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During the 59th Session of the UN Commission for Social Development (CSocD59), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the ADECCO Group, the European Platform for Sport Innovation (EPSI), and the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) held a side event on ‘Skills for the Sport Eco-Systems’.
The side event highlighted the need to consolidate and strengthen efforts towards the recognition of skills learned in and through sports, also in the context of a world that has changed drastically with the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis has brought to light the need for institutions, organizations, employers, and workers to adapt and embrace a new reality of how the world of work operates. Sports plays a fundamental role in acquiring key for skills for employability and furthermore enables people to endure the lasting effects of the pandemic, on working conditions, social relations, and adapting to technology.
To this end and acting as an open-ended multistake holders’ network, Global Network on Sport Skills (GNSS) will support the work of its members, accelerate initiatives and advocate for global recognition of sport skills and their connection with employability.
During the panel discussion, GNSS members presented their respective initiative on developing skills framework and the goals of the network, in particular to:
- Create awareness of employability skills learned in and through sports
- Promote flexible and value-added, implementable skills frameworks based on agreed and recognized skills benchmarks
- Develop skills frameworks and/or support members to tailor their approach to skills learned in and through sports for the members
- Mobilize collaboration among stakeholders and resources towards action-research
- Promote the work and accelerate the initiatives carried out by the members and the network
Giovanni di Cola Special Adviser to the Deputy Director General of the ILO, said:
The ILO has worked on benchmarking sport skills for employability since 2006. It is very interesting to see other institutions taking initiative and commit individually and collectively towards competence and skills development frameworks.
For the Adecco Group, Mayi Cruz Blanco Global Head of Athlete Programmes;
“At the Adecco Group we envision a world where athletes are recognized as an unbeatable talen. This requires education on both sides: first the athletes should understand the skills and attributes they learn from sports that helps them beyond the playing field; then the labour market needs to recognize those skills. Coming together with key stakeholders is fundamental to established sports skills recognition; beside athletes, those that practice sports, will benefit greatly of such recognition. The GNSS aims to create broader awareness and gather support for education and recognition of employability skills learned through sports”
Carol Jimenez, Senior Programme Manager, ICSS, said;
“For the ICSS It is important to understand how learning opportunities can emerge from sport and sport-based initiatives and how these opportunities can have an impact on the development of skills within young athletes and youth in general towards their future careers.
In the past years, we have been exploring such an important subject through the implementation of several EU-funded projects, and we are now keen to continue and further expand this work as a proud member of the Global Network for Sport Skills, and through the ICSS project “Skills Development and Certification Programme.”
Alberto Bichi, Executive Director, EPSI, said;
“EPSI as a European membership-based networking organisation strives to identify a quantifiable framework in order to harmonise the existing actions and initiatives related to skills development through sport programs. Hence, EPSI has been extensively working on developing and implementing various projects and initiatives focused on promoting skills development within different sport settings and it is keen to continue its commitment in the field as a proud member of the Global Network for Sport Skills.”