BRICS Collaboration in
Skills Development: Results of
Foresight & Russian Proposals
Pavel Luksha,
ASI / GEF / SKOLKOVO

BRICS Skills Development:
Russian Perspective
• Russia sees high potential in BRICS collaboration, and it
is one of the country’s priorities on international arena
• Because education & skills development is a ‘long
shot’, we must address not only needs of today’s
economy – but also aim for tomorrow
• We therefore began the chairmanship of Russia by
conducting a ‘foresight of BRICS collaboration’ in July
2015
• Based on results of this foresight session, we propose
several initiatives that may become BRICS Skills
Development focus in 2015/16 and beyond

Assumptions for July foresight session
• Brazil, Russia, India and China have formally started their collaboration
in BRIC format in 2009, and since late 2010 they have been joined by
South Africa. BRICS Business Council has been created in 2013 to
enhance economic & business cooperation.
• Despite the shared effort of five countries to provide clarity regarding
the goals of BRICS collaboration, especially in business areas, the long-
term priorities remain relatively vague. This limits the potential of
collective effort that Business Council Working Groups can create,
especially in the areas such as manufacturing, green economy,
deregulation, and skills development – all of which require long-term
goal setting (i.e. to understand where BRICS countries ‘aim’ in 10-years
perspective).
• A vision-building session has been organized for BC WG members
during their meeting in Moscow on July 5-6, 2015. These results have
been used to develop the roadmap of Skills Development Working
Group activities, and served as recommendation to other groups. The
results of this session are unofficial and do not, in any form, express
the official position of BRICS or BRICS Business Council.

Taking peeks at BRICS

What are some key features of the
BRICS economies?
BRAZIL
RUSSIA CHINA
INDIA
SOUTH AFRICA
Population 201 mln
Exportable
products
Agricultural (coffee, soybeans, sugar cane), iron &
steel, crude oil, aerospace & machinery, chemicals
Comparative
advantage
Strong R&D in manufacturing sector
Challenges Exhausting natural resources
High income disparities
Population 143 mln
Exportable
products
Oil & gas, minerals,
machinery, software
Comparative
advantage
HDI highest among the
BRICS countries
Challenges ‘Dutch disease’
Sanctions
Population 51 mln
Exportable
products
Gold, diamonds, chromium,
chemicals, heavy machinery
Comparative
advantage
Unique natural resource base
Expertise in diversity management
Challenges High youth unemployment
High diversity of population
Population 1 357 mln
Exportable
products
Consumer &
professional electronics,
machinery, instruments,
clothes & footware,
steel
Comparative
advantage
Strong manufacturing
capacity in many sectors
Challenges Growing wages
Population 1 224 mln
Exportable
products
Agricultural (rice, soybeans), clothes,
cars, steel, jewelry, software
Comparative
advantage
Low labor costs, strong service sector
Challenges ‘Two Indias’: imbalance of rural and
urban population
Sources: SDF concept paper,
Harvard Atlas of Economic Complexity

What are the main objectives
of the BRICS?
Lack of clear definition of long-term objectives
Need for extended collaboration is highlighted
First BRICS summit (Yekaterinburg, Russia, 2009):
• Coordination & cooperation in the energy field
• Humanitarian assistance & reduction of natural disaster risks
• Implementation of sustainable development concept
Sixth BRICS summit (Fortaleza, Brazil, 2014):
• Extension of collaboration to new sectors
• Confirmed commitment to New Development Bank
• Combating cybercrimes
First BRICS Business Council meeting (Johannesburg, South Africa, 2013):
• Promotion of private-public partnerships
• Focal areas: infrastructure, mining & minerals, value-added manufacturing,
sustainable development
Sources: BRICS official statements

Viability of BRICS is often being
challenged yet taken seriously by the
rest of the world
Source: various publications reporting on
BRICS decision to created BRICS New
Development Bank

So, why do our countries want to
collaborate?
We are big countries
with similar challenges:
learning from each
other
We are large economies
with untapped
potential: have many
opportunities to offer to
each other, can cross-
invest into each other
We are gateways into
our macro-regions
(South Africa for Africa,
Brazil for Latin America,
Russia for FSU, etc.)
We want to diversify
risks and create
alternative global
infrastructure
(finance, ICT, …)
We want to avoid
intermediaries or ‘new
colonialism’: direct
contacts without ‘West’,
symbolism of multi-
polar world Sources: Russia SDWG analysis

Where does each of BRICS economies want to
be in 10 years from now?
BRAZIL 2025?
RUSSIA 2025?
CHINA 2025?
INDIA 2025?
SOUTH AFRICA 2025?
• Shift from manufacturing to
full scale knowledge-based
economy
• Stronger development in-land
regions & new centers of
economic activity
• Chinese companies are notable
global players with wide
international presence
• Development of infrastructure for
economic transformation:
• hierarchies -> networks,
• regionally centered (around
Moscow and S.P.)->regionally
diverse,
• closed->open,
• growth through new hi-tech sectors,
• skills development + entrepreneurship
(Russia becomes a net: territories,
human capital…)
2025?
Sources: working group discussion results,
for China: China State Council 10-year plan
Generation of jobs (12 mln jobs annually)
=> high economic growth
• manufacturing: 25% of GDP +
sustainable / contribute to
environment (green economy);
• infrastructure development;
• energy -> energy security plan,
renewable energy (esp. solar),
• skills development (100 m over 8
years),
• ICT sector development
• Nation building (task for next 30
years)
• Social equality is a major challenge
• Infrastructure + skills as enablers of
economy & new sector growth
• Development of macro-region of
Africa
• Developed infrastructure
• full integration with South America continent,
• decreasing costs of doing business & investing in / with Brazil,
• Education at all levels, esp.technical education
• Brazil as an emerging actor in knowledge economy;
• education supports growth in manufacturing sector
• Better balance between agricultural development and nature
conservation
• actor in environmental services;
• food security

What will each country provide to BRICS and
will ask from BRICS to bring our economies
closer to their goals of 2025?BRAZIL
Can provide
• Energy (oil&gas, nuclear, hydro)
• Territory (living, food production,
transportation)
• Job opportunities (esp. in cities)
• Humanitarian technologies
• Science
Would ask for
• Technologies (agriculture, renewable
energy, soft technologies)
• Long-term financing
• Skills in deficit areas
Can provide
• Energy (oil, hydro)
• Technical education: exportable models
• Agriculture technologies in tropical / sub-
tropical regions (soybean, cotton, …)
Would ask for
• Long-term financing & cross-investment
into infrastructure
• Skills & knowledge exchange (advanced
research, deregulation & cross-investment
in education market)
RUSSIA
INDIA
SOUTH AFRICA
CHINA?
Can provide
• Low cost healthcare + pharma
• Human capital (skills corridors)
• Agricultural technologies
• SME development expertise
Would ask for
• Long-term financing & cross-investmen
into infrastructure
• Energy security
• Knowledge transfer & university
exchange,
• Drinking water management
Can provide
• Gateway to continent
• Mining skills, medical skills
• Social diversity standards
• Cultural exchange
Would ask for
• Infrastructure funding
• Educational exchange
• Political security
• Partnership without domination
• Skills & knowledge
exchange (incl. BRICS
University)
• Energy security &
development
• Finance + skills for
infrastructure
• Agriculture: BRICS Agri
Bank + food security /
sustainability
management
BRICS
There were no representatives
of China during the session,
and therefore no statements
have been made regarding
requirements and provisions
from China (we expect further
contribution by end of August)
Source: working
group discussion

BRICS: what trends shape its future
1. Population demography / income
• Growing (absolute) segregation in education & income across the world
• Growing middle class in BRICS
• Increasing role of Y-generation
• Growing income of younger population (=> market for consumer innovations)
• Growth of unemployment due to technology modernization (vulnerability of low-skilled)
2. Economy & finance
• Slowing down of global economy (at least until 2018) => decline of capital availability =>
need to redirect capital flows => BRICS can become new source of finance (in 2020s)
• Growth of South-South trade => opportunity to increase intra-BRICS trade (hence need for
settlement mechanisms)
• Increased connectivity: helping collaboration despite distance
• BRICS can become new centers of competences (in 2020s) + combat rapid obsolesce of
technologies (i.e. establish capacity in creation of manufacturing technologies)
3. Environmental management
• Growing effect of climate change
• Growing effect of environmental destruction (due to agricultural & industrial activities, e.g.
deforestation & destruction of bio-diversity)
• Growing shift of energy balance towards renewables
4. Increased role of non-state agents (corporations, NGOs, etc.)
• Need to enhance business ties in BRICS (vs. geopolitical agenda)
• Need to improve global security (incl. security of Middle East) & prevent risks of global
terrorism Sources: foresight session results

BRICS: some projects that
can make it stronger
1. Energy & infrastructure collaboration
• Cross-BRICS provision of energy security: Russia + Brazil as providers, China + India as
consumers
• African energy (e.g. cross-investment into hydropower plant in Congo)
• Regional integration through infrastructure (transport + energy + ICT):
Silk Road, pan- South American highway, BRICS communication cable, etc.
2. Enhancing integration & economic collaboration
• Shared legal framework (esp. in IP & technology transfer)
• Unification of standards related to intra-BRICS trade
• Creation of incentives that help equalize trade balances between BRICS countries
• BRICS shared currency (basket of currencies for NDB as a first step)
• Innovation map & coordinated development of new sectors / breakthrough technologies
3. Strengthen educational links
• Improve BRICS languages teaching in schools / universities of BRICS
• BRICS ‘soft skills school’, incl. understanding of cultural differences
• Student exchange between BRICS universities
• Mutual recognition of degrees
4. Strengthen links between people
• Remove visas between all BRICS countries
• Communication bridges: create BRICS awareness through social media
• Cultural & sport exchange projects (involve larger population) Sources: foresight session results

BRICS – possible timeline to 2030
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FOR
COOPERATION
CREATING
CONDITIONS
FOR TRADE &
ECONOMIC
COOPERATION
COOPERATION
IN R&D /
TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT
ENERGY & TRANSPORT
INFRASTRUC-TURE
BRICS AS
GLOBAL
PROBLEM
SOLVER

Summary of foresight session results
1. Focus of 2015-2020: creating conditions for stronger union
• BRICS needs to become not only geopolitical but also economic & cultural union
• BRICS projects of next 3-5 years should focus on enhancing the potential of our
future collaboration, including
• Harmonization / unification of regulatory base (and deregulation where
necessary), including legal frameworks, trading legislation, currency basket,
visas, etc.
• Development of skills that help cooperation (languages, intercultural
communication, exchange programs, etc.)
• Creating cases of actual business cooperation in the areas with highest
potential – infrastructure as the enabler of other industries
2. Focus of 2020s: coordinated technological development
• After the basic framework of cooperation has been set up, our countries can
focus on coordinating their long-term development, including cooperation in
new & emerging hi-tech sectors through knowledge transfer (shared educational
standards & collaboration in R&D)
3. Focus after mid-2020s: global problem-solver
• The main long-term focus of BRICS can be to leverage the potential of its
economies and population to address global problems such as sustainable
energy & materials, food & drinking water security, financial security, and global
peace Sources: foresight session results

WS BRICS 2017
+ WS Hi- Tech
+ WS Junior
Identify partners in academic
and education 2016
cultural clusters?
Launch exchange
programs (children,
professionals) 2015-2016
Early professional orientation - identify,
build partnership
Skills for peacemaking programs
( empathy) (2017)
Olympic committee?
Research program or center for
advancement of learning (2017) (CRI ?)
Program on collaborative and proactive
thinking
2017-2018
Host program for young researches
(25- 45 years old)
2016
Identify sources of finance
in BRICS (2016)
Russia presidency India presidency China presidency
Identify partners in industry
2016
Official establishment of the
BRICS NET
2017
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT WORKING GROUP ROADMAP 2015-2018
In BRICS games sport
championships + spelling,
robotics etc. (2016)
BRICS cultural festivals
(music, movies, food,
circus)
2016
Joint technology and skills foresight of
BRICS
2015-2016
Official integration with other
tools (e.c. think tank assoc)
Involve industry associations
(demand and standards)
2017-2018
Sharing best practices
(Online, games)
July 2015 July 2016
July 2017 July 2018
Institutionalize Skills
Development Fund
2015-2016
BRICSconference on dual model
2016
OBJECTIVE 3:
INCREASE
PRODUCTIVITY IN
ESTABLISHED
SECTORS USING
BEST PRACTICES
OBJECTIVE 2:
ACHIEVE BRICS
LEADERSHIP IN
INNOVATION & HI-
TECH SECTORS
OBJECTIVE 1:
CREATE
POTENTIAL FOR
FUTURE
COLLABORATION
IN BRICS
GENERAL
EDUCATION &
TRAINING FOR
COLLABORATION
SKILLS &
KNOWLEDGE
TRANSFER FOR
HI-TECH &
EMERGING
SECTORS
SKILLS &
KNOWLEDGE
TRANSFER FOR
ESTABLISHED
SECTORS
Biliteral agreements of
TVET institutions
2016
Proposal for legal frame work
redesign
Programs for BRICS entreprenership
(e.g. BRICS on BRICS)
July 2015 July 2016 July 2017 July 2018

Skills Development Working Group:
Priorities 2015-18
OBJECTIVE 3: INCREASE
PRODUCTIVITY IN ESTABLISHED
SECTORS USING BEST PRACTICES
OBJECTIVE 2: ACHIEVE BRICS
LEADERSHIP IN INNOVATION & HI-
TECH SECTORS
OBJECTIVE 1: CREATE POTENTIAL
FOR FUTURE COLLABORATION IN
BRICS
• Language studies (Mandarin, Russian, Portuguese,
English)
• Inter-cultural exchange (entrepreneurship, art, etc.)
• Festivals (food, movies, …) and competitions (sport,
robotics, spelling, …)
• Identify priorities in skills development through skills
technology & education foresight
• BRICS young researcher joint programs (e.g. summer
schools)
• Creation of network for R&D collaboration (+ integration
with other networks, e.g. think-tanks association)
• Exchange best practices in skills development (start
with dual education)
• Share best education & training modules via online
training systems & games
• Launch World Skills BRICS competition
Create Skills Development Fund (as a part of BRICS New Development Bank) to
support skills development and enable BRICS collaboration!

Russian initiative #1:
Foresight of Skills & Educational Formats
Leveraging the
existing expertise
of Russia & other
BRICS countries
Obtaining
consensual vision
of priorities &
projects in skills
development
• Skills Technology Foresight of BRICS will identify manufacturing, hi-tech and
emerging industries where collaboration in skills development will create
high productivity gains or will allow for new business creation
• The project will identify ‘skills of the future’ that should become priorities in
education & training development to upgrade human capacity in our
economies
• The project will also identify new educational formats (e.g. in online
education) that need to be implemented and scaled across our national
education systems to make them more competitive
• Global Education Futures, an international collaborative platform for
discussion of the future of education, will be used as a vehicle of connecting
BRICS agenda with agenda of top global educational innovators
• Methodology of Skills Technology Foresight is designed between Russia and
International Labor Organization, and is used in a highly successful ‘Atlas of
Emerging Jobs’ project (we propose to publish a similar Atlas for BRICS as one
of project outcomes). It needs to be combined with successful methodologies
used in other BRICS countries, e.g. Brazil’s SENAI Future Job Profiling.

Russian initiative #2:
Exchange of best practices
in professional education
Dual education is a highly efficient approach in professional education that
allows early acquisition of relevant skills by combining education & work.
The dual education model as a project initiative for Russia is approved by the
Russian President Vladimir Putin. It has been implemented since January
2014 in 13 regions and already involved 114 participating colleges, 121
enterprises, 16811 students, 3541 mentors. It is planned to replicate the
project for all 85 subjects of the Russian Federation.
The dual education model is relevant for all BRICS countries, so it is
essential to synchronize the national efforts in this field. Brazil and China,
among others, are experimenting with dual education or similar models.
We propose to conduct a BRICS conference on dual education methods in
2016 with the leading countries in professional education and training
(incl. Germany). This conference may attract around 500 experts who
represent the main stakeholders of the dual method : enterprises,
colleges, coordinators from the government (around 100 experts from
each country).
Dual education as
a successful
approach to
practice-based
learning
Spreading dual
model across
BRICS

Russian initiative #3:
WorldSkills BRICS Competition
Cooperation in BRICS - a global platform where youth, educators,
industry and governments can meet, learn and develop skills
together.
BRICS Competition - held in BRICS countries to showcase and inspire
world-class excellence in skills and introduce youth to a variety of
skilled careers.
R’n’D - Current information, facts, figures and news about skills in
BRICS countries.
Education and Training – tools for educators and industry to develop
new and innovative ways of teaching and training the future
workforce to gain the skills in demand.
Career Building – access to a network of resources and tools for
young skilled professionals to build on their success and inspire
future generations of skilled workers to discover the relevance and
importance of skills.
Promoting Skills - a skills power-hub and information resource library
where educators, policy-makers, industry and other organizations
redefine the value and improve the attractiveness of skills.
WSI
WS
BRICS
WS
Countries

Russian initiative #4:
Educational platform for skills in manufacturing,
hi-tech & emerging industries
Open Technological Academy (OTA) - skills development platform for engineering
and technical professions launched by government of Russia in 2014.
We propose to use it as cross-national BRICS platform to build human capacity in
manufacturing, hi-tech, and emerging industries
• Professional & expert communities for future skills
definition (core learning outcomes for new
competences)
• Online courses and blended programs development, incl.
LMS
• Network of partner training sites (universities, eng&tech
companies, etc.)
• Projects and work places for new-skilled-people in
partner corporations and start-ups
• Possibilities for communication and interaction between
engineering society (‘Facebook for Engineers’)
• Network of centers of competences
(content is provided by engineering
and technological companies
• Laser focus on Tech and Industries
(not all-in-one MOOC)
• Integration with current and new
programs of universities and
corporate learning centers
• Program certification by industrial
partners and professional
communities
KEY FEATURES OF OTA ADVANTAGES OF OTA

APPENDIX

List of organizations that participated in
BRICS cooperation foresight
Education & Skills
Development
• Agency for Strategic
Initiatives (RU)
• WorldSkills Russia
• Volnoe Delo (RU)
• Russian Ministry of
Education & Science
• Skolkovo Foundation (RU)
• Skolkovo School of
Management (RU)
• Strikitsa Consulting (RU)
• PMI (South Africa)
• SENAI (BR)
Bank & Corporate Finance
• Commercial Indo Bank
(IN)
• ECGC (IN)
• FICCI (IN)
• ExIm Bank India
• South America
Chamber of
Commerce & Industry
(BR)
Manufacturing / Energy /
Green Economy / New
Industrial Sectors
• Federation of Industrial
Enterprises Rio de Janeiro
(BR)
• Bridgeways (RU)
• Unified Center of BRICS
Collaboration (RU)
• Russian Technological
Agency (RU)
• Suzlon Group (IN)
• Adidyabirla Group (IN)
• Galai Developers (IN)
• Russian-Brazilian Chamber
of Commerce (BR)
List of attendees available upon request
Also, several participants joined in the middle of the session and their organizations may have not been reflected

Russian Chapter of Skills
Development Working Group
National development institution created by President of Russia in
2011 to improve the quality of business environment in Russia (incl.
regulation, standards, skill base and more). ‘Young professionals’
division aims to improve the professional & higher education – over
100 systemic innovation projects supported in last 3 years.
Leading national private business school, and a long-term partner of
the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Ministry of Education.
Coordinates Russia’s projects with ILO in TVET and Ministry’s
projects in higher education. Co-leads Global Education Futures
project.
Russian chapter of World Skills coordinating regional and national
championships that involve over 50 regions of Russia. Actively
promotes new formats of WS such as WS-HiTech and WS BRICS

Russian Chapter of Skills
Development Working Group (2)
Our ongoing projects include:
• Future thinking & foresights for systemic educational
innovations & higher collaboration between key players.
Includes Education 2035 Foresight (now Global Education
Futures) and Skills 2030 Foresight
• Mentoring & strategic curation of educational institutions,
startups & social enterprises in the area of skills development
• Curation of new industries emergence: Children Goods &
Services, Preventive Medicine etc.
• Improvement of legislation & regulatory base: National
System of Competencies & Qualifications, Roadmap for
Distant Work & Craft Work, etc.
• Promotion of selected projects (e.g. World Skills)