More information

Objective

The forum will provide a platform to discuss novel ways to: (1) identify and anticipate skill needs in a rapidly changing labour market, through data-driven approaches; (2) ensure agile program alignment and adaptation in post-secondary and higher education and (3) convey such information to learners and society to make more informed decisions about education, employment, and career development across the lifespan.
The inaugural edition will focus on consolidating the foundational concepts, methodologies, and applications of skills intelligence across a range of post-secondary and higher education contexts.

To reach a global audience, all IFSI presentations and content will be in English.

 

IFSI aims to:

Define the Scope: Clarify what skills intelligence in post-secondary and higher education entails within the context of lifelong learning for employability and quality lives and jobs.

Promote Collaboration: Foster interdisciplinary collaborations among research groups, academics and practitioners, policymakers, and industry stakeholders.

Showcase Innovations: Highlight pioneering research, tools, and practices that exemplify effective skills intelligence applications and novel forms of student support and career development.

Inspire Action: Equip participants with actionable insights, methods and frameworks to implement skills intelligence and novel forms of student support and career development strategies within their own contexts and to define future lines of research and application.


What is the scope of IFSI?

The forum will focus on the role of Advancing Skills Intelligence in Post-secondary and Higher Education as a critical enabler of workforce development and career development and adaptability across the lifespan. This includes:

  • Higher education: University degree programs, postgraduate studies, and continuous education opportunities, including certificate and micro-credentialing programs.
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET): Certificate and diploma programs tailored to meet the practical skills demands of specific industries and sectors.
  • Professional Development: Shorter learning experiences such as micro-credentials, micro-certifications, and modular learning pathways designed to upskill and reskill professionals across the lifespan.
  • Lifelong Learning Pathways: Integrative approaches that connect learners' journeys from entry-level qualifications to advanced degrees, emphasizing seamless progression and employability outcomes.


Forum Themes and Tracks

The IFSI will have three thematic lines aligned with the strategic focus of the forum. Below is a proposed breakdown:

I. Building Skills Intelligence Ecosystems: Policy, Planning & Institutional Change

(How skills intelligence informs decision-making at the system and organizational levels)

  • Track A: Skills Intelligence, Educational Policy and Planning, and Organisational Change

  • Track B: Employer-University Partnerships for Skills intelligence and Development

II. Emerging Research, Methodologies & Technologies for Skills Intelligence

(Advancing skills intelligence through data, analytics, and innovative methodologies)

  • Track C: New Research and Methodologies in Skills Intelligence (Anticipation, Alignment, Action)

  • Track D: The Role of OJA, AI & Big Data in Skills Intelligence

III. Lifelong Learning, Employability & Workforce Adaptation

(How individuals, businesses, and educational institutions adapt to evolving skills needs)

  • Track E: Lifelong Learning & Micro-Credentials for Workforce Adaptation
  • Track F: Skills Intelligence for Novel Forms of Career Guidance & Student Support

 

IFSI Steering Committee

Carmen Pagés Serra, PhD, Professor, Director of Unit for Labor Market Analysis, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain

Mitchell Peters, PhD, Senior Researcher, Unit of Labor Market Analysis, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain

Carles Bruguera, PhD, Senior Researcher, Unit of Labor Market Analysis, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain

Terence Hogarth, PhD, Professor of Practice, Institute for Employment Research
University of Warwick, U.K.

Kathleen DeLaski, Education Design Lab (Founder), Senior Advisor, Harvard Project on the Workforce, Adjunct Professor, George Mason University, USA

Konstantinos Pouliakas, PhD, Expert in Skills and Labor markets, CEDEFOP, Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Aberdeen, Greece