How Can We Set up Younger Generations for the Future of Work?

Recently, we celebrated World Youth Skills Day, acknowledging the importance of equipping young people with the skills they need for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship.

The day serves to highlight the vital role that skills development plays in empowering youth and promoting peace and sustainable development.

As much as this is a day for improving career prospects for younger people, it’s a critical reminder of how much the business and tech sectors need a fresh injection of talent.

In the UK, with historic skills gaps threatening emerging technology, particularly around AI, we need to set up long-term projects for inclusive skills development. This means the public and private sectors working in unison, to put the UK’s best foot forward on the global stage.

With this in mind, experts have commented on the ethos behind World Youth Skills Day 2025, what can be done to encourage positive change in the industry, and set up the UK for AI success through youth skilling.

What the data says about AI skills gaps

At Coursera, platform data shows there are emerging discrepancies between younger and older generations.

Identifying where there are gaps in learning uptake is an important exercise in order to redress any imbalances. As the world of work transforms at breakneck speed, equipping young people with the right skills is more critical than ever. With graduate job opportunities more scarce than at any point since 2018, young professionals are facing a workforce complexified by GenAI, automation, and digital transformation. While traditional degrees continue to hold value, the ability to quickly acquire key job-relevant skills has become indispensable.

Our latest Global Skills Report reveals that 75% of employers now favour candidates with GenAI certifications over those with more experience but no such credentials. However, Gen Z learners comprise just 12% of all AI course participants in the UK, with even lower representation across GenAI courses specifically (9%). This is significantly below the global average of 18%, and suggests that Britain’s young people can and must intensify their upskilling efforts, particularly in key skill domains.

To stay competitive and adaptable, students and early-career professionals must invest in those key capabilities demanded by employers. Gaining the skills to understand, apply, and even create AI technologies will offer a significant advantage in the job market: AI is no longer just another technology – it’s a catalyst for change across every industry. On this World Youth Skills Day, we encourage Britain’s young people to embrace its possibilities, and the lifelong learning it will require.

Learning from youth skilling blueprints

The data is representative of an emerging issue we need to challenge around AI. We’re at a crux point where, with modern AI still in its infancy, we need to course correct now before any skills gaps widen significantly.

Being on the front foot with AI skills development will set the UK apart from competitors, which will be a key differentiator against big players in the market.

Addressing these emerging skills gaps, the UK’s European neighbours can teach us some key ways to develop youth skilling programmes.

We believe the future of the UK economy will be shaped not just by the technology we develop, but by the people we empower to build and use it responsibly. We must ensure that young people are equipped with high-quality, future-ready training, especially in critical thinking and AI. 

AI is about people first, machines second. With the government launching its AI Action Plan to train 7.5 million workers by 2030, it is clear that bridging the digital skills gap is a necessity.

Estonia offers a valuable example, having championed digital skills since 1997, placing students among Europe’s best. Their AI Leap 2025 brings foundational AI into schools through public-private partnerships. With digital skills gaps costing the UK £63 billion annually, investing in youth today is both a moral duty and an economic strategy for building tomorrow’s AI economy.

Looking past World Youth Skills Day

World Youth Skills Day 2025 is a global call to action uniting educators, policymakers, governments, employers, youth, and tech leaders to foster equitable, human‑centred AI adoption and close structural barriers.

But awareness is nothing if it is unsupported. Action is always key. By championing real-world initiatives, we can ensure that youth voices are central in shaping future work, bridging digital skills gaps.

Ultimately, World Youth Skills Day 2025 reminds us that investing in a digitally skilled, empowered generation isn’t just a developmental goal, it’s essential for driving innovation, economic growth, sustainable development, and social cohesion in a rapidly changing world.

By Nikolaz Foucaud, Managing Director EMEA, Coursera, and Agur Jõgi, CTO, Pipedrive