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Supporting young people to become future-ready, whether in a high-income context or a rapidly transforming economy, requires an integrated, human-centred, and forward-looking approach – one that prepares all young people not just for their next step, but for a lifetime of learning, growth, and contribution.

Based on our extensive global experience and research evidence, we are delighted to be able to share key insights at the forthcoming , where Dr Richard Churches, our Director of Research, will be joining a panel of experts debating this important topic. Against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, with its major potential for creating inclusive, future-ready transitions, GESS Riyadh offers an excellent opportunity to dig deeper into this crucial debate. We believe the following insights will underpin effective change:

• We need to equip young people with new skills, ambitions and aspirations to navigate the future world of work. As new career pathways emerge and traditional, linear pathways are disrupted by technology and labour market shifts, the skills and mindsets that young people need to enter the labour market are changing too. We must ensure that equity, adaptability, and employability become core education goals, and we equip young people with the transferable skills, curiosity, agility and resilience they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. Ìý
• We can help students understand the opportunities available to them by aligning curriculum reform, careers education, and employer engagement. ÌýExposing young people to high-quality career learning – including from the early stages of education – plants the seeds of aspiration. Meanwhile, engaging with employers brings theoretical careers education to life, building young people’s ambitions and knowledge of local labour markets. Ìý
• We can address inequity in access to opportunities. Although this remains a global challenge, we can take steps to reduce inequality of opportunity. Providing all students with high-quality careers education and linking them with a strong network of employers, for example, may help to address disadvantage gaps surrounding work experience and career aspirations.
• We should use integrated, system-wide approaches to create effective solutions. ÌýGovernments, educators, and employers can all work together for success, drawing on both global learning and localised adaptations. Our research and experience show that national careers frameworks and reimagined vocational pathways are showing promise in various countries.
• We can support teachers to be critical influencers in shaping student career readiness. Teacher training should include career guidance and employability integration to effectively equip them to support their students, especially where teachers themselves have little or no experience of working outside the education sector.

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Leading system-wide change

At EDT, we work with governments and school systems to turn these insights into action. Whether advising ministries on national careers strategies or supporting school leaders to embed employability within curriculum delivery, our approach is always systemic. We look beyond the classroom, linking education policy with labour market data, employer expectations, and the lived experiences of young people.

Our experts have overseen the development of large-scale, evidence-informed programmes that strengthen the bridge between education and work – particularly for disadvantaged learners. These programmes demonstrate that when career learning starts early, is embedded throughout a young person’s school experience, and is delivered by well-trained, confident educators, it has the power to transform both aspirations and life outcomes.

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Looking to the future

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 presents a powerful opportunity to lead in this space. With major investment in human capital, cutting-edge initiatives like those from Misk Academy, NEOM, and KAUST, and a clear commitment to inclusion, the Kingdom has a chance to design a new model of transitions – one that embraces equity, innovation, and lifelong opportunity.

The conversation at GESS Riyadh will be more than a panel – it will be a space to challenge conventional thinking and share bold ideas. We look forward to engaging with educators, policy leaders, and innovators across the region to shape the future of transitions, not just in Saudi Arabia, but globally.