How We Are Equipping the Next Generation with Skills for The Future
The world of work is changing faster than our education systems can keep up. According to the World Economic Forum, 40% of today's core skill sets will no longer match job market needs within just a few years, and 22% of jobs will be significantly transformed by 2030. For young people entering the workforce, that is not a distant challenge, it is the reality they are stepping into right now. To stay ahead of the changing needs, they need a balanced set of competencies that combine technical digital skills and soft skills that technology cannot replace.
This World Youth Skills Day, under the United Nations theme "Skills for a Shared Future", we want to shine a light on a collaboration that is meeting this challenge head-on: Inspiring Futures, a programme delivered jointly by Inspiring Girls International and Foundever.org.
The Gap We Cannot Ignore
The digital economy is expanding rapidly but not everyone is growing with it. Girls and young women from underserved communities face compounding disadvantages: fewer role models in tech and digital careers, limited exposure to professional networks, and curricula that have not kept pace with where the economy is heading.
The skills gap is not just an educational problem. It is an equity problem. If we do not act intentionally to reach the young people most at risk of being left behind, the shared future the UN envisions will remain out of reach for far too many.
What is 'Inspiring Futures'?
Inspiring Futures is not just a workshop... It's a movement to empower young people with skills, confidence, and ambition for the future.
The Inspiring Futures programme brings together INSPIRING GIRLS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED global network of female role models with Foundever.org expertise in digital skills and employability.
The collaboration is built around three pillars:
Education — delivering content on digital literacy, employability, and future job pathways that reflects the real demands of today's economy.
Connection — linking girls directly with Foundever professionals through inspiring talks and authentic career stories.
Awareness — raising visibility of opportunities in the digital sector to attract and prepare the next generation of female talent.
Through this programme we will deliver 24 workshops reaching over 700 students across 4 countries: Brazil, Colombia, Spain, and the USA.
So far, this is what students are saying:
Bárbara 14 years old said "I learned from the workshop Inspiring Futures that knowing how to communicate and deal with people is very important. It’s called 'soft skills.' I hadn't heard of that before."
Alessandra 13 years old "After the workshop, I realized I need to develop soft skills such as empathy, good communication, critical thinking, creativity, and digital and AI literacy in order to collaborate and solve problems."
Cris 14 years old "The skills that stood out most to me during the Inspiring Future workshop were communication, digital literacy, and languages."
Why AI and Digital Confidence Matter
Artificial intelligence is reshaping entire industries. But for young people without access to quality digital education, AI risks becoming another force that widens inequality rather than reducing it. The Inspiring Futures programme addresses this directly by building not just technical awareness, but the digital confidence that allows young women to engage with new technologies critically, curiously, and with ambition.
Rita, Computer Science Teacher, said:
"This workshop was crucial for the students to recognize the skills and competencies they need to develop for their professional futures. It helped them understand how to use AI to their own advantage, rather than just as a tool to get answers to questions!"
Skills for a Shared Future
A shared future requires shared investment; from companies, from civil society, from educators, and from the professionals who are willing to show up and share their stories with a teenager who is still figuring out what is possible.
"At Foundever.org, we believe that talent is universal, but access to opportunity is not. Through Inspiring Futures, delivered in partnership with Inspiring Girls, we are expanding access to role models, digital literacy and future-ready skills for young people from underserved communities. As the programme grows across countries, our ambition is not only to broaden aspirations, but to help ensure that every young person can see themselves as an active participant in shaping our shared future." Mariana Victorino, Global Operational Director, Foundever.org
“When young people meet relatable role models and are exposed to diverse career paths, it can fundamentally shift their ambitions. Our partnership with Foundever.org allows us to combine inspiration with practical digital and AI skills, helping dismantle stereotypes while equipping students with the tools they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.” Trish Carlin, Director of Operations, People and Finance at Inspiring Girls International.
Foundever.org and Inspiring Girls International are committed to preparing youth to successfully participate in societies where they can lead with empathy, communicate across cultures, build resilience and contribute to a better future.
If you want to collaborate with us like foundever.org, learn more about the programme with them or you want to be part of the movement raising girls career aspirations around the world, contact us at switzerland@inspiring-girls.com.
