OECD ministers debate education for new skills

University World News - GLOBAL: OECD ministers debate education for new skills: "As background to the talks, the OECD said the recession had forced most of its member governments to cut spending, including on education. Cuts had fallen mainly on higher education, but vocational education and training was another vulnerable sector.

A dramatic consequence was the sharp deterioration of the labour market, especially for the young - in the OECD area there were nearly 15 million young people unemployed, a rise of six percentage points to almost 19% in the two years to end-2009.

Meanwhile, the nature of skills needed for jobs was changing rapidly, with 'jobs that have not yet been created, using technologies that have not yet been invented, to solve problems that cannot be foreseen', said the OECD."