World Youth Skills Day 2025: Empowering Youth Through Digital Skills

July 15, 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of World Youth Skills Day (WYSD), a milestone that underscores the critical importance of equipping young people with future-ready competencies. This year's theme, "Youth empowerment through AI and digital skills," reflects the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on how we learn and work, while underlining the urgent need for equitable implementation to prevent widening digital divides between young people trained to thrive in this new era and those left behind.

The statistics paint a sobering picture of the challenges ahead. According to the Digital Education Council Global AI Student Survey 2024, 48% of students do not feel adequately prepared for an AI-enabled workplace. Meanwhile, the World Bank reports that about 450 million youth - 7 out of 10 - remain economically disengaged due to lack of adequate skills to succeed in the labor market. Adding to these concerns, only 22% of AI professionals globally are women, highlighting a significant gender gap in this rapidly growing field.

Access to quality education and digital training is essential for inclusive progress. This WYSD, we spotlight three key initiatives that embody our mission to empower youth through innovation in immersive, AI-driven, and inclusive learning environments.

In Toulouse, France, the Aerospace Learning Lab with Cross Reality (ALLXR) project is transforming how future engineers learn at ISAE-SUPAERO, a global leader in aerospace engineering education and research. Led by Laurent Dairaine and Thomas Zamolo from the Innovative Digital Education for Aerospace (IDEA) unit, and supported by La Fondation Dassault Systèmes, ALLXR prepares students for the aerospace industry's growing use of immersive technologies. The project digitizes complex aerospace systems - such as aircraft, turbofan engines, nanosatellites, and drones - alongside the school’s most iconic research infrastructures, including wind tunnels, FabLabs, and test benches, as XR models. These models are then used in innovative learning modules that place students in virtual, augmented, or mixed reality environments.

Developed by XR specialist Annaëlle Degard with support from a Dassault Systèmes’ simulation expert volunteer, these XR applications let students access what they usually cannot easily observe in real life. For example, they can step inside a virtual aeroacoustics wind tunnel where speeds reach 300 km/h to visualize airflow, or assemble complex systems in immersive settings. This hands-on experience deepens their understanding of system integration and physical phenomena like fluid dynamics. Students gain not only technical knowledge but also practical skills aligned with industry demands. Teachers on the other hand benefit from adaptable tools, allowing them to customize scenarios in real time and create engaging, realistic learning experiences that reflect the true nature of engineering work.

In India, La Fondation Dassault Systèmes recently concluded a two-week Boot Camp for 12 students enrolled in the ASPIRA Graduate program, its flagship initiative that supports academically talented young women from financially challenging backgrounds. The boot camp offered a rigorous introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), blending conceptual learning with real-world applications.

Over ten full days, students delved into the history of AI, key mathematical principles, and hands-on programming in Python using libraries like NumPy and Pandas. This AI & ML training was exclusively designed by Dassault Systèmes AI expert volunteers to equip these third-year Computer Science and IT engineering students with critical future-ready skills, strengthening not only their technical proficiency but also their confidence to thrive in a tech-driven world. The boot camp exemplifies La Fondation Dassault Systèmes’ broader mission: to empower the next generation of women leaders in technology by providing access, mentorship, and the tools they need to succeed in AI’s rapidly evolving landscape.

Learn more about the ASPIRA program.

In the United States, La Fondation Dassault Systèmes supports the Information and Computer Sciences Summer Academy (ICSSA) at the University of California, Irvine. This two-week summer program tackles a critical issue: limited access to computer science education for underrepresented high school students. With only 45% of California high schools offering such courses, ICSSA plays a vital role in bridging that gap. Held throughout July 2025, the academy welcomes 180 students in grades 9–12, most of whom are first-generation and low-income learners. It offers hands-on courses in data science, AI/ML, software engineering, application design, and cybersecurity, and places a strong emphasis on supporting girls, helping address the gender gap in tech.

By offering six intensive courses and fostering an inclusive, supportive hands-on learning environment, ICSSA helps students gain confidence and essential digital skills. Need-based scholarships ensure broad access, while exposure to the UCI campus inspires long-term academic and professional aspirations among the participants, demystifying computer sciences careers. This initiative is helping to overcome systemic barriers, laying the foundation for a more diverse and inclusive future in tech.

From Toulouse to Pune to Irvine, at La Fondation Dassault Systèmes, we remain committed to supporting inclusive and innovative educational programs that prepare young people for the opportunities and complexities of tomorrow. By fostering access to digital skills, immersive learning, and AI education, we aim to ensure that no young person is left behind in the digital era.