Elevating TVET for a Just and Sustainable Future for All: UNESCO-UNEVOC Medium-Term Strategy 2024-2026

Climate change, social inequality and demographic shifts are disrupting societies around the globe. The ripple effects of these multi-layered crises are felt across the education sector and the labour market. The most vulnerable, who were already marginalized, have been hit the hardest. The United Nations (UN) Transforming Education Summit was organized in September 2022 as a response to a global crisis in education, with a focus on equity and inclusion, quality, and relevance. The Summit succeeded in putting education at the top of the global political agenda and laying the groundwork for educational transformation in a rapidly changing world. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is well placed to advance this transformation. UNESCO-UNEVOC's medium-term strategy for the 2024 to 2026 period puts forward an agenda to support countries in equipping youth and adults with the skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship, while providing flexible pathways to lifelong learning opportunities for all. The strategy considers the accelerated digital revolution, the emerging demands of the green economy and the increasing needs for reskilling and upskilling of the workforce. Innovation and excellence, equity and inclusion, and the dual green and digital transformation are the key drivers of UNESCO-UNEVOC's medium-term strategy. It is set to directly contribute to the UNESCO Strategy for TVET for 2022 to 2029 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It serves as a launch pad to elevate the quality, image of, and accessibility to TVET, and to support TVET institutions' just and sustainable transformation. At the centre of these activities is the UNEVOC Network, UNESCO's global network of more than 230 TVET institutions spanning 150 countries. This medium-term strategy includes a series of flagships, such as the UNEVOC TVET Leadership Programme, the Bridging Innovation and Learning in TVET (BILT) project, partnership with the Global Skills Academy, and UNEVOC Connect, a global clearing house for up-to-date resources on TVET. It comprises actions aimed at training of TVET leaders and teachers, cooperation with the UNEVOC Network and other networks of UNESCO, engagement with the private sector, and dissemination of TVET data and research. TVET is an important catalyst for building the inclusive, peaceful, and sustainable societies of the future. Now is the time to empower youth and adults with the skills and mindsets to become global citizens who can solve the interconnected challenges affecting the world.