World Youth Skills Day 2022: The leaders of tomorrow
Today (15 July) marks World Youth Skills Day, a UN-designated opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment and leadership.
The theme for 2022 focuses on ‘Transforming youth skills for the future’, amid concerted efforts towards socio-economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges. The annual event aims to highlight the importance of the technical and vocational learning sector, which plays a central role in the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
How does this relate to ICAS?
The World Economic Forum has estimated that by 2025 40% of current workers’ skills will be expected to change in response to new labour market demands and rapid digital innovation. This emphasises the ever-increasing significance of skills development and the critical role which training will play in preparing young professionals for changing requirements in the workplace.
This skills shift is also evident in the leadership sphere, with organisations in the accountancy profession and beyond seeking leaders who can understand and translate the demands of an increasingly connected, informed and fast-moving world.
ICAS is dedicated to equipping CA Students with the tools to adapt and progress as the leaders of tomorrow. Constant innovation is a key priority in our role as an educator and examiner, and we ensure that our bespoke syllabus is catered to providing Students with specialist expertise. ICAS made a long-term strategic commitment to the skills development of its Students in the launch of the CA Student Value Proposition in 2020.
Supporting CA Students
We are proud to celebrate the incredible adaptability of our CA Students, who have embraced hybrid learning to support the continuity of their education, assessments, and skills development.
ICAS has endeavoured to provide support to its CA Students through the Student Assistance Programme. This suite of wellbeing services was introduced to assist them with a wide range of issues, particularly managing change and coping with exam pressure.
Continued support is also available in the form of the ICAS Career Connections mentoring platform, which facilitates networking and access to career progression advice as Students embark on their lifelong learning journeys as CA Members.
As we observe World Youth Skills Day this year, ICAS pledges to continue its focus on providing young CA Students with the skills to learn, grow and advance together.
Find out more about World Youth Skills Day
Discover more about Finance + Leadership
Our Finance+ insight series looks through the lens of responsible leadership and ethical business to explore the challenges and opportunities faced by professionals in the worlds of business and finance.
You can find all of the insight we are sharing throughout July and August in our newly launched Finance + Leadership section of icas.com.