The 9th ADB International Skills Forum happened on the 23rd to the 27th of August of 2021 and provided an excellent opportunity to policy makers, practitioners, experts, and partners from ADB member countries and other regions to exchange and share innovative practices and solutions to address the challenges of improving learning for all and reducing skills mismatches. The forum included presentations from several speakers, including Professor James Buchan.
The main objectives of the 9th ADB International Skills Forum were:
- To showcase transformational practices in K–12, technical and vocational education and training, and higher education to ensure learning and employability;
- To bring together representatives from government, private sector, and other development partners involved in education and training to present innovative good practices;
- To ensure skills development is guided by evidence; and
- To inspire experts and developing member country counterparts, and promoting collaboration with key stakeholders to incorporate new approaches to design and implement innovative projects and programs in education and training.
The purpose of planning is to improve the alignment across education, regulation and employment. The ultimate goal is a workforce that is fit for purpose for delivering UHC (universal health care)
- Professor James Buchan
On the first day of the Forum, professor James Buchan spoke on Skilling Asia's Healthcare Workforce. He cited the increasing demand for health care, unequal distribution of resources, planning and investment as some of the most critical workforce challenges. Discussing the current state of health workforce, Buchan mentioned that due to COVID-19 there was a surge in workforce since countries are trying to increase numbers of health workers by co-opting medical and nursing students, bringing retired and inactive health care workers back into the health system, and fast tracking foreign trained health professionals.
Some key response points to approach workforce challenges cited by Professor Buchan were:
- Improving readiness, responsiveness and regulations
- Improving data collection and analysis
- Employing rapid and accurate communication
- Use of technology for service support and education
- Implementing respite time for workers
- Use of targeted incentive
- Generating workforce sustainability
It is necessary to train and upskill the workforce, and also think about the future and educate health workers to operate in an UHC environment.
We should not wait to be perfect in our responses, but we should look to be rapid and adaptable to improve population health. Even with the challenges of COVID-19, it is necessary to work beyond it in terms of what the workforce should look like.
- Professor James Buchan
Professor Buchan concludes that all countries should develop an effective health workforce plan, that is flexible and adaptive. You can watch recordings of the 9th International Skills Forum here.