The UAE is ready to host the World Skills next October where 1,300 Young people from 77 member countries and regions will come to Abu Dhabi to compete in 51 skill competitions, Mubarak Al Shamsi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET), told an international conference hosted by UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Bonn, Germany.

ACTVET is a UNEVOC Centre and also the host for this year’s World Skills Competition.

Addressing the audience, Al Shamsi reaffirmed the importance of the youth skills development and presented the preparations and plans for the forthcoming World Skills Competition in Abu Dhabi in October 2017.

He also spoke about the ACTVET's strategic features to maintain and enhance the attractiveness of TVET in areas of diversity of TVET and improved permeability and mobility across learning pathways and engagement of social partners in policy development and implementation.

Dr Shyamal Majumdar, Head of Office, UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, welcomed Abu Dhabi hosting of the upcoming UNESCO-UNEVOC international conference for the first time in the Middle East as part of the World Skills' activities.

Al Shamsi held a series of discussions with heads of participating delegations over ways of sharing experiences and experiments.

The Bonn event attracted a diverse group of researchers and practitioners, governments, international organisations, industrial representatives and youth.

The focus of the discussions was on enhancing the attractiveness of TVET and drawing conclusions for future action.

The event presented a platform for over 50 TVET stakeholders to discuss, debate and share experiences. Over 50 representatives from academia, policymakers, industry, TVET institution managers and young people from different parts of the world participated at this event in Bonn