The 6 Foundational Sections of the SIF 2026 Manifesto
The Algorithmic Learning Shift
"The Skillman International Forum 2026 focuses on a transformation that affects us all: learning increasingly takes place in digital environments that extend alongside and across formal education. Alongside systems with explicit objectives, teachers and stated assessment criteria, continuous and fragmented learning experiences are emerging, shaped by algorithms whose underlying criteria and interests often remain invisible to their users."
The Attention Economy vs True Knowledge
"A news item, a video or a suggestion can trigger a chain of recommendations that grows to reach millions of people. Repetition can turn a message into a mantra, shaping perceptions, behaviour and choices. When these processes primarily reward attention, profit and compulsive engagement, what becomes most visible does not necessarily coincide with what is most useful for learning or for shaping our future."
Human Agency & Noise Filtering
"Within this flow, sensationalist, polarising or aggressive content can overshadow information and opportunities that speak to our deeper interests. The challenge therefore also concerns people’s ability to recognise what matters, make informed choices and retain control over their own learning and development."
Purposeful Pathways & Responsible AI
"SIF2026 seeks to address this challenge through concrete examples of purposeful learning pathways and carefully considered solutions grounded in human perspectives. The Forum brings together experiences and projects that connect skills development with the application, recognition and practical value of those skills, aiming to strengthen individuals’ ability to shape their own future. The discussion of artificial intelligence will also address the purposes, criteria and responsibilities that guide its use in learning."
Who Decides What Matters?
"Who decides what matters? The definition, representation and measurement of skills are central to this year’s Forum. Skills need to be understood, developed, recognised and assessed: the choices we make in doing so influence access to employment, opportunities and social participation. Asking who counts as a “good” citizen means examining the values and criteria through which society recognises people’s contributions, and who has the power to establish them."
The Thessaloniki Dialogue
"In Thessaloniki, through dialogue with Cedefop and the Forum’s guests, we aim to turn these questions into shared research challenges and opportunities for collaboration. We will bring educational practice, research, businesses and institutions into dialogue to explore how the decisions that shape learning and skills recognition can become more transparent and participatory. These decisions also shape the kind of society we want to build."