UNEVOC Seoul Workshop: TVET Experts From 11 Countries Discuss AI and Future Skills

From 1 to 3 September 2026, the UNEVOC Network cluster workshop for East and Southeast Asia was held in Seoul, hosted by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET), with 17 delegates from 11 countries. Discussions covered the impact of artificial intelligence on work and skills requirements, lifelong learning, digital and green skills, and public-private collaboration. A half-day GVETI conference co-organized by KOPO and KRIVET preceded the workshop under the theme of co-creating the future in the AI era.

This is an official regional meeting of the UNESCO vocational education network in East and Southeast Asia, involving TVET institutions, universities, research organizations and government bodies. Its discussions could shape regional TVET curricula and teacher capacity-building, and thus the supply conditions for AI skills talent. The meeting remained at the level of experience exchange and consensus; no specific curricula, standards or investment plans were announced, so implementation remains to be verified through follow-up documents and pilots. Regional TVET institutions may add AI and green skills to curricula and teacher training, affecting the direction of skills talent development. Lifelong learning and public-private collaboration were listed as priorities, which may push governments, training providers and industry to coordinate AI skills investment.