Ten years of speeches, promises, and hashtags, but the real question is, after all these years of celebrating youth skills, how many youth have them?
Since 2014, July 15 has been labeled as the “World Youth Skills Day” by the United Nations. This is a day meant to spotlight the importance of equipping young minds with the skills they need in the rapidly changing world, but as this year marks the decade of this commitment, the question is were we have been able to fulfill our commitment?
This matters because to this date, many young people around the world are being trained for a world that doesn’t exist anymore.
The 2025 Theme-Big Words, Big Responsibility
As the world knows, big themes demand bold action. This year’s theme focuses on “Youth Empowerment Through AI and Digital Skills”. Sounds interesting? Right, but here is the thing, words don’t matter, actions do. This theme makes sense as it recognizes the shift and the current trends in the job market.
As artificial intelligence and digital innovation reshape every industry, from healthcare to education to climate action, young people must be equipped not only to adapt but to lead. This theme highlights the importance of giving youth access to the tools, technologies, and training that will define the future. But without reforms, the celebrations and themes are mere hypocrisy.
Numbers That Should Scare Us
World’s Youth Skills Day sounds empowering until you realize that about 450 million youth are economically disengaged due to lack of skills that are needed in the labor market.
- 86% of students do not feel adequately prepared for an AI-enabled workplace.
- 90% of adolescent girls and young women in low-income countries are offline.
- In 2022, over 40% of young people were not in employment, education, or training. While 40.3% young men were projected to be employed, only 27.4% of young women had access to employment opportunities.
- Even in the world’s richest countries, only 1 to 10 fifteen-year-olds use digital devices for learning more than an hour a week.
What Skills Every Young Person Must Be Learning in 2025
Gone are the days when college degrees guaranteed success. In 2025, the job market isn’t just asking for degrees; it’s requiring adaptability, agility, and real-world relevance. Every young person must now learn how to think critically, communicate effectively, collaborate globally, and problem-solve creatively.
With remote work, digital platforms, and gig economies rising fast, financial literacy, self-management, and emotional intelligence aren’t optional, but they’re essential. Meanwhile, skills like project management, data interpretation, public speaking, negotiation, and basic tech fluency have become the new currency of opportunity.
The youth of today must not just chase jobs, as they must be ready to create them, lead teams, and thrive in careers that didn’t even exist five years ago. In short, if you’re not learning how to learn, you’re already falling behind. The market trends are evolving with the latest skills; here are some essential skills one must have in 2025.
- Data Literacy & Analytics
- Digital Marketing & Content Creation
- AI & Automation Awareness
- Coding & No-Code Tools
- UX/UI Design Principles
- Remote Work & Virtual Collaboration
- Financial & Crypto Literacy
- Creative Problem-Solving & Innovation
- Cloud Computing & SaaS Proficiency
Empowerment or Exploitation
The word empowerment holds power, but how does it look in a classroom these days?. A teacher standing in front of 50 students with outdated textbooks, delivering theory to be memorized and never applied, is that empowerment?.
Here, the question arises: Are the education systems failing youth?. You can’t empower youth with chalk when the world is running on code. Unfortunately education system is a flawed system that youth are stuck in.
Especially in underdeveloped countries, schooling is outdated. The sad reality is that we have education systems that are more focused on perfect exam scores rather than on capable human beings. That’s exploitation masked as education.
Don’t Just Celebrate Youth but Equip Them
Remember, applause doesn’t build the future, access does. Every year on Youth Skills Day, leaders, educators, and institutions gather to praise the potential of young people. Speeches are made, hashtags trend, and banners are printed.
But when the applause fades, what’s left behind? Celebrating youth without equipping them or making reforms for them is like clapping for a plant that you forgot to water. Potential is nothing if it’s not backed by tools, training, and opportunity.
It’s time to rescue the youth. It’s time to provide them with what they need to shape their future. If we truly believe in youth empowerment, then it’s time to move beyond the speeches and start reshaping the system. Governments must invest in modern, inclusive education. Schools must replace outdated syllabi with real-world skills.
Employers must open doors to mentorship and hands-on training. And as a society, we must stop treating skills as a privilege and start treating them as a right. But if we keep delaying the change, we wouldn’t just fail the youth but also the future.
An IR student whose interest lies in diplomacy and current affairs and a part time debater
