As part of the Skills for Employability Programme, British Council will held a major international seminar entitled Changing Perceptions of Skills on 14-15 February in Cairo.

The Seminar’s focus was on the low status of Skills which has become a major challenge facing societies and economies throughout the world and a significant obstacle attracting people – and particularly young people of calibre into jobs upon which the future efficiency and prosperity of their societies depends.

Skills has a considerable image problem and countries around the world are increasingly recognising this and the negative impact it has on developing an effective workforce equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

The emphasis of the seminar was on sharing experiences, lessons learnt and innovative ideas with a view to identifying constructive approaches and practical recommendations to tackle the low status of skills in societies across the world.

Areas for discussion included policy development to end the ‘ghettoisation’ of Skills, the role of career guidance in attracting young people to Skills, and the role of media and technology in promoting positive images of skills.

The seminars’ invited audiences included employers, policy makers, educational leaders, young people, media representatives and cultural commentators.