Skills development is no longer just about training more people. It is about connecting skills intelligence, education, industry, qualifications and employment into a system that works.
How can countries anticipate future skills needs? Can qualifications be recognised across borders? How can technical and vocational education respond to changing industries? And what would it take to turn skills into sustainable employment and entrepreneurship?
These questions are becoming increasingly important as technology reshapes work, industries evolve and countries seek new approaches to workforce development.
Our latest report, BRICS 2026: What It Means for the Global Skills Ecosystem, examines these questions through the skills, education and employment agenda advanced during BRICS 2026.
The report looks beyond individual announcements to analyse the connections between policy priorities, workforce systems and potential global implications.
What does the report explore?
- From skills gaps to skills intelligence: Why understanding current and emerging skills demand is essential for workforce planning.
- TVET and industry alignment: How technical and vocational education and training can respond more effectively to technological change and industrial requirements.
- Qualifications and workforce mobility: Why the recognition and comparability of skills and qualifications matter for workers seeking opportunities across borders.
- Employment in a changing economy: How digital employment, AI, entrepreneurship and new forms of work are reshaping the relationship between skills and economic participation.
- Youth, women and the Global South: Why access to training alone is insufficient without pathways to decent work, enterprise creation and meaningful economic participation.
The larger question
BRICS 2026 brought several important dimensions of workforce development into a broader conversation. But announcements, proposals and cooperation mechanisms do not automatically translate into better outcomes.
The real test lies in implementation: whether countries can build stronger skills intelligence, connect training with industry needs, improve access to employment and make qualifications more useful and portable.
This distinction matters—not only for BRICS member countries, but also for policymakers, TVET institutions, employers, development organisations and professionals working across the global skills ecosystem.
The report examines both the opportunities and the limitations, including what remains unresolved and what professionals should watch in the next phase of cooperation.
Read the report below
