On August 21, 2023, during the grand occasion of the South Africa BRICS Summit Week, the BRICS Forum—meticulously organized by the BRICS Business Council Skills Development Working Group—was successfully held. With the theme “Emerging Skills and Future Jobs: Building BRICS Future Skills Training Bases and Virtual Classrooms Based on Harmonized BRICS Future Skills Standards as the Foundation for Talent Development”, the forum attracted 170 delegates from Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, and China to discuss critical topics in future skills development.
As global technology rapidly evolves, the importance of emerging skills in shaping the future workforce has become increasingly prominent. At the opening ceremony, the organizers emphasized that, as a major force in global economic development, it is vital for BRICS countries to strengthen cooperation in skills training. By aligning and harmonizing BRICS Future Skills Standards and establishing BRICS Future Skills Training Bases and Virtual Classrooms (BRICS Auditorium), the BRICS nations can jointly cultivate high-quality skilled talent equipped to meet future industrial transformation needs and enhance their technological edge in global competition.
During the keynote session, an educational expert from Brazil shared Brazil’s practical experiences in integrating digital skills with vocational education, highlighting how policy incentives are used to promote collaboration between enterprises and vocational colleges in delivering skills training programs for emerging tech roles, thereby supporting the country’s digital economy growth.
The Russian delegate focused on the demand for skills in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and big data, explaining Russia’s initiatives in building an integrated industry–academia–research talent training system. The speaker emphasized the importance of close collaboration between universities, research institutes, and industries to accelerate the transformation of scientific research into practical applications, and to cultivate innovative, application-oriented skilled professionals.
The Indian representative shared India’s model of large-scale online education for skills training, showcasing how information technology has been leveraged to overcome geographical barriers and provide rich learning resources to people in remote areas, thus driving nationwide skills development.
The South African delegate presented the country’s initiatives in upgrading skills in traditional sectors such as infrastructure and mining through the integration of emerging technologies. The speaker also stressed the significance of harmonized skills standards in enhancing industrial competitiveness and international collaboration.
The Chinese delegate highlighted successful practices in integrating industry and education as well as school-enterprise cooperation, elaborating on China’s experience in reforming vocational education, adjusting disciplines and curricula in response to market demand. The presentation also introduced China’s innovations in establishing vocational training bases and promoting virtual simulation teaching, offering valuable insights for the construction of BRICS Future Skills Training Bases and Virtual Classrooms.
In the breakout discussion sessions, delegates engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics such as “Pathways to Harmonizing BRICS Future Skills Standards,” “Co-construction Models and Operational Mechanisms of Skills Training Bases,” and “Technical Support and Resource Sharing for Virtual Classrooms.” Consensus was reached on multiple fronts, including the establishment of regular mechanisms for skills standard exchange, joint development of training curricula aligned with emerging industry needs, and promotion of teacher exchanges and student mobility programs among BRICS countries.
The successful convening of the BRICS Forum provided a vital platform for exchange and cooperation in the field of future skills development. Through in-depth discussion and experience sharing, the forum clarified directions for collaboration in harmonizing standards, building training bases, and promoting virtual classrooms. It laid a solid foundation for jointly cultivating future-ready skilled professionals.
Looking ahead, BRICS countries will seize this forum as an opportunity to deepen cooperation in skills development, jointly advance global talent cultivation, and inject new momentum into the sustainable development of both the BRICS economies and the global economy.
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