WORLDSKILLS RESPONSE TO TRANSVERSAL SKILLS

Developing and maintaining the skills of an increasingly global workforce is a challenge all governments face, particularly as the world emerges from the effects of the2020/21 pandemic. Coupled with the impact of the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” working lives are changing at an unprecedented rate. This article looks at the critical role of transversal skills in enabling ‘employability’, as traditional occupations reconfigure, shift and new roles rapidly appear. Whilst definitions and classifications vary it is agreed that transversal skills are those which an individual can apply across all work roles and life situations, - they are a platform for flexibility, adaptability, and progression. For over 70 years WorldSkills International (WSI) has been working with governments to raise the profile of technical and vocational education (TVET), principally through a biennial global skills competition focusing on excellence. In recent years WSI has been investing in a strong research base working with global partners such as the OECD, ILO and UNESCO. In 2012 it began a project to develop WorldSkills Occupational Standards (WSOS).  This article plots the journey WSI has taken to strengthen and embed transversal skills within its standards to ensure the currency of the Competition and more widely drive global skills development forward.