How can we improve learning opportunities for adults?

25 June, 2025

By Anja Meierkord, Roland Tusz and Michele Tuccio The 2023 Survey of Adult Skills provides insights into how adult learning is faring across countries: participation is stagnating, inequalities persist, and much of the training on offer focuses on compliance training. It’s time to rethink how we deliver adult learning, prioritising accessible and flexible courses that … More How can we improve learning opportunities for adults?

Leveraging Micro-credentials for Lifelong Learning

2 December, 2024

by Elif Bahar and Michele Tuccio Micro-credentials are becoming increasingly popular as a way for learners to retrain and upskill quickly and efficiently. They are becoming especially prevalent in the fast-moving tech sector, helping workers to keep up with changing skill demands. However, some core challenges remain that limit the effectiveness of the micro-credential system. … More Leveraging Micro-credentials for Lifelong Learning

Breaking Barriers: How a Skills-First Approach Can Transform the Workplace

25 November, 2024

by Elif Bahar and Michele Tuccio Skills-first approaches focus on candidates’ skills rather than the way they have been acquired. They increase the size of the talent pool and make it more diverse. The OECD report Bridging Talent Shortages in Tech draws on good practices from OECD countries to develop a roadmap for employers, education … More Breaking Barriers: How a Skills-First Approach Can Transform the Workplace

Charting the Path in an AI-Powered Workforce: Balancing Skills and Ethics

6 November, 2023

by Stefano Scarpetta (OECD Director for Employment Labour and Social Affairs) To harness the potential of Artificial intelligence (AI), workers and managers will need to develop an awareness of how AI systems can be integrated in the workplace and develop skills to work alongside AI. Moreover, companies should ensure that ethical considerations are embedded in … More Charting the Path in an AI-Powered Workforce: Balancing Skills and Ethics

Make Tech More Diverse! A Showcase of Innovative Practices in Tech – Invitation to Virtual Workshop

13 October, 2023

Registration vital! REGISTER HERE to join us on 18 October for this interactive and important discussion.? As part of work for the EU – US Trade and Technology Council’s Talent for Growth Task Force, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will facilitate a ‘world café’ style virtual workshop to showcase innovative diversity practices … More Make Tech More Diverse! A Showcase of Innovative Practices in Tech – Invitation to Virtual Workshop

Unlocking the potential of flexible adult learning – Invitation to two online events

11 September, 2023

In an era of rapid technological advances, changing employment landscapes and evolving skill requirements, the traditional model of adult learning is undergoing profound change. Adult learning systems need to adapt and evolve to meet the changing needs of learners, enterprises, and economies.? Increasing flexibility must be placed at the heart of this transformation. The Organisation … More Unlocking the potential of flexible adult learning – Invitation to two online events

A 10-step guide to setting up effective recognition of prior learning systems

26 June, 2023

By Patricia Navarro-Palau and Michele Tuccio Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an essential tool to improve the employability of adults and to (re)engage them in education and learning, especially for adults without formal qualifications. The new OECD brief Recognition of prior learning: A practical guide for policy makers introduces a toolkit aimed at helping … More A 10-step guide to setting up effective recognition of prior learning systems

Making provision of adult learning more flexible

26 June, 2023

By Anja Meierkord and Elif Bahar Flexible provision of adult learning is essential for individuals, enterprises, and societies to adapt to labour market changes. It increases choice for learners and improves the capacity of labour markets to respond to structural change. The new OECD brief flexible adult learning provision: What it is, why it matters … More Making provision of adult learning more flexible

Stronger co-ordination for more effective adult learning policies

9 March, 2023

by Magdalena Burtscher and Luca Marcolin In most OECD countries, responsibilities for adult learning are fragmented, which often translates into inconsistent policy efforts. As adult learning is a field between education, employment, and industrial policy, the response can only be more and stronger co-ordination between all the actors involved in the policy process. While the … More Stronger co-ordination for more effective adult learning policies

Equipping Health Workers with the Right Skills

9 January, 2023

by Katharine Mullock and Annelore Verhagen The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated long-standing global skills shortages in the health workforce. This joint report by the OECD and ILO seeks to address these shortages by helping countries assess future demands in both the number and skills of health workers, and prepare appropriate policy responses Skills shortages in … More Equipping Health Workers with the Right Skills