Equipping the workforce with the skills required for the jobs of today and those of tomorrow is a strategic concern in the national growth and development outlooks of all countries. Together, all countries leaders have pledged to support robust training strategies to meet the challenges of fostering strong, sustainable and balanced growth in each country and globally.The globalization of markets is accelerating the diffusion of technology and the pace of innovation. New occupations are emerging and replacing others. Within each occupation, required skills and competencies are evolving, as the knowledge content of production processes and services is rising.A major challenge in all countries is simultaneously to enhance the responsiveness of education and training systems to these changes in skill requirements and to improve access to training and skills development.Many countries have used training and retraining in their responses to the employment challenges arising from the global financial crisis of 2008. Lessons learned since that time is being applied more widely.Ultimately, each country’s prosperity depends on how many of its people are in work and how productive they are, which in turn rests on the skills they have and how effectively those skills are used. Skills are a foundation of decent work.