Developing and Sustaining Future Workforces: Focusing on Work and Learning

During CONFINTEA VII’s Panel 4: “Preparing adults for the future of work” and throughout the conference, participants grappled with crafting a transformative agenda, where adult learning and education (ALE) prepares adults for future workplaces, education is viewed as an individual right and a common good, and sustainable development is a global imperative. CONFINTEA VII presentations and dialogue ( https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/seventh-international-conference-adult-education ) underscore challenges faced and factors impacting society and shaping work, for example, digital transformation, industry 4.0, transition to a green economy and the constant need to acquire new skills. This article conveys conferees’ shared perspectives on emerging strategies, policies, and practices to support transformation and sustainable development, implications for practice, and collaborative action. Among recurring themes: (a) emerging technologies generating dynamic future workplaces, (b) abundant new opportunities for work and growth, (c) intensifying emphasis on access, inclusion, and tackling global problems, and (d) workplaces harnessed as learning places where learning to learn and continuous learning skills are de rigueur.