOS and what they symbolise, entrain and enable, are now an embedded part of the WorldSkills brand.
The position
WorldSkills is looking for a WorldSkills Occupational Standards Specialist to join our global, diverse, and virtual team.
The postholder will be a member of the WorldSkills Secretariat and collaborate with colleagues within the WSOS development team and more widely, wherever their responsibilities combine or interact.
They will report to the Chief Executive Officer with close contact and accountability to the WSOS development team leadership.

Responsibilities and duties
WSOS research, policy, and strategy

To systematically scan the international skills environment to identify potential opportunities and challenges
To design strategic opportunities for initiatives and carry them through WSI’s and other organisations’ processes
To monitor information relevant to global standards, sharing and providing digests as appropriate
To respond to enquiries, conversations, and joint work with global partners and equivalent bodies
To contribute as requested to WSI’s larger strategic development
To make reasonable and helpful interventions as part of one’s contingency management
To consult with business and industry and make use of other consultation processes.
Development of WSOS and growth
To support the (Skill) Competitions Portfolio Working Group/process by drafting, editing, and/or quality
assuring WSOS to help substantiate the case for new skill competitions that meet agreed principles
To contribute to colleagues’ projects where they are relevant to the WSOS.

WSOS management
To support the systematisation, development, and expansion of the biennial updating cycle, in line with the WSOS’ growing range of purposes globally and within the WorldSkills movement. This includes
positioning the WSOS as representing an international core of technical and vocational mastery in occupations open to young adults among others
ensuring the continuing validity and relevance of the WSOS as benchmarks for skill competitions through analyses of the WSOS, contributing to the biennial review of the skill competitions portfolio.
To support the management and reputation of the “WSOS Brand” as benchmarks for skill competitions.
To advance the WSOS brand and its growing wider application to the global skills agenda.
WSOS alignment
To support those responsible for reviewing and aligning regional competitions’ use of the WSOS, to
- enable them to be updated in line with the biennial review
- avoid reputational harm
- identify, quality assure, and align additional standards using the WSOS “brand”
To support the development of coherent and effective regional standards and associated policies
To support the coherent application of WSOS to TVET assessment and practice.
WSOS-TVET
To support those responsible for working with Members’ WSOS-TVET reforms with advice, boundary management, professional development, and guidance.
Skills, knowledge, and experience
Attributes
The person appointed will have these essential attributes:
A comparative understanding of technical and vocational education and training, systemically and
pedagogically
A strategic understanding of economies and labour markets across the world
A comparative understanding of assessment and assessment systems
Practical experience in the modern design of knowledge, skills, and behaviours in TVET systems
A conceptual and practical understanding of quality assurance and control
A commitment to informed and intelligence-led decision-making
Proven ability to work across and between research and practitioner communities
Advanced communication and presentation skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (additional languages are an advantage), including an ability to summarize complex information and present it in a simplified, accurate format
The ability to work with complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty
A concern for order and precision where it matters
Self-knowledge and metacognition (a reflective and creative practitioner)
A willingness and capacity to “get the job done”, however routine or tedious
An enjoyment of challenge
A team player with the ability to be individually accountable
Contingency management skills, with a willingness to take reasonable risks and learn from mistakes
Discretion, dependability, integrity, and pragmatism.
Profile
The successful candidate is likely to have the following profile:
- A qualification or equivalent at ISCED level 6 or higher
- At least 15 years’ experience of working in TVET, business/industry, or ideally both
- A record of seeking continuing professional development, formally or informally
- A record of working autonomously and/or remotely
- A record of successful innovation
- Proven interest in innovation and “otherness” (people, places, ideas, phenomena)
- A record of designing and writing material and documents, in English, to publication standard.
  A knowledge of WorldSkills International is less important than an informed outlook on the global skills agenda.
To apply
Please send your CV and a statement sharing why you are interested in this role and evidencing your suitability for this role, to Cara McCormack cara.mccormack@worldskills.org. Please include in the subject line of the email:
Application – WorldSkills Occupational Standards Specialist.
All applications are strictly confidential between the applicant and WorldSkills International management.
Deadline: 31 July 2025.

July 15 is World Youth Skills Day

Below are excerpts from an email I shared with a local newspaper The Coast that introduces the celebration to them and provides links to relevant resources. I trust they will do a story. Is your institution, city, province or state doing something for World Youth Skills Day?

Given the shortage of trades persons in Nova Scotia, with a similar situation in many other parts of the world, you might want to do a story about World Youth Skills Day.

UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre from Germany:

Reminder: 15 July is World Youth Skills Day (WYSD), the UN day for TVET

You can find information related to this day on UNESCO-UNEVOC’s WYSD page, https://unevoc.unesco.org/wysd/
and on the UN page:
https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-youth-skills-day

For readers of my BLOG, here is what UNESCO/UNEVOC says about WYSD.

“In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, as well as for addressing global challenges and advancing sustainable development.

The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2024 is Youth Skills for Peace and Development. It highlights the crucial role that young people play in peacebuilding and conflict resolution efforts.

The world faces a multitude of challenges today, many of which affect the youth. Violent conflicts disrupting education and stability, a polarized online environment fostering negativity, and persistent economic inequality limits opportunities. These issues threaten not only individual futures but also the overall stability of societies. It is crucial to equip youth with the necessary skills for fostering a culture of peace, nurturing responsible global citizens, and promoting sustainable development to build a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future for all.

On World Youth Skills Day, let us unite in recognizing the potential of young people as agents of peace and commit to providing them with the skills and opportunities to address challenges and contribute to a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable future.”

WELL SAID.

UNESCO’s Competency Framework -What you need to know?

The United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched its competency framework in April 2015.

What is the UNESCO Competency Framework? The UNESCO Competency Framework provides an inventory of expected behaviors, skills, and attitudes that lead to successful performance. The UNESCO Competency Framework has three components:

• Core Values that are the shared principles and beliefs that unite all staff and should guide us in our actions;

• Core competencies that are a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities that result in essential behaviors expected from those working for the Organization;

• Managerial competencies that apply to staff with management responsibilities at P-4 level and above.

UNESCO uses the competency framework for a variety of functions including job profiling, recruitment, performance management, and promoting learning and career development. If you are looking to apply for a job with UNESCO, it is to your advantage to review their competency framework which is available online here:

Click to access competency_framework_e.pdf

The core values, core competencies, and managerial competencies are listed below for your convenience.

______________________________________

Core Values

• Commitment to the Organization • Integrity • Respect for Diversity • Professionalism

Core Competencies

• Accountability • Communication • Teamwork • Innovation • Results focus • Planning and organizing • Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement

Managerial Competencies (for Level P4 positions and above)

• Driving and managing change • Strategic thinking • Making quality decisions • Building partnerships • Leading and empowering others • Managing performance

______________________________________

My last long-term assignment (4 years) was with UNESCO in Malawi as Team Leader on the European Union-funded Skills and Technical Education Project (STEP). We used the elements of the framework when developing job descriptions for new staff and consultants, for performance reviews of the staff, and applied it as well to plan our own professional development.

The STEP Malawi website is still operating and has a wealth of resources available.

http://www.stepmalawi.com

So you want to learn more about how to participate in international development…

Well, you can start by exploring this new site which will expand over time. Check out the What’s New section and the other sites referenced herein, such as CUSO International.