Mr. Andreas Schleicher
Director for Education and Skills
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Session
From Competency to Workforce Impact: Aligning Education with the Future of Work
Session Abstract
Education and workforce development are fundamental drivers of economic growth and social transformation. However, rapid advances in automation, artificial intelligence, digitalisation, climate action, and demographic change are reshaping labour markets and the skills required for future employment. Many developing countries continue to face a significant mismatch between education outcomes and labour market demands, resulting in graduate unemployment, underemployment, and limited productivity. This session examines how leading education systems are aligning learning with workforce needs to improve productivity, innovation, and economic competitiveness.
Speaker Profile
Andreas Schleicher is the Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, where he leads global efforts to improve education systems and workforce readiness. He initiated and oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), one of the world's most influential assessments of education quality, providing policymakers with evidence to drive education reform. For more than two decades, he has advised ministers and education leaders in over 80 countries on improving the quality, equity, and effectiveness of education. Trained in physics, mathematics, and statistics, Schleicher has received numerous international honours for his contributions to education policy. He holds honorary professorships at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University, Ukraine.