In 2022, global disruptions and longer-term transformations revealed or intensified many new pathways for people and societies. Global disruptions made it again all too clear that “business as usual” is not a luxury that education systems can afford. While some countries have managed to reduce the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, other disruptions have emerged, such as those caused by Russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine. This illegal war has, first and foremost, meant the loss of too many innocent lives and the greatest refugee surge to OECD countries and economies since World War II. It has also translated into people around the world seeing their everyday food and energy prices rocketing, with the most disadvantaged being once again the most fragile.

In 2022, the world faces considerable disruption and uncertainty brought about by three catalysing forces: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (with its dramatic impact on energy and food prices), the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and extreme weather events. These forces will reverberate into 2023, introducing or intensifying short-term disruptions and accelerating longer-term evolutions. Short-term disruptions that have implications for education and training include global economic uncertainty and tight labour markets. At the same time, accelerated longer-term evolutions include an increasing global investment in clean energy, digital transformation, and mass information. These forces challenge education policy makers to transform existing pathways in their countries and economies so that people can become effective lifelong learners capable of navigating change.

In 2022, the world faces considerable disruption and uncertainty brought about by three catalysing forces: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (with its dramatic impact on energy and food prices), the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic and extreme weather events. These forces will reverberate into 2023, introducing short-term disruptions and intensifying longer-term evolutions. They have important implications for today’s education policy makers, tasked with navigating them while continuing to drive towards greater quality, equity, responsiveness and resilience. Policy efforts that work to transform learning pathways for lifelong learners will be at the heart of the policy response. In analysing related policy actions and identifying possible ways forward, this report represents a first effort to explore priority areas of the OECD’s Framework of Responsiveness and Resilience in Education Policy and a step towards a more fundamental transformation of the pathway structures that form the backbone of our education systems.

Across the OECD and beyond, in 2023, governments face the double challenge of helping populations recover from recent shocks (e.g. the geopolitical implications of the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic) while ensuring individuals and societies adapt to longer-term trends that change the way people live and work. This chapter proposes options for policy makers to develop strategies to enhance the relevance of learning pathways through: anticipation (generating and sharing information on the current and expected future demand for labour and skills), adaptability (connecting the education and training offer with identified skills needs in response to both urgent and important challenges), and assessment of impact (monitoring and evaluating adaptation efforts, and providing feedback on whether education policies or programmes are developing the desired skills). Lessons emerging from recent policy efforts are synthesised into key policy pointers for 2023.

Across the OECD and beyond, the social and economic disruptions experienced since 2020 have dramatically affected learners’ abilities to smoothly navigate their learning pathways. Traditional progression pathways are also evolving, meaning transitions will become more frequent, non-linear and multi-directional. Looking towards 2023, this chapter proposes options for policy makers to develop strategies for this changing context through: Strengthening connections in learners’ personal learning pathwaysthroughout life (supporting them to organise these coherently in order to facilitate transitions from one education level, programme or institution to another), preventing learners from leaving early (taking measures to reduce school drop-out and increase attainment of at least upper secondary education), and supporting refugees to re-enter a learning or employment pathway (in particular, efforts being undertaken by some countries to host immigrant people from Ukraine). Lessons are synthesised into key policy pointers.

The current context, which anticipates the continuation of important labour market transformations, adds momentum to the long-recognised need for policy to guide and support career aspirations for learners and workers, young and old. Looking towards 2023, this chapter proposes options for policy makers to develop strategies for this through: outreach (efforts of governments, private sector and civil society to engage with target populations to inform their aspirations or guide them back to education or training), perspective (the strategic use of realistic and relevant information on education, training, and employment opportunities to modify the perceptions of a target population) and agency (interventions that aim to develop learners’ capacity to identify and capitalise on the opportunities provided by the education system and labour market, and to create their own opportunities, in order to bring their aspirations to fruition). Lessons are synthesised into key policy pointers.