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IE takes part in the OECD’s annual forum in Paris

IE took part in the OECD’s annual forum, which took place between May 31 and June 1, in Paris. This year’s theme has been Productive Economies and Inclusive Societies, Amber Wigmore and Juan José Güemes representing IE in two discussions: The Future of Work and Silicon Valley, Everywhere.

The event was opened by OECD Secretary General Ángel Gurría, and also in attendance is Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Pravin Jamandas, South Africa’s Minister of Finance, along with Portugal’s finance minister, among others.

Amber Wigmore, IE’s director of Careers at IE Business School, also analyzed the challenges of the future of education at the Idea Factory Forum, and Juan José Güemes, president of IE’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center took part in the  OECD 2016 Discussion Café on Shaping Our Future Leaders. One of the main topics discussed in the Idea Factory was the challenge of aligning education and learning systems with the needs of employers. This interactive session also included Yan Algan of Science Po, Mário Centeno, Portugal’s finance minister, Paula Lehtomäki, Finnish Secretary of State , and Steffano Scarpetta and Montserrat Gomendio of the OECD.

Amber Wigmore shared with participants her vision of guaranteeing better quality jobs and more productive workers and organizations. “University graduates today tend to be very well educated and are employable, but I am worried about two critical areas: “one is the lack of stick-to-itivness, that quality that allows somebody to keep trying at something however difficult or disagreeable the task is. A recent Gallup poll highlights that 21 percent of millennials have left their job in the last year to try something different, a figure that is three times higher than other age groups, as well as being a breach between the life skills of graduates and those yet to complete their studies. I am worried that students do not invest enough time in thinking about how to advance their careers or express themselves more effectively at work,” she explained.

IE’s Vice president of Economic Affairs at IE and head of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at IE Business School, Juan José Güemes, said that emulating Silicon Valley is not always the best way to encourage the development of an entrepreneurial spirit.

“Each ecosystem is unique, it is the result of its own characteristics, and if there is one that all share it is that none of the most successful start-up ecosystems came about as the result of a carefully designed government action plan, he said, adding: “That doesn't mean governments can’t do anything to stimulate entrepreneurism. If I had to choose between a single policy designed to help start-ups, it would be this: concentrate on young people’s start-ups rather than on SMEs.”

Mr Güemes added that SMEs have taken on the role of job creators, but pointed out that: “today we have the evidence that it’s not so much SMEs that create jobs, but young companies. Adapting public policies to the special needs of start-ups and giving them the most favorable conditions to grow is essential to stimulate job creation and innovation.”

His session also looked at cooperation between governments and businesses to assure business prosperity, and also included contributions from José Miguel Benavente of the Inter-American Development Bank, as well as Naoyuki Yoshino of the Asian Development Bank Institute, among others.

Along with the London School of Economics, the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Adminstration, Geneva University, and Science Po, IE is one of the international academic institutions working with the forum. The event was opened on Tuesday by Ángel Gurría, the OECD’s secretary general. Delegate to the forum have discussed key topics such as encouraging inclusive growth and access to education and health, as well as job equality throughout the world.

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