Skills Summit 2016: Skills strategies for innovation, productivity and inclusion

by Andreas SchleicherDirector, OECD Directorate for Education and SkillsBuilding the skills needed to succeed at work and in life: Charting the path to 2025In all OECD countries the working-age population is now either growing at a much slower rate than in the past or shrinking, making productivity and innovation the primary engines of economic growth. The expansion of global value chains and technological...

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Why skills matter

by Andreas SchleicherDirector, Directorate for Education and SkillsIt’s the time of year when young people in the northern hemisphere are finishing their formal studies for the year – or for the foreseeable future. Some will soon be working at their first jobs, some are just beginning to look for a job, some may have been looking for months with nothing to show for it. What links the classroom and lecture hall to the workplace? Skills. Three years ago, the OECD published the First Results...

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Understanding how the brain processes maths learning

by Francesca GottschalkConsultant, Directorate for Education and Skills, OECDNumbers are universal and constantly confronting us in daily life. In fact, they are so omnipresent that most of us perform basic mathematical calculations every single day without even realising it – when we glance at the clock, count change for a morning coffee, or even when we check the calendar to plan the weeks ahead.It...

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Closing the gap between education and employment

by Anthony MannDirector of Policy and Research, Education and Employers TaskforceEmployer engagement in education and training has become a hot topic for policy makers and practitioners around the world. Over recent years, Governments and other stakeholders have invested significant resource in promoting and enabling closer links between employers and schools, colleges, universities and training providers....

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Making all students count

by Chiara Monticone Analyst, Directorate for Education and SkillsMario Piacentini Analyst, Directorate for Education and SkillsFilms about mathematicians have become incredibly popular: many of us now know about John Nash’s beautiful mind. Fewer people have heard the extraordinary story of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a genius of comparable stature to Nash. Ramanujan was nothing more than a promising...

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Why should we improve learning opportunities for young kids?

by Dirk Van DammeHead of the Innovation and Measuring Division, Directorate for Education and SkillsMore than hundred years ago, nations that are now members of the OECD introduced legislation to set the age compulsory education. Most countries obliged families to send their children to school from the age of 6 or 7. The gradual abolition of child labour and the need for a workforce with elementary...

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