In 2019, the participants of the SIF-Skillman International Forum in Florence, Italy, finalized and agreed to sign the Skillman Florence Declaration, a seven-page document that lists a series of views on sustainable and inclusive growth in the area of skills development for employability. The endorsers of the Skillman Florence Declaration highlighted the need to implement sustainable partnerships among governments at all levels, members of civil society, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in the TVET sector, in response to the fourth Industrial Revolution, the emerging needs of Industry 4.0 and Ethical standards. Some main ideas of the document include:
- The commitment to support of the Sustainable Development Goals;
- A mention of green skills and transferable skills as the foundation of human capital;
- The importance of ‘re-engineering TVET for change’, through a ‘holistic approach to TVET and an ethical dimension;
- The need to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”;
- The key concept that education is essential to sustainable and inclusive human progress;
- The endorsement of 2015 UNESCO recommendations on TVET;
- The need for skills development for employability to be research-based.
The Skillman Florence Declaration set the basis for a series of initiatives and events that the Skillman Alliance strives to promote internationally, such as the Skillman Advocacy Campaign, and received a high consensus in the TVET field. Also, the principles behind the Florence Declaration were at the centre of the Skillman International Forum 2020 and will continue to pave the way in the redefinition of the future of learning.