Skills Development for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Developing Asia-Pacific brings together views, perspectives, and insights from policy makers, practitioners, and leading experts on skills development for inclusive and sustainable growth.
As countries in Asia and the Pacific recalibrate their growth models to consolidate their positions in the global economy, availability of a highly skilled and technically qualified human resource base will be a crucial determinant of success. In their quest to gain market shares in higher-order manufacturing and services, governments and other stakeholders are paying close attention to developing the requisite technical and scientific capabilities. If emerging economies in Asia and the Pacific are to maintain their robust economic growth rates, they need to respond to the challenges posed by the ascent of knowledge economies. The labor cost advantages in manufacturing of the past are giving way to innovation-intensive competitiveness based on the ability to generate new ideas, products, and processes. Mere cost advantages are no longer sufficient, and companies should have a holistic approach considering economic, social, environmental, and financial aspects. Advancement of societies is predicated on putting knowledge and innovation to work and developing new products and new services. This requires governments to have appropriate policies and incentives to deepen talent pools and to expand access to market-relevant skills development to the disadvantaged sections of the population.
This volume compiles their valuable contributions to advance thinking and practice related to skills development. We are deeply grateful. This volume reflects the desire to build a shared understanding of key priorities in the skills sector and more importantly a shared commitment, pooling our knowledge and resources. It aims to advance dialogue on effective policies and practices for creating a highly skilled and creative workforce and talent pool that is essential to achieving inclusive economic growth in Asia and the Pacific.
This summary was prepared by Eldis.