🔍💡 Skills for 2030: an international framework to articulate knowledge, socio-emotional skills and student well-being, in service of fairer and more sustainable education systems. #Education2030🌍🧭 Learning Compass 2030: putting student agency, health, and values at the heart of curricula to address climate, digital, and social challenges. #HealthLiteracy #Curriculum
📌 This document is directly useful to educational policy makers, school institution leaders, health promotion teams, and socio-educational actors seeking a skills framework for 2030 that articulates knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and well-being.
It provides a common language and operational guidelines (agency, well-being, SEL) for designing curricula, educational projects, and prevention actions integrating literacy, socio-emotional skills, and sustainability.It is particularly relevant for actors working at the education–health–social interface (programmes for psychosocial skills, mental health, citizenship education, school climate).Source: 📒 OECD Learning Compass 2030 – A Series of Concept Notes
✍️ OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 – OECD Learning Compass 2030 – A Series of Concept Notes published in 2019
📜🔗LINK to the source
Number of pages: 128
The OECD still presents, in 2024, the Learning Compass 2030 as a "dynamic learning framework" defining the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values that students will need for 2030 and beyond. The official page (updated in June 2024) describes it as a global reference framework, to be contextualised locally, centred around student agency, their well-being, and 21st-century skills.
The project "Future of Education and Skills 2030" is still active and has been extended with a view to Education 2040, with the development of the "Teaching Compass" which explicitly builds on the Learning Compass. This means that the OECD has not replaced it, but is consolidating and expanding it, using it as a basis for new work (for example, on teacher competencies and curriculum implementation).
1. Analytical summary
Context, transformations, and target audiences
The project "Future of Education and Skills 2030" arises from an observation: the children who enter school today will be adults in a world marked by rapid changes, multiple crises, and persistent inequalities, and current curricula are no longer sufficient. The OECD brings together governments, researchers, teachers, students, social partners, and other stakeholders to address two central questions: what knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values will young people need to mobilise in 2030, and how can education systems effectively develop them. The document highlights the concepts of learner agency, individual and collective well-being, social justice, and sustainability, and primarily targets educational decision-makers, curriculum designers, as well as school networks and field actors involved in pedagogical innovations.
Operational contributions for field actors
The core of the system is the Learning Compass 2030, a framework that articulates fundamental skills, transformative skills (reconciling tensions and dilemmas, creating new value, caring for oneself, others, and the planet), and metacompetencies such as reflection, creativity, and cooperation. The project also provides a Teaching Compass (currently under development) and extensive comparative work on curricula, documenting reform trends, implementation innovations, and conditions for implementation, useful for stakeholders leading institutional projects, health education programmes, or intersectoral actions. For health promotion and social care professionals, this corpus provides guidelines for integrating socio-emotional skills, youth participation, interdisciplinarity, and the assessment of non-cognitive learning in their projects, while being anchored in a shared language with educational authorities.
2. Key points of the document
The OECD Learning Compass 2030 framework defines a structured set of competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes, values) necessary for students to "navigate" and contribute to the well-being of their communities and the planet, beyond mere academic success. (PDF framework, pp. 4–10 approximately)
The emphasis is on learner agency: students are seen as actors capable of co-constructing their journey, setting goals, reflecting on their learning, and exerting influence on their social environment, rather than as mere recipients of content. (pp. 11–15)
The project identifies 'transformative skills' such as the ability to create new value, manage tensions and dilemmas, and take responsibility for oneself, others, and the planet, which are explicitly linked to issues of sustainability, equity, and social cohesion. (p. 15–20)
A series of international curriculum analyses documents reform trends (integration of key skills, transversality, project-based approach, consideration of socio-emotional skills) and highlights examples of implementation, innovations, and lessons learned in different countries. (Curriculum analysis volumes, intro and synthesis sections)
The Global Forum on the Future of Education and Skills (2030–2040) is designed as a multi-stakeholder platform to share experiences, good practices, and tools, support mutual learning, and co-produce new analytical work, making it a key space for networks engaged in health education and prevention. (Forum presentation, network web page)
3. Action points for local actors
Align school projects and health education programmes with the 2030 Learning Compass, by identifying key skills (e.g. cooperation, self-regulation, responsibility) already addressed in existing actions and those to be strengthened, and then explaining them in the educational objectives. (Framework, p. 4–15)
Use OECD curriculum analyses to argue with educational authorities and institutional partners in favour of pedagogical innovations: interdisciplinary health projects, active student participation, systematic integration of psychosocial skills and health literacy into programmes. (Curriculum analysis volumes, introductions and case studies)
Register, as a network of institutions or a medico-social structure working with schools, in the dynamics of the Global Forum 2030–2040 or in associated communities of practice, in order to share data, tools, evaluation approaches and feedback on health promotion projects in educational settings. (Forum presentation)
Build or adapt local educational tools (class sequences, workshops, mediation tools) based on the categories of the Learning Compass (foundations, transformative skills, metacognition) to make contributions in terms of life skills, well-being, and citizenship clear, and to facilitate dialogue with decision-makers. (Learning framework, p. 10–20)
Systematically integrate the notion of youth agency into health education and prevention projects (co-construction of objectives, participation in decisions, involvement in the evaluation of actions), relying on the formulations and justifications of the OECD position paper to legitimise this approach with partners more focused on disciplinary content. (Position paper, p. 11–18)
4. Additional references
UNESCO, "Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education" – follow-up and resources post-2023 (updates and associated documents available on the UNESCO website, complementing the OECD vision with a more normative approach focused on social justice and the common good). (Reference to UNESCO frequently cited as a complementary framework for the future of education; accessible via the UNESCO Education website.)https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/reimagining-our-futures-together-new-social-contract-education
WHO Europe, "Schools4Health: Integrated school health promotion – tools and guidance" (resources post-2023 on integrating health promotion in schools, in line with competency frameworks and approaches to learning-friendly environments). (Online methodological guides on the WHO Europe website, updated post-2023.)https://schools4health.eu/updates-detail/1068/schools4health-kicks-off-strengthening-health-promotion-in-European-schools
European Commission / Joint Research Centre, "LifeComp 2.0" (post-2023 updates of the European framework for personal, social, and learning-to-learn competencies, highly complementary to the Learning Compass for operationalising socio-emotional and self-regulation skills). (Framework available and updated on the European Commission and JRC website.)https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/lifecomp_en
5. Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the "Future of Education and Skills 2030" project primarily aimed at?
It primarily targets public decision-makers and curriculum designers, but also school networks, headteachers, teachers, students, social partners, and civil society organisations involved in the reform of education systems. (Position paper, p. 2–4)
How does the Learning Compass 2030 differ from a simple list of key competencies?
It proposes a systemic framework that includes foundations, transformative skills, attitudes and values, as well as the central notion of agency and navigating uncertainty, rather than being limited to 'items' of skills to tick off. (Framework, p. 4–15)
Does the project provide concrete examples of curriculum reforms?
Yes, the volumes of international curriculum analysis record trends, examples of integrating transversal skills, implementation innovations, and lessons learned in various countries, which can inspire local adaptations. (Curriculum analysis, introductions and case studies)
How does this framework take into account health, well-being, and psychosocial skills?
The Learning Compass explicitly makes the well-being of students and care for oneself, others, and the planet educational goals, and integrates socio-emotional skills (empathy, cooperation, self-regulation) as key elements to achieve these goals. (Framework, p. 10–20)
Does the project include a specific framework for teachers?
Yes, the OECD Teaching Compass, currently under development, describes the skills needed by teachers to support student agency, implement active pedagogies, and co-construct environments conducive to these new objectives. (Project page – Teaching Compass)
How can local actors directly contribute to this project?
They can participate in the Global Forum and its networks, share their field experiences, use and adapt analytical tools, and contribute to the co-production of knowledge by documenting their pedagogical innovations and outcomes. (Global Forum, description and operation)
Does the project provide guidance on the assessment of non-cognitive skills?
The documents emphasise the need to develop assessment approaches suited to complex skills (transformative, socio-emotional) and document national experiences, but do not prescribe a single model; rather, they invite contextual experimentation. (Position paper and curriculum analysis, sections on assessment)
6. Rewriting in Easy Read Language
Title
The Future of Education and Skills 2030 (OECD project).
Context: the world is changing rapidly
Today's children will be adults in 2030.
The world will be more uncertain and complex.
Schools must prepare young people for this world.
Current programmes are not always sufficient.
The OECD brings together countries, experts, and schools.
They reflect together on what young people need to learn.
Project objectives
The project poses two main questions.
What knowledge and skills do young people need in 2030?
How can school systems develop them?
The aim is the well-being of students and society.
Young people must be able to act and make choices.
The Learning Compass 2030
The Compass is an image to understand learning.
It shows skills for navigating life.
There are basics like reading, writing, and counting.
There are also social and emotional skills.
Values and attitudes are also important.
Students must learn to reflect on their choices.
Role of students and teachers
Students are not just receivers.
They are active participants in their learning.
They participate in decisions about their projects.
Teachers need new skills.
A Compass for Teaching is in preparation.
It helps to think about the role of teachers.
Key points in Easy-to-Read Language
The 2030 framework clearly describes the skills of young people.
It includes knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values.
Agency means that students can act.
Transformative skills help to manage conflicts.
The well-being and health of students are objectives.
7. Cross-cutting analysis — values of Health Practices
Literacy: the framework provides a common language on skills and dissemination resources (diagrams, videos, materials), but is primarily aimed at professionals, requiring mediation work for low literacy audiences.
Empowerment: learner agency is central; young people are seen as capable of co-constructing their pathways and contributing to collective well-being.
Participation: the project involves students, teachers, decision-makers, and social partners in the design of the framework, and encourages the co-construction of curricula at national and local levels.
Community health: the recurring reference to well-being, communities, and the planet incorporates a collective dimension akin to promoting health in living environments.
Ethics: the text highlights equity, social justice, sustainability, and responsibility, without always detailing the mechanisms for reducing biases in field practices.
Human rights: the framework advocates for inclusion, equity, and consideration of the diversity of contexts, in line with the principles of human rights in education.
Intersectorality: the project and the Global Forum bring together education, research, social partners, and civil society, which opens up spaces for intersectoral actions, particularly with health.
Partnership: the operation as a multi-actor platform and the emphasis on co-creation make it an explicit model of collaboration across levels and sectors.
Fight against discrimination: the documents mention equity, inclusion, and social justice, but remain relatively general on specific forms of discrimination (gender, racism, disability, LGBTQI+, etc.), which requires local supplements.
8. Assessment of the reliability of the resource
Scientific relevance: the project is led by the OECD, uses comparative methods, international consultations, and mixed analyses, and relies on a broad scientific literature in education, skills, and public policies. The main documents (position paper 2018, frameworks 2030, curriculum analyses) are clearly dated, updated, or supplemented with new resources until at least 2024–2025, which maintains sufficient relevance for strategic uses.
Operational relevance: the framework is primarily a conceptual compass and not an intervention manual, but the curriculum analyses, examples of innovations, and the Global Forum provide concrete support points to adapt the principles to local contexts. For health prevention and promotion, it provides a common language, political justifications, and a long-term horizon, but requires a process of appropriation to produce tools that can be directly used in facilitation or individual support.