On the eve of the completion, the students’ internship the Bashkir Institute of Social Technologies organized a round table dedicated to the World Youth Skills Day, which is celebrated annually on July 15. The event brought together lot of students, teachers and representatives of the UNEVOC Center, based at BIST.

On July 15, the world community celebrates World Youth Skills Day (World Youth Skills Day), established by the UN General Assembly in 2014. This day is intended to highlight the strategic importance of Young people acquiring the skills necessary for decent work, entrepreneurship and successful adaptation to a rapidly changing world.

The Bashkir Institute of Social Technologies (BIST) has a special relationship to this event. Our university is the base of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Center in Russian Federation. This means that we not only follow global trends, but also actively participate in shaping the global professional education agenda.

The Inclusion of Vestnik BIST scientific journal in the network of UNESCO-UNEVOC for 2024-2027 is a vivid confirmation of the recognition of our scientific and practical achievements at the international level.

For BIST, this day is another reason to declare: we train specialists who are able not only to use technology, but also to understand its social context. This is exactly what our Student Research Community is dedicated to. BIST students actively participate in projects dedicated to the digital transformation of society, youth employment and legal literacy.

During the discussion, the participants discussed the global challenges of the labor market, based on UN data: today, about 75 million young people in the world are unemployed, and youth unemployment is three times higher than among adults. In this context, education and professional training remain a key factor in the development of the state, according to the unanimous opinion of the participants of the round table.

The students were particularly interested in the topic of digital skills and artificial intelligence, the main theme of the World Youth Skills Day. At our institute, as the base of the UNEVOC Center in Russia, these competencies are already becoming part of the educational trajectory: students participate in international BeChangeMaker festivals, developing critical thinking, digital literacy and leadership skills.

The faculty and students of BIST share the main message of the United Nations: “There is no better investment than to help a young person to develop their abilities.” Acquiring skills is the key to a smooth transition from study to work, a tool for overcoming poverty and achieving sustainable development. On this day, we urge all BIST students and applicants to remember that our most valuable asset is our skills. Moreover, we are here to help you develop them.