
ContentsThe World Government SummitExecutive SummaryConclusion1. The Case for Change2. A Critical Focus on the Skills of Tomorrow—and TodayAuthors3. The Future of Earning: Going the Skills Distance4. Technology With Intention and Moderation5. Early Childhood Education: The Early Days That Matter6. K–12: Building Foundational and Future Skills7. Higher Education: A Strategic Reset Focused on Skills8. Organizations: Learning Lighthouses in the Making 020444081146202330333640 The World Government Summit is a global platformdedicated to shaping the future of governmentsworldwide. Each year, the summit sets the agenda forthe next generation of governments with a focus onhow they can harness innovation and technology to solveuniversal challenges facing humanity.The World Government Summit is a knowledge exchangecenter at the intersection of government, futurism,technology, and innovation. It functions as a thoughtleadership platform and networking hub for policymakers, experts, and pioneers in human development.A gateway to the future, the summit functionsas the stage for analysis of future trends, concerns,and opportunities facing humanity. It is alsoan arena to showcase innovations, best practices,and smart solutions to inspire creative solutionsto these challenges.The WorldGovernmentSummit2 McKinsey & Company is a global managementconsulting firm committed to helping organizationsrealize sustainable, inclusive growth. We work withclients across the private, public, and social sectors tosolve complex problems and create positive changefor all their stakeholders. We combine bold strategiesand transformative technologies to help organizationsinnovate more sustainably, achieve lasting gains inperformance, and build workforces that will thrive forthis generation and the next.McKinsey &Company 3 As companies in all sectors deploy new technologiesincluding automation and artificial intelligence (AI),workers need to adapt their capabilities continuously.Private- and public-sector leaders have a critical roleto play in helping prepare the workforce of tomorrowfor this skills revolution. Based on the latest McKinseyresearch, this paper examines trends across the majorstages of education, from early childhood to lifelonglearning, with a particular focus on the Middle Eastand North Africa. It highlights the growing importanceof skills at all these learning stages and examineshow new technologies and approaches can helpstudents prepare for the future.Executive Summary World Government Summit Millions of workers globally will need tochange occupations as automation isincreasingly deployed.In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the shareof existing work activities that can be automatedtoday, 45%, is close to the global average of 50%,1andthe skills gap is significant. But studies suggest thatMENA countries are highly adaptable.Demand will grow for social and emotionalskills, higher-level cognitive skills, and bothbasic and advanced digital skills.Educational systems and companies are alreadybuilding evolving lists of skills that will be required tomobilize learners and educators. In addition toskills of the future, foundational skills including basicliteracy and numeracy will be essential.Bold and frequent upskilling can expandearning opportunities.Work experience contributes between 40-60% of anindividual’s overall human capital value, according toour research,2and people in the most upwardly mobilecohorts make bold moves more frequently.Boosted by the pandemic, demand fornew technologies in education is rising.Technologies that enhance connectivity, support self-paced learning, and inform student progress areincreasingly deployed as part of ‘blended’ instructionin higher education. Younger students still needintensive human interaction to progress.Early childhood is a critical period forskills development.Every dollar invested in high-quality early childhoodeducation produces a 7-10% per annum return oninvestment, one study shows,3and recognition isgrowing that early education has a significant impact1The future of jobs in the Middle East, McKinsey report for Dubai World Government Summit, 2018.2“Human capital at work: The value of experience,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2, 2022.3James Heckman et al., “The rate of return to the HighScope Perry Preschool Program,”Journal ofPublic Economics, 2010, Volume 94, Number 1–2. 5 on health and social services. This is an opportunityfor the MENA region, which has the third-lowestpreprimary gross enrollment ratio in theworld, to expand access to and quality of earlychildhood education.4K–12 education is seeing increasedfocus on embedding future skillsin curriculums and ways of teachingand engaging students.This often involves approaching basic literacy andnumeracy together with future skills and focusing onprofessional development and training for teachers.Research nonetheless shows that knowledge remainscritically important. Cognitive neuroscience and otherevidence