Skills friendly cities

In the years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, cities increasingly attracted a diverse, youthful, and capable workforce. In the wake of the global crisis, however, many cities have struggled to attract, develop, and retain talent. Intel saw this challenge emerging and wanted to proactively act. So, they called on GBC-Education to elevate their impact.

Together with our partners at Intel and Deloitte, who likewise saw this emerging trend and need for solutions, we created a Skills Commission to provide recommendations on workforce and skill development to meet the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution. This work culminated in breakthrough reports on youth skills in South Asia, resilience during the pandemic, and the state of youth skill development in U.S. cities. Together, these reports have catalyzed pledges, commitments, and action worldwide from the private sector, governments, and civil society.

Building on the reports’ recommendations, we also launched The Big Ideas, Bright Cities challenge together with support from Deloitte and Dell. This challenge was piloted in the United States as a way to encourage action and crowdsource expertise on education and skills development. Over 50 cities brought forward new ideas and we are partnering leaders across regions with the business community to scale these ideas with funding.

In April 2022, the winners were announced. Action Greensboro was provided with a substantial grant to scale their “Big Idea” and 14 cities joined our nationwide youth skills community of practice.

Together with our partners Intel, Deloitte, and Dell, GBC-Education moved an idea to action and created a community across the country working to make cities more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and innovative to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Learn about how to join the coalition.