Speakers

Cesare Onestini took up the post of Director of the European Training Foundation in September 2017. Prior to joining the ETF, he was Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to India and Bhutan. He joined the European Commission in 1995, working for six years in education and training policy. Cesare Onestini is a graduate of Oxford University, where he achieved a doctorate in higher education policy.

Ms Stefania Giannini was appointed UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education in May 2018, becoming the top UN official in the field. In this position, she provides strategic vision and leadership for UNESCO in coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the Education 2030 Agenda, encapsulated in Sustainable Development Goal 4.

With an academic background in the Humanities, Ms Giannini has served as Rector of the University for Foreigners of Perugia (2004 – 2012), being one of the first and youngest women to hold this position in Italy. As Senator of the Republic of Italy (2013 – 2018) and Minister of Education, Universities and Research (2014 – 2016), she developed and implemented a structural reform of the Italian education system, centred on social inclusion and cultural awareness. She has also been closely involved in an advisory capacity with the European Commissioner for Research and Innovation.

Nicolas Schmit was appointed European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights in 2019. Born in Differdange, Luxembourg, in 1953, he studied economics and international relations before starting a political and diplomatic career as attaché in the Luxembourg Prime Minister’s Office. After serving as a Member of the Luxembourg Council of State, Schmit became Luxembourg’s ambassador and permanent representative to the European Union in Brussels from 1998 to 2004. He subsequently occupied a series of government positions, including Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Minister of Labour, Employment and Immigration, and Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy. He was elected to the European Parliament in 2019.

Patrizio Bianchi is Full Professor of Applied Economics. After a long period of at the University of Bologna, he founded the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Ferrara (1997). From 2004 he was Rector of the University of Ferrara and then President of the Foundation of the Conference of Italian University Rectors. From 2010 he was Regional Minister for European Affairs, Education, Research, University, and Labour of the Emilia Romagna Regional Government. Since 2020 he has held the Unesco Chair “Education, Growth and Equality” and is Scientific Director of the International Foundation Big Data and AI for Human Development.  In Spring 2020 he became President of the National Task Force for the relaunching of the Italian Education System after Covid. Patrizio Bianchi has advised national and international institutions and has served in numerous institutional roles. For his scientific and institutional activity, he was appointed Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica (Commander of Italian Republic). He has published 250 scientific articles and 40 books.

Borhene Chakroun is an engineer and has a PhD in Education Sciences from Bourgogne University in France. Borhene worked, during the 1990s, as trainer, chief trainer, project manager. He has also worked as short-term consultant for the EU, World Bank and other international organisations before coming to the European Training Foundation (ETF) in 2001. At the ETF, Borhene worked as Senior Human Capital Development specialist. He is now Director of Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems Division at UNESCO-HQ. Borhene conducted a range of policy reviews and skills systems diagnosis in different contexts. He has authored and co-authored various articles and books in the field of skills development and lifelong learning. Much of his most recent work focuses on global trends in reforming education and training systems and global agenda for skills development in the context of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

David Atchoarena is the Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning since April 2018. He was previously the Director of the Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems at UNESCO, with oversight of education policies, higher education, adult and vocational education and training, and ICT in education.

Prior to working at UNESCO Headquarters, he spent many years at the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) where he conducted research and technical cooperation programmes in the fields of educational planning, lifelong learning, technical and vocational education, and higher education. He also contributed to the development of the capacities of officials from ministries of education as the head of the Training and Education Programmes Unit of IIEP.

Before joining UNESCO, Mr Atchoarena served as Chargé de Mission at the National Agency for Lifelong Education of the French Ministry of Education and as a project coordinator in the Ministry of Finance and Planning in Saint Lucia.

Mr Atchoarena holds a Doctorate in Economics from the University of Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Mr. Hervé Huot-Marchand has been working at UNESCO Headquarters since October 2019 as Chief of the Section for Youth, Literacy and Skills Development (YLS) in the Education Sector.

Mr. Hervé Huot-Marchand has nearly 19 years of international experience in the field, notably in Sub-Saharan Africa in the domain of education and training. He has worked for UNESCO and other bilateral partners for the past 13 years. He was responsible for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) at the regional Bureau in Dakar (BREDA), acting first as an expert and then as the Regional adviser for Sub-Saharan Africa from 2006 to 2016. In this capacity, he was actively involved in research, publications, policy support and continuous development, monitoring, evaluation and coordination of TVET programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa.

From 2016 until his appointment to UNESCO Headquarters, he served as the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Mali.

• Expert in innovative and corporate business education and organizational psychology
• Initiated and led four K12 and vocational education institutions (Generation 22, Novopecherska School, BIONIC University, UNIT Factory)
• More than 10 years of academic experience (Kiev State National University ‘Taras Shevchenko’)
• Experience in organizational development and implementation of an HR management system in diversified holdings (UDP)

EXPERIENCE

2020 – to date: Rector of the DTEK Academy

2018 – 2020: Rector of the Sberbank Corporate University

2016: founded K12 alternative school

2015: initiated and led the French école 42 franchise - “UNIT Factory”

2012: created “BIONIC University”, education institution in BIONIC Hill innovation park

2011 – 2012: Vice President of HR at UDP (Ukrainian Development Partner company, Ukraine)

2008 – 2010: Vice Dean at the Faculty of Psychology in Kiev State National University ‘Taras Shevchenko‘

2007 – 2018: lecturer at Kiev State National University ‘Taras Shevchenko’

2000 – 2005: instructor at the International Business Institute

1998 – 1999: leading the Canadian-Ukrainian diploma programme in the Center for Privatization, Investment and Management

EDUCATION

• MBA, University of New Brunswick (Canada)
• PhD
• Master in Psychology, Kyiv State National University ‘Taras Shevchenko’

Barbara Rambousek is the EBRD’s Director for Gender and Economic Inclusion. She established the Bank’s approach to integrating economic inclusion into the Bank’s mandate, to address inequality challenges through private sector investments and policy engagement. Her focus is on creating equitable access to employment and skills, entrepreneurship and finance as well as key infrastructure service, reflecting the specific needs of women, youth, aging populations, migrants and others. Ms Rambousek has 20 years leadership experience in the design and delivery of multi-sectoral inclusive development programmes and strategies in Central and Eastern Europe, the MENA region, Asia and the UK. Previously, as Head of Regeneration and Corporate Strategy for the London Development Agency, she led major urban regeneration programmes and the formulation of London’s 20 year Economic Development Strategy. Before that, she managed integrated refugee return and economic development programmes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is a regular speaker at major international events and fora on topics such as inequality, inclusion, skills, just transition and gender. Ms Rambousek holds an executive MBA from Cass Business School, London, an MSc from the London School of Economics and an MA from the University of Vienna.

Since 2001, Myriam Ferran has worked for the European Commission in various capacities: in the Directorate-General for Enlargement, the Directorate-General for Transport and Energy, at the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) - as well as in the Cabinet of the European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. She was Head of Unit managing EU relationships with Iceland, Serbia and Turkey, and was appointed as Director in charge of the Commission’s Neighbourhood and Enlargement Strategy and Turkey at DG NEAR in 2017. Prior to joining the Commission in 2001, she held various positions in the French government.

Ms Soo-Hyang Choi was appointed as Director of the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in January 2020. UNESCO-UNEVOC supports member states to ensure inclusive and equitable quality TVET, and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Ms. Choi has a BA in Psychology (Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea) and an M.Ed and a Ph.D in Educational Psychology (Univ. of Alberta, Canada). She previously worked in the Korean Educational Development Institute (Seoul, Korea) and joined UNESCO Headquarters as Chief of the Early Childhood and Family Education Section in 1998. Subsequently, she held various chief positions at UNESCO Headquarters in the areas of inclusive education, field support and coordination, and technical, vocational and secondary education. In the field, she worked in Pakistan and Zimbabwe, and served as the UNESCO representative to Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe as well as to the Southern African Development Community. From 2012 to 2019, she was the Director of the Division for Peace and Sustainable Development within the Education Sector of UNESCO.

Ms. Maki Katsuno-Hayashikawa is the Director of the Division for Education 2030 at UNESCO Headquarters. Maki has extensive experiences of over 25 years with UNESCO, UNICEF and JICA, in managing global, regional and country level programmes on inclusive education, gender and education, ECCE, learning assessment and teacher education as well as coordinating partnerships in education. Currently, she oversees UNESCO’s global programmes on Gender and Inclusive Education, Higher Education, Education in Emergencies and leads the reform of the global SDG4 coordination mechanism.

Dukagjin is an Education Specialist with more than 20 years experience in developing, implementing and evaluating programmes in the field of general education, higher education and research. He contributed to the development of major strategic documents from the field of education and research in Kosovo, including background analysis, facilitation of the planning process, writing, costing and editing. He has written numerous studies and other publications in the field of education.

Dukagjin holds PhD in Applied Mathematics and taught courses in educational planning and research methodologies at the University of Prishtina (Kosovo). For two decades, he was Executive Director of the Kosovo Education Center (KEC), one of the most prominent education NGOs in south eastern Europe.

Sangheon LEE is the Director of the Employment Policy Department (EMPLOYMENT), which leads the ILO’s action for promoting full and productive employment by developing integrated employment, development and skills policies. He is currently leading the ILO’s work in monitoring the impact of the pandemic and developing policy options (ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the World of Work)Prior to becoming the Director of EMPLOYMENT, he was the Special Adviser to the Deputy Director-General for Policy on Economic and Social Issues (2014-18), and an acting director for Research Department (2017-18).Mr Lee has written extensively on economic, employment and labour issues, including articles in academic journals, as well as editing volumes under the global research project of Regulating for Decent Work (Palgrave Macmillan) and other research projects. He is also one of the main authors of ILO flagship reports such as the Global Wage Report and the World Employment and Social Outlook. He co-authored Working Time around the World (2007 Routledge).Mr Lee holds a PhD in Economics from Cambridge University.

Srinivas B Reddy has been Chief of the Skills and Employability Branch at ILO Geneva since January 2018. He joined the ILO in 2000. Prior to taking up this position at ILO Headquarters, he was Country Director of the ILO Office in Bangladesh between 2013 and 2017. Mr. Reddy was previously a senior advisor on Technical and Vocational Education and Training and a Skills Development Specialist and has worked in ILO field offices in India, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Mr. Reddy’s professional career in industrial relations, skills development and general management has spanned over 30 years. During his career he has specialized in promoting tripartism and social dialogue with particular interests in skills development and global supply chains.

Andreas Schleicher is Director for Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He initiated and oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international instruments that have created a global platform for policy-makers, researchers and educators across nations and cultures to innovate and transform educational policies and practices.

He has worked for over 20 years with ministers and education leaders around the world to improve quality and equity in education. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that Schleicher “understands the global issues and challenges as well as or better than anyone I’ve met, and he tells me the truth” (The Atlantic, July 11). Former UK Secretary of State Michael Gove called Schleicher “the most important man in English education” – even though he is German and lives in France.

Before joining the OECD, he was Director for Analysis at the International Association for Educational Achievement (IEA). He studied Physics in Germany and received a degree in Mathematics and Statistics in Australia. He is the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including the “Theodor Heuss” prize, awarded in the name of the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany for “exemplary democratic engagement”.  He holds an honorary Professorship at the University of Heidelberg.

Koen Doens has been Director-General for International Partnerships (before 16/01/2021 for International Cooperation and Development) at the European Commission since October 2019. He joined the Commission in 2004 and was Head of Cabinet of Louis Michel, Commissioner in charge of Development and Humanitarian Aid during the 1st Barroso Commission (2004-2010) and Head of the Commission Spokespersons’ Service during the 2nd Barroso Commission (2010-2014). After a period as Director for EU-Africa Relations, he became Deputy Director-General responsible for Africa, Asia, Middle East/Gulf, Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean in the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development in March 2018. A classical philologist by training, he was a professor of Latin and Greek before becoming a Belgian diplomat. He has been posted in Syria, Iran and Russia and several Belgian ministerial cabinets.

Afshan Khan is the UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, and the Special Coordinator for the Refuge and Migrant Response in Europe. She is based in Geneva. Ms. Khan has been an international public servant for over 30 years. Previously she was the Director of Emergency Programmes for UNICEF, and she has also held other senior positions including Director of Public-Sector Alliances and Resource Mobilization; Associate Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa; and the UNICEF Representative in Jamaica. Ms. Khan has extensive field experience including assignments in Kenya; Mozambique; Democratic Republic of Congo; and Colombia. She also has broad United Nations-wide expertise stemming from assignments with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee for Humanitarian Affairs (IASC) in Geneva; the Executive Office of the SecretaryGeneral; and the United Nations Development Group. From 2012 to 2014 Ms. Khan took leave from the United Nations to become the CEO of Women for Women International. In that role, she was responsible for setting the strategic vision and mobilizing the necessary resources for women rebuilding their lives after war. Ms. Khan was born in Hyderabad, India, and grew up in Montreal, Canada. She has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from McGill University

Tamar Aladashvili has been the Director of Environmental Information and Education Centre (EIEC)of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia since 2018. She is committed to advocating environmental education programmes and activities throughout the country to facilitate environmental and agricultural education, raise public awareness, ensure public participation in decision-making and access to information. Prior to working as the director of EIEC, Tamar Aladashvili worked as a Deputy Head of Environmental Policy and International Relations Department at the Ministry for five years and has gained solid knowledge of environmental policy development and coordination of projects’ implementation processes. She has extensive experience working on public outreach initiatives, youth targeting eco-activities, and educational projects. Moreover, she was involved in designing training programmes for school children, students and teachers. For several years Tamar Aladashvili was directly responsible for communication with key stakeholders and civil society organizations. She holds MA in Sustainable International Development with specialization in environmental conservation and development from Brandeis University, USA and MA in Public Administration from Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, Georgia.

Anna Canato is the Head of the Education and Public Research Division (EPR) within the European Investment Bank's Innovation and Competitiveness Department. The EPR Division provides the technical assessment and ongoing monitoring of EIB’s financed projects in the area of education, higher education, and public research infrastructures, across all of the EIB’s geographies. Anna Canato has previously worked in the field of higher education, change management, and innovation, both in consulting and in business schools across Europe. Before joining the EIB she was a Management Professor and Director of Research in a French Business School. Anna holds a PhD in Management from Bocconi University.

Paul Comyn has over 30 years experience in TVET and skills development as a technical specialist and consultant. He has worked on various assignments and projects associated with the reform or expansion of TVET and skill systems in more than 35 countries. He has a PhD in vocational education and training policy and has authored various journal articles and book chapters on the topic. His interests include skills policies and industry engagement in skills development. He has worked for the ILO for the past twelve years and since 2015 has been the Senior Skills & Employability Specialist leading the work of the Skills Policies and Systems Group in Geneva.

Snežana Klašnja, specialist in school psychology Over 20 years of work experience in the position of associate, professor and head teacher in primary and secondary schools in Belgrade. From 2001 to 2007, she worked as Chief of the department for professional training in the Ministry of Education and Sport, Head of Centre for Professional development of employees in education; Project director of World Bank and Ministry of Education and sport project “Serbia Education Development Project”. Over 14 years of work experience in the field of youth policy in the Ministry of Youth and Sport of which 10 years as Assistant Minister for Youth (from 2008 until retirement in 2018). Adviser to the Minister for Youth Policy from 2019. Participant and speaker in a lot of international conferences in the field of education and youth; author of many articles published in professional publications; manager of many research projects and teams in the education and youth field.

Jolien van Uden graduated in Educational Science and Technology and started her career at a VET institute in the Netherlands where she also conducted her PhD research on student engagement. Attracted by all dimensions of the VET sector she has always remained within it. She currently works as a Human Capital Development Specialist at the European Training Foundation. Her current focus is on innovation in teaching and learning within the ETF’s Creating New Leaning initiative, and on the modernisation of qualifications and qualification systems.

Anastasia Fetsi an economist and has a long experience in skills development policies in transition economies. A staff member at the ETF since 1996, she has analysed labour markets and skills matching mechanisms in the countries of Eastern Europe, Western Balkans, Central Asia and North Africa; advised policy makers in adapting vocational education and training (VET) systems to emerging socio-economic needs; designed EU programmes in vocational education and training and employment. In a managerial role Anastasia guided the ETF’s work in the fields of skills identification, skills and migration, education and social inclusion; VET provision and quality assurance; entrepreneurial learning and enterprise skills.

Extensive experience in international cooperation, analysis and capacity development focused on skills anticipation and matching, labour market transitions, skills mismatches, Active Labour Market Policies and employment service providers. Contributes to the implementation of ETF’s activities in the South East Europe and Turkey, including policy dialogue and progress monitoring in the context of EU Enlargement agenda. Before joining the ETF, Cristina worked for the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Romania and contributed to various projects and initiatives related to employment, skills development and active social inclusion. Cristina currently coordinates the ETF’s work strands on skills mismatch assessment and upskilling and reskilling through Active Labour Market Policies.

Iwona Ganko is a Labour Market Specialist in the Policy Advice Unit of the European Training Foundation in Turin. She focuses on new employment trends, new skills demand and the skills dimension of active labour market policies. Previously she worked as a Programme Manager at the European Commission´s Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion in Brussels responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy in the area of employment, education and training, and social policy. She also worked at the Polish Academy of Sciences as a researcher-analyst and lecturer in International Economics and Political Science. While completing her PhD at the University of Barcelona she also lectured at ESERP Business School.

Mihaylo Milovanovitch is a senior policy specialist with the European Training Foundation. His research and publications cover education and training policy in the countries of Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the MENA region. His current work focuses on systemic reforms and education policy appropriation, integrity in education, as well as on social media research in the domain of skills development and lifelong learning.

Siria has developed professionally through work and study in context of the European Union’s external relations policies for almost 30 years.

Siria coordinates the content of the ETF’s Skills Governance and Quality Assurance project, which covers ETF expertise in: mechanisms for multi-actor and multi-level governance mechanisms, role of non-state actors including social partners and civil society organisations in the skills policy processes, public-private partnerships, frameworks for quality assurance of skills systems, monitoring of progress in partner countries, knowledge development and actors’ capacity, policy advice, networking and dissemination.

She coordinated the “VET governance toolkit” VET Governance Toolkit | Open Space (europa.eu), a set of concepts and related tools that the ETF applies in its work with partner countries. In the lifelong learning domain, her focus is on innovative learning environments to motivate learners, continuing VET, skills for enterprise development, equity and human capital development thematic areas. Project evaluation and impact assessment are also part of her expertise.  In 2007 she was seconded to the World Bank in Washington, DC, as a human capital development specialist in the regions of Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In the 1990s, she worked at the European Commission and prior to that she was based at a non-governmental organisation working on international cooperation for development.

Osman Seçkin AKBIYIK has been working for the Vocational Qualifications Authority of Turkey since April 2010. He has been the head of unit for the Turkish Qualifications Framework and has also been a member of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) Advisory Group of the European Commission for five years. He has been actively involved in the establishment of the Turkish Qualifications Framework and an inclusive lifelong learning system in Turkey since the very beginning. He is responsible for coordinating the studies regarding the preparation, implementation and management of the Turkish Qualifications Framework and referencing to the EQF. He has also written a dissertation entitled “The Relationships between National Qualifications Frameworks and Education and the Labour Market”.

Dr. Raimo Vuorinen works as a project manager at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research (FIER) at the University of Jyväskylä.  His research interest is on evidence-based lifelong guidance policy development and the use of ICT in guidance. In 2007-15 he was the co-ordinator of the European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network, ELGPN. He is the Chair of Board of the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policies, ICCDPP. Dr. Vuorinen is also an adjunct associate professor in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Iceland, Affiliate Professor with the Faculty of Education and the Centre for Labour Studies at the University of Malta and an Overseas fellow of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling, NICEC (UK).

Christine works as the Team Lead on Skills for Social Inclusion in the ILO’s Skills and Employability Branch in Geneva. Developing approaches to include people with disabilities, informal economy workers, forcibly displaced people, LGBTI people and other vulnerable groups is her daily business. She leads research and knowledge products on the topic, supports ILO constituents in making skills development and recognition systems more inclusive, and works with the ILO’s network of skills specialists around the world.

Antonio is an EdTech expert with large experience in AR/VR/XR technology for vocational education digitalization. 

Antonio has been highly involved in the digitalization of welding training in +70 countries with the technology of Augmented Reality, both in the Education sector (VET schools and Universities) and Industrial Companies (sectors like automotive, railway, energy, aerospace,...) 

Antonio works actively with the welding training sector to continue digitalizing training operations in order to attract the new generation of students to the welding trade and making welding training operations more efficient, safe and environmentally friendly. 

Antonio works at Seabery, a leading company in the development of training solutions powered by Augmented Reality and specialized in welding training. 

Alison Crabb, Head of Unit “Skills and Qualifications", European Commission, Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion  

Alison Crabb, has worked at the European Commission since 1999, and currently heads the Skills and Qualifications Unit in DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Her team works with Member States, social partners and other stakeholders to help adults across Europe upgrade their skills and make skills and qualifications more easily understood across borders. Coordinating the European Skills Agenda, its flagship initiative that opens up upskilling and reskilling opportunities for adults and includes the Pact for Skills and Individual Learning Accounts, she is also responsible for one of the EU’s best known tools supporting learning and working across borders, the European Qualifications Framework.  

Her previous work in the Commission includes both policy and funds management in vocational education and training, adult learning, and school education.  

Žofia works for the Carpathian Foundation based in Košice, Slovakia. For the past three years she has been managing an educational programme - MyMachine. Under her leadership the programme has spread from Eastern Slovakia to the whole country. MyMachine connects elementary school children with university and vocational students to work on a common project – building a dreammachine. Throught it’s unique methodology, MyMachine strengthens creativity, communication and presentation skills and the ability to work in teams. MyMachine teaches children and young people what it takes to bring an idea to life.

Margherita Calderone is a Principal Economist in the EBRD’s Gender and Economic Inclusion team. She leads its work on the power and energy and natural resources sectors, including under EBRD’s Just Transition Initiative, focusing on projects that create equitable access to skills and employment for women, youth, older workers and populations in remote regions. She has 12 years of work experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of multi-partner inclusion, gender and development programmes across a range of emerging economies. She was previously a Research Fellow in the Risk and Resilience Programme at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in London, where she led the team’s strategy on the Economics and Finance for Resilience. She holds a PhD in Development Economics from Humboldt University in Berlin and an MSc degree in Economics from Bocconi University in Milan. 

Tatjana Babrauskienė, from Lithuania, has been a member of the European Economic and Social Committee since 2015. With a background in education, Ms Babrauskienė is head of the International Department of the Lithuanian Education and Science Trade Union. She has a long experience of advocating for skills development at European level, including involvement with Cedefop, the European Commission Advisory Committee on Vocational Education (ACVT), the European Sectoral Social Dialogue in Education (ESSDE), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Education and Training Committee.  Besides the EU strategy for enhancing green skills and competences for all, Ms Babrauskienė has played a leading role in a series of EESC opinions on education, training and social affairs.  

Anastasiia Yakovenko is co-director of the Theatre of Contemporary Dialogue (TCD). She started her work with the theatre as a participant of the project dedicated to the topic of refugees in Ukraine in 2015. The non-formal educational method of the organisation inspired her to take part in the next projects as well. This resulted in the creation of performances about discrimination and stereotypes ("the theory of great filter"), inclusion ("The Blind City") and corruption ("Room № 333"). Anastasiia cocreated the theatre performance on Crimea, addressing the question "Why was the annexation possible in Crimea?"

 “I really enjoy the method of the TCD, because it gives opportunities for different people with various backgrounds to learn more about social issues. The possibility of self-expression helps participants to share their personal opinion and position in their daily life. It motivates me to create such kinds of projects for sustainable development in my country. I hope my experience can help organisations around the word to create this wonderful educational opportunity for many people.”

Fation Dragoshi is the Project Manager of Skills for Jobs, a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC. Fation is a result driven and energetic Project Manager with over 15 years of international and national experience in senior positions in Labour market, Economic and Employment Development. Prior to Swisscontact, Fation worked with UNDP, ILO and IDM Albania contributing towards local governance and establishment of regional employment funds projects. Since 2015, Fation has been working with Swisscontact, managing intervention and project portfolio with positive results in skills development of VET Students in Albania, promotion of apprenticeship models, private sector engagement in VET, new ways of learning and Labour Market Insertion initiatives. Fation received his Master Degree with merit on Humanities and Social Sciences from University of Lumiere, Lyon, France and Cultural Development from University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia.

Piet is co-founder and managing director of the MyMachine Global Foundation. With its unique and multi-award winning methodology, MyMachine units students in primary, secondary and higher eduction to collaborate as peers to bring to life ‘dream machine’-ideas invented by the children in primary class.  All these students learn that their ideas matter, that their ideas can make a difference, and how they can bring their ideas to life.  

Piet's work has been Recognised by Fast Company for the World Changing Ideas 2021 List. He is acclaimed Innovator Of The Year by the HundrED Academy. Forbes ran an article on the impact of MyMachine in the global education space. MyMachine is endorsed by a.o. the United Nations WSA, The New York Academy of Sciences, HundrED, The Qatar Foundation, Harvard University, Designmanagement Europe, Katerva, Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Unite), Tom Vander Ark (CEO Getting Smart), and business leaders and education thinkers alike. 

Piet is author of the book What Is Your Dream Machine? How Children Change Education Worldwide, with foreword written by Sir Ken Robinson.

Manish is Chairman and co-founder of Teamlease Services, one of India’s leading staffing and human capital firm. Teamlease is also implementing India’s first vocational university and national PPP apprenticeship program. The company has hired 1.8 million employees over the last 15 years.

In 1996 he co-founded India Life, an HR outsourcing company that was acquired in 2002 by a listed US company called Hewitt Associates. Consequently, he was CEO of Hewitt Outsourcing (Asia) based in Singapore for two years.

Manish is a member of the National Skill Mission, Central Advisory Board of Education and has served on various policy committees for education, employment and employability. He served as an Independent Director on the Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He is a Member of Advisory Board of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and a governing board member of National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). He is also Managing Trustee of the New India Foundation that offers fellowships for writing books about post-1947 India and is a columnist for Indian Express. He got his MBA from The Wharton School and is an alumnus of Shriram College, Delhi and Mayo College, Ajmer.

My name is Maia Tkemaladze. I am a mentor teacher. I teach English as a foreign language in Sachkhere Public school N 2. The school is located in a small rural town in the West of Georgia. I am also a teacher trainer for the British Council in Georgia . I am also Fulbright TEA (Teachers’ Excellence Award) alumna from Montana State University, USA. I am also a T4 country Ambassador for T4.EDUCATION. I am a 2017 National Teacher Prize Top ten finalist. I was also a runner up in the 2019 international ” Best teacher - Oracy in Education” competition conducted by the English Speaking Union (ESU).

I have been teaching children of all ages for 30 years. The main methodology I have been using in my teaching is Project Based Learning ( PBL), and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). For the last few years I have incorporated SDGs in the school curriculum and have been conducting my lessons according to these goals. Together with my students, I have been participating in World’s Largest lesson series. My main goal as a teacher is to raise a future generation of globally responsible citizens taking care of their planet in hand.

In 1992 computers were brought into the Dutch elementary schools and Marcel de Leeuwe was surprised by the possibilities offered by e-Learning. From that moment he realized that with these new pedagogical and technical means it was possible to open new worlds for all kind of learners. Trained as an educational scientist, De Leeuwe always combines a critical perspective on the design of e-Learning experiences with an optimistic view on the possibilities. In very different projects he saw that you can offer learning opportunities that make a difference, both on a personal as organizational level. He worked with less fortunate and educated learners, e.g. with inmates and people with a distance to the labour market who are upskilling and e-Learning can offer meaningful lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Filip Van Depoele is an economist by training (University of Leuven, Belgium) and subsequently studied European Economic Integration (College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium) and International Relations (Johns Hopkins University, Bologna, Italy). He worked for a number of years in the private sector (banking) before joining the European Commission in 1997. Filip held several positions in the Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs and the Directorate General for Competition before moving to the Directorate General in charge of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. After having managed the Policy Coordination unit for 5 years, he currently heads the International Cooperation unit.

Bora Muzhaqi graduated with a BSc in Economics from London School of Economics, followed with a Masters in International Business from Hult International Business School. 

Upon graduation Bora returned to Albania and started working at PwC as a tax advisor and senior tax advisor for 3 years. Further, Bora progressed to EY in the Business Tax Services. 

Having successfully graduated as a Senior advisor from both PwC and EY, and having acquired the ACCA accreditation in the process both in the UK and Albania, Bora wanted to address the issues faced by entrepreneurship from inside the administrate. Therefore, she worked as a contracted EBRD consultant for 2 years in the role of an External Advisor to the Minister of State for the Protection of Entrepreneurship. During this period, Bora led the process of drafting and coordinating the key actors for the preparation and submission of the draftlaw on the support and development of innovative start-ups in Albania. 

In April 2021 Bora became a candidate to be a member of the Parliament, running in the city of Tirana, where she was able to understand the issues that citizens faced first hand. After the campaign she was nominated as Deputy Minister of Education, Sports and Youth where she covers Youth matters. Some of the main duties she covers are the implementation of the Youth Law, the conception of the Youth Working Plan and the Youth Strategy among many more.

Mr. Ružić graduated from the International Relations Department of the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade.

He has served several terms as a deputy at the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the Assembly of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. He was also a member of the permanent delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

In the Government of Serbia, he was the Minister without portfolio in charge of European integration in 2013, at the time of adoption of the Negotiating Framework and the official opening of negotiations between the Republic of Serbia and the European Union.

In the period from on 29 June 2017, he performed the function of the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, in charge for public administration reform.

On 28 October 2020, he was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development.

Branko Ružić is a member of the Socialist Party of Serbia, where he has served as youth chairperson, vice-chairperson of the Steering Committee, chairperson of the Executive Committee and spokesperson. Today, he is the vice-president of the Socialist Party of Serbia.

Lidia Salvatore is an expert on adult learning and continuing vocational training at Cedefop. She is currently responsible for managing and carrying out analysis and research on empowering adults through upskilling and reskilling, and in particular on developing coordinated and coherent approaches to upskilling pathways for low skilled adults.

Lidia holds a BA in political science and a Masters in EU economics and politics from the University of Bologna in Italy and she also studied in Australia at the University of New South Wales and University of Sydney. Prior to Cedefop, Lidia worked for five years as a research officer in Eurofound, the European Union agency for the improvement of living and working conditions, where she contributed to designing, initiating and carrying out research and comparative analysis in the field of youth employment policies.

Harry Anthony Patrinos is the Practice Manager for the Europe and Central Asia region of the World Bank's education global practice. He specializes in all areas of education, especially school-based management, demand-side financing and public-private partnerships. He managed education lending operations and analytical work programs in Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, as well as a regional research project on the socioeconomic status of Latin America’s Indigenous Peoples, published as Indigenous Peoples, Poverty and Human Development in Latin America (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006). He is one of the main authors of the report, Lifelong Learning in the Global Knowledge Economy (World Bank, 2003). Mr. Patrinos has many publications in the academic and policy literature, with more than 40 journal articles. He is co-author of the books: Policy Analysis of Child Labor: A Comparative Study (St. Martin’s, 1999), Decentralization of Education: Demand-Side Financing (World Bank, 1997), and Indigenous People and Poverty in Latin America: An Empirical Analysis with George Psacharopoulos (World Bank/Ashgate, 1994). He has also worked in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. He previously worked as an economist at the Economic Council of Canada. Mr. Patrinos received a doctorate from the University of Sussex.

Manuela Geleng works for the European Commission where she is currently the Director for Skills in the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. She is in particular responsible social and inclusive entrepreneurship as well as for implementing the Skills Agenda, which sets ambitious objectives for up- and reskilling Europe’s workforce and for vocational education and training. Previously, Manuela Geleng has held several other managerial positions in the Commission. Prior to joining the European Commission, she worked in the private sector as a management consultant and for the United Nations Development Programme. She holds an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of London and a Master in Public Administration and Management from the Solvay Business School (Brussels). She completed her postgraduate studies at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna.

Jeyhun is the Deputy Director at the State Agency on Vocational Education under the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, since September 2020. He has more than twenty years’ experience in education, energy, international development and non-profit sectors. Previous professional experiences include leadership roles in BP Plc and UNDP. He is an Adjunct Instructor at ADA University and School of Project Management at Baku Higher Oil Academy. Jeyhun served as the Chairman of the US-Educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association for two terms and co-founded European Network of American Alumni Associations (ENAM). Jeyhun received an Executive MBA from INSEAD (2018), Master of Public Administration Degree from Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University (2006) and BA in European Studies from Azerbaijan University of Languages (2003).

Gideon Arulmani, PhD., Director, The Promise Foundation, India, is a clinical psychologist interested in culture and counselling. His Cultural Preparation Process Model has informed intervention designing in more than 30 countries. He is Founder-Trustee of the Indian Association for Career and Livelihood Planning, Board Member of IAEVG, International Fellow of NICEC and visiting professor at a number of universities. He is a consultant to the International Labour Organisation, Unicef, World Bank and other multilateral agencies. He has published more than 75 papers and chapters in peer reviewed journals and books and presented invited key note addresses at various conferences. He is also interested in craft. Mowyla (Move on with Your Life), is a company he started that produces natural, handcrafted jewellery and artefacts from found objects. Gideon’s strongest passion is making wine! He has a small vineyard where he grows an Indian version of Shiraz!

Ms Unami Mpofu is a consummate development practitioner with a passion for human-centred development approaches. Ms. Unami Mpofu has enjoyed a resourceful career spanning almost 25 years in the private and in international development cooperation, in agriculture, small enterprise development, youth skills development sectors. Her strengths lie in supporting strategic leadership development, facilitating systems change, programme coordination, and partnership relationship management. Unami holds a Master in Development Practice (University of Pretoria, 2019).

Working at the AUDA-NEPAD Agency since 2013, Ms Mpofu has been involved in the institutional support of key stakeholder groups in the implementation of continental agriculture policy reforms. She has recently transitioned to a coordination and leadership responsibility of the Skills and Employability Programme, overseeing the Skills Initiative for Africa Programme (SIFA), the Agriculture Technical Vocational Education and Training for Women (ATVET4W) and the 100 000 Micro, Small to Medium Enterprises (MSME) projects. As the development agency of the African Union, the AUDA-NEPAD Skills and Employability hosts a knowledge repository - the African Skills Portal for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (ASPYEE), which showcases best practice approaches of public private sector partnerships in employment-oriented skills development in the TVET sector.

Simon Broek (Utrecht, the Netherlands), is a senior researcher and evaluator at Ockham IPS. He is specialised in conducting evaluations and studies related to human capital development, VET, adult learning, qualifications, teachers and trainers and work-based learning, for clients such as UNESCO, the ETF, Cedefop, OECD, national ministries and development agencies. For UNESCO, for instance, he is currently conducting an evaluation of the TVET strategy 2016-2021. For Cedefop he is currently work assignment leader focusing on adult learning in the study on the Future of VET.

Ms. Nadica Kostoska is Deputy Head of Sector for the European Union at the Ministry of Education and Science of North Macedonia. Her professional experience is primarily in the development of public policies in the field of education, including conceptualisation of strategic documents. She works with both national and international stakeholders on various processes in the educational areas. Her study background is Psychology and familiarity with the trends in the Human Capital Development helped her to understand and analyse formal and non-formal education policy reforms, while maintaining her sensitivity for the individual and community needs.

Duong Xuan Hieu is Principal Officer at the International Department of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) - the national centre of trade unions in Vietnam- and has worked there for 17 years. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations, and is an alumnus of the Global Labour University (GLU) Master’s Programme in Germany.

Hieu has a good background in trade union activities in the international arena which he had opportunities to engage with through VGCL’s external cooperation activities. He has taken part in various Vietnamese trade union research projects.

Originally from a small town in the middle of Russia, Anna’s dedication to her skill has taken her across Russia and around the world in pursuit of excellence. Her journey began when she enrolled as a student in St. Petersburg Economics and Technology College of Nutrition to become a Pastry Chef. A key moment in her development was WorldSkills Sao Paolo 2015, as she represented Russia in Patisserie and Confectionery.

That fact and also high level of her skills let Anna to try herself as Brand Pastry Chef in two restaurants and also to become a trainer for WorldSkills Russia Pastry team. She succeeded in applying to the WorldSkills Champions Trust, and being a representative for Europe for two terms, as she felt she needed to remain a part of WorldSkills family.

To continue to assuage her passion – healthy and sustainable food of the future - Anna is doing a Master’s degree in ISA Lille engineering school in France. At first, she worked at the oldest Patisserie in Lille – Meért, and is now at the Technological Center of Innovation in food industry AGIR, combining the art of craftsmanship and the technological approach to pastry.