IN CONVERSATION WITH
EL IZAMOHAMEDOU
By Cecilia Albè
Reading time: 5–6 min
As the Head of the OECD Centre for Skills, El Iza Mohamedou is at the forefront of understanding and addressing the global skills challenge. In this interview for the 2025 Winter Forum, she highlights the importance of aligning higher education with the rapidly evolving demands of the global labour market.
International education aims to prepare students for interconnected workplaces, while skills policies focus on labour market needs. How is the OECD helping to align these goals?
EIM: Every place I travel in Europe, leaders are looking for connection. Over the past decade – even before COVID – higher education institution (HEIs) leaders sought partnerships not just with American institutions but also among themselves. I think alliances are very timely because we need to talk across borders and institutions.
We are actively contributing to bridging this gap through strategic frameworks, data-driven insights and multilateral cooperation. A key initiative is the OECD Skills Strategy framework, which is built on three pillars.
The first pillar is about developing relevant skills over the life course. It’s not just lifelong but also ‘life-wide’ – skills are developed not only formally in schools and higher education but also non-formally and informally in the home, community and workplaces. The second pillar is about using these skills effectively in work and in society. Developing a strong skillset is just the first step; people need opportunities, encouragement and incentives to use them fully. The third pillar focuses on strengthening the governance of skills systems. This is a whole-of-government effort that goes beyond just ministries of education and labour to include those covering the economy, migration and regional development among others. It’s about engaging stakeholders and aligning financing arrangements. And it’s also about considering vocational education and training on much larger scale given its particular closeness to the labour market needs.
To date, we have developed skills strategies in over 40 economies, supporting countries to take this comprehensive approach. Furthermore, our work is guided by OECD governing bodies and we cooperate closely with international organisations like UNESCO, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank as well as regional entities. We also ground our analysis in data from large-scale surveys like PISA[1] and PIAAC[2].
The OECD regularly assesses how global trends like digitalisation, demographic shifts and the green transition are reshaping employment. How should higher education institutions adapt to ensure graduates are prepared for the jobs of tomorrow in a globally interconnected labour market?
EIM: One critical area is the content of what is being taught in higher education. Knowledge today advances by synthesising different fields, requiring open-mindedness and familiarity with other disciplines.
The point is to integrate the development of metacognitive skills to navigate these complex digital information landscapes you’re mentioning, but also to develop interdisciplinary programmes that combine technical skills with ethical reasoning and cultural competencies.
Another important adaptation is the wider adoption of microcredentials. Not all occupations need a lengthy and costly degree. Higher education institutions should offer more flexible, shorter paths and make it easier for informal skills to be recognised and valued. Strengthening pathways between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education is also crucial.
Furthermore, this is also about much more upstream interventions, such as better career guidance.
OECD data shows that close to 40% of workers in OECD countries work in a field other than their field of study. With, for example, 17% of jobs now classified as green – a proportion that is growing in most regions – providing clear pathways to expanding sectors is essential.
The imperative for change is clear. A 2023 Wall Street Journal poll found that more than 50% of Americans believe a four-year college degree is no longer worth the time or money. We see this reflected in enrolment data in the country. Higher education must develop stronger partnerships between education providers, industry and workers to navigate the twin digital and green transitions.
The OECD Skills Outlook 2023 report highlighted persistent skills mismatches in labour markets worldwide. How can internationalisation strategies help higher education institutions better align graduate skills with evolving workforce needs?
EIM: First, we must recognise the scale of this challenge. Approximately one quarter of workers across the OECD report a mismatch between their skills and their job requirements, which impacts both job satisfaction and labour productivity.
International initiatives can provide valuable frameworks. For instance, the OECD and UNESCO developed Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education, which helps ensure international programmes meet labour market needs. Regional quality assurance systems also provide levels of collaboration.
Mobility and recognition are also fundamental. The EU’s Union of Skills Strategy 2025 emphasises improving skills circulation through enhanced qualification recognition across borders, and initiatives like the European VET diploma and programmes like Erasmus+ will improve mobility.
In terms of policy recommendations, I believe we should certainly consider developing international frameworks for competency-based hiring – frameworks that emphasise skills over formal credentials.
Another critically important measure would be to create mechanisms for the real-time sharing of labour market intelligence across borders; I think that would be quite significant.
And, of course, establishing international certification systems for emerging skills – in areas like artificial intelligence (AI) ethics and green technologies, for instance – could also be very interesting and impactful in this field.
OECD reports also highlight significant inequalities in access to skill-building opportunities. How can these disparities be reduced, ensuring underrepresented groups benefit from global learning?
EIM: The upcoming Skills Outlook 2025 will actually focus specifically on disparities, but OECD data has consistently revealed persistent inequalities. Adults with low skill levels are three times less likely to participate in training than those with high skills, and disparities persist for those from disadvantaged socio-economic or migrant backgrounds.
Evidence-based interventions are key. This includes targeted support measures for underrepresented groups like low-skilled adults, the unemployed or older adults. Flexible learning provision – including part-time and online options – and the recognition of prior learning are critical. Instruments like individual learning accounts are useful as they give workers ownership over their training decisions.
International cooperation models can help too. A good example is the Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) in Ireland,[3] which provides funding to increase participation by underrepresented groups, or international scholarship programmes targeted at specific communities.
Furthermore, technology-enabled access through e-learning can break down geographical and financial barriers to international education. In fields where international connectivity is essential, ensuring equitable access is essential for global progress.
Recent trends, notably in AI, have put ethics high on the agenda. Beyond technical skills, which internationally focused professions now most urgently require ethical AI competencies?
EIM: Our research found that less than 1% of online vacancies for AI professionals themselves mentioned ethics, which is a concern. But looking more broadly, several fields urgently need these competencies.
Healthcare and life sciences: Cross-border medical research and treatment require ethical AI frameworks for data sharing and diagnostics. Professionals must be able to navigate AI bias in global health interventions.
International development and humanitarian work: AI used in crisis response can perpetuate inequalities. Professionals need skills to assess AI’s impact on vulnerable populations across different cultural contexts.
Global finance and trade: AI-powered trading and international financial services require an understanding of algorithmic bias, fairness and cross-border data privacy regulations.
International education and research: As academic mobility and collaboration increasingly rely on AI for student selection and research evaluation, professionals must ensure these processes are fair and unbiased.
Diplomacy and international relations: With AI-powered systems influencing global political discourse, diplomats need skills to understand AI’s impact on democratic processes and international stability.
Core principles like autonomy, transparency, privacy and non-discrimination are vital. The OECD is active here, with work on an AI literacy framework for younger populations and the overarching OECD AI Principles, which provide a values-based framework agreed upon by member countries.
– Cecilia Albè
[1] (Programme for International Student Assessment) is a triennial international survey by the OECD that evaluates education systems worldwide by assessing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in mathematics, reading and science.
[2] (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) is an international survey by the OECD that measures the key cognitive and workplace skills of adults, primarily in literacy, numeracy and problem-solving in technology-rich environments.
[3] (PATH) is a dedicated fund established in Ireland in 2017 by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to increase participation in higher education by underrepresented groups.