Berufe im Profil: Skills and Lifelong Learning Specialist for Africa at the International Labour Organization (ILO) (65012)

Speaker’s name: Christine Hofmann

Company: Internationale Arbeitsorganisation (ILO)

Position: Senior Regional Skills Specialist; Global Skills Program Manager; Head, ILO’s Africa Skills Hub

Degree programme: Sprachen- Wirtschaft und Kulturraumstudien (Dipl. Kuwi)

Describe yourself and your career:

- Politically engaged, internationally minded, a staunch supporter of the Kuwi-track;

- Career goal: development policy; spent a semester abroad in Bolivia and completed internships in Spain, Germany and Australia

- Started her career in political consulting in Germany, focusing on social and family policy; then worked at a trade union foundation on education issues

- Joined the ILO through the JPO/Associate Expert Program; has since been part of the Skills team (Geneva, Cairo, Geneva, Abidjan)

What defines my job:

Essential requirements: A passion for intercultural work, a healthy dose of idealism, and a love for work that is relevant

Key competencies: Flexibility, strong communication skills (languages), and analytical skills

What I enjoy most: The diversity in my work: consulting, teamwork, professional mentoring, writing manuals, research, giving presentations, and project development

Most exciting challenge so far: Coordinating a standard-setting committee at the International Labour Conference, which led to the adoption of an international labour standard: the Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation R208

Don’t let yourself be discouraged by: overly politically motivated decisions

This profession is particularly well-suited for students in the following fields of study: Business, Education, Social Sciences, Political Science

Describe your current job:

As Global Skills Programme Manager and Regional Skills Specialist for Africa, I lead the International Labour Organization's work to strengthen skills development and lifelong learning systems across Africa while managing the Global Programme on Skills and Lifelong Learning (GPSL3).

My role combines strategic leadership, programme management, policy advisory services, partnership development, and resource mobilization. I work with ILO offices, governments, employers' and workers' organizations, development partners, and regional institutions to advance the ILO Skills and Lifelong Learning Strategy 2030.

A key priority is positioning the ILO as a leading partner on skills development in Africa. I collaborate with organizations including the African Union Commission, African Development Bank, AUDA-NEPAD, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNIDO, the World Bank, and bilateral development agencies to build partnerships that promote innovative skills approaches supporting employment, productivity, social inclusion, and sustainable development.

As manager of GPSL3, I oversee strategic planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and coordination across multiple countries, ensuring programme activities align with ILO priorities and promote integrated, scalable skills systems reforms.

I provide technical and policy advice on skills development, vocational education and training, lifelong learning, and labour market policies, supporting national and regional reforms that expand access to quality training, particularly for women, young people, and vulnerable groups, while promoting international labour standards, social dialogue, gender equality, and just transition principles.

I also lead resource mobilization, develop partnerships and project proposals, support research and knowledge generation on the future of work, and represent the ILO at high-level regional and international forums. Through these efforts, I strengthen programme visibility, promote evidence-based policy solutions, and help expand the ILO's impact in building inclusive skills systems that advance decent work, social justice, and sustainable economic transformation across Africa and beyond.

Further information: To participate in the webinar, registration in Stud.IP is required. The access link will be announced in the course shortly before the event.

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