The Next Generation of Global Skill Partnerships: How the Model’s Evolved to Meet Current Challenges

From healthcare to construction, it is becoming increasingly clear that the world needs to increase the global stock of mid-skilled workers. One way to do this, designed and championed by CGD since 2012, is by using the Global Skill Partnership (GSP) model. The model combines training in countries of origin with migration opportunities, thereby increasing human capital everywhere and reducing brain drain.

In February 2025, a report published by the World Bank argues that GSPs are a promising tool to address the joint challenges of financing constraints in countries of origin and skilled labour shortages in countries of destination. The model has also been referenced in recent publications from the European Parliament and the OECD; a clear sign that it is receiving mainstream attention.

Building on previous pilots—including the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC), Youth, Employment, and Skills in Kosovo(YES), and Pilot Project Addressing Labour Shortages Through Innovative Labour Migration Models (PALIM)—a new generation of GSPs have been designed to meet current challenges. In this blog, coinciding with an update to our GSP website, we introduce some of these new partnerships and discuss what their design tells us about the evolution of the GSP model.

A diverse and growing portfolio

We have long argued that the GSP model works best when it is applied to sectors which are suffering from shortages in countries of origin and destination. That way, training can be delivered to service both markets, leveraging economies of scale and reducing cost. It is striking, in reviewing the next generation of GSPs, how many sectors this applies to.

• Healthcare. Building on the success of the world’s first nursing GSP between the Philippines and Germany, the new “GSP Soins” project aims to establish a mobility partnership for care sector workers between Belgium and Morocco, with plans to train 185 Moroccan participants and support at least 65 of them in relocating to Belgium for a work opportunity.
• Digital. The “Digital Explorers” project has launched its second phase, “Digital Explorers II”, broadening the programme’s scope in terms of both geography and scale. This second phase aims to connect the tech hubs of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with a growing talent pool in Nigeria, Kenya, and Armenia. The project has attracted significant interest, receiving over 3,300 applications, with 153 selected participants set to receive training, secure a job or internship, or participate in short-term study visits.
• Construction. A new GSP between Germany, Senegal, and Ghana aims to pair training with increased legal migration opportunities, creating a blueprint for future talent and mobility partnerships between the European Union and partner countries. The programme is set to train up to 360 participants for local employment, while 180 participants will be selected to continue their training in Germany.
• Manufacturing. The “ProMob PlastSkills” project is a highly industry-specific partnership for skills enhancement and labour mobility in the plastics sector between France and Tunisia. The project operates through a public-private partnership model and is designed to train approximately 800 Tunisian technicians, with half of trainees joining the plastics industry in Tunisia, while the other half are destined for employment in France and Europe.
• Multi-sector. Germany’s “Partnerships for Development-oriented Labour Migration” (PAM) project will prepare approximately 470 apprentices and skilled workers in Ecuador, Jordan, and Vietnam (at least 40 percent women) for migration in sectors relevant for the green transition such as electronics, metalworking, and IT. The “THAMM” programme and its successor, “THAMM Plus”, is operating between North Africa (Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia) and European countries (initially Germany and Belgium). Migration opportunities have been developed in the construction and industrial sectors, with “THAMM Plus” supporting professions such as heavy vehicle driving and targeting sectors including hotel and catering, electrical trades, and IT.

What’s new? Key evolutions in GSP design

1. Proactive “brain gain” and system strengthening

The defining feature of the GSP is what we call the “dual track” model. Basically, at the start, or during the training, the trainees can pick which track they want to go down: a “home track” for non-migrants, and an “away track” for migrants. The next generation of partnerships have embraced this feature more than ever, treating the “home track” as an opportunity to proactively build capacity in countries of origin.

The “Philippines-Germany nursing partnership”, for example, has not only trained nearly 200 nurses for the local labour market; it has improved the quality of the training system, installing modern skills labs and supporting instructor exchanges. Similarly, the “PAM” and “Senegal / Ghana-Germany" partnerships are designed to directly improve the quality of local technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems.

In addition to its work on mobility, “THAMM” also focused on systemic, long-term capacity building. The programme’s work included strengthening national policy and legislative frameworks, professionalising public employment services, improving mechanisms for skills recognition, and aligning labour migration data with international standards. By improving the entire national system for managing migration, this approach creates an environment in which GSPs can scale and potentially spin-off to become self-sustaining.

2. Private sector integration and a path to sustainability

One of the biggest hurdles for early GSPs was securing private sector buy-in and funding, with a heavy reliance on development assistance. The World Bank report notes that long-term sustainability requires “substantial financial contributions from destination countries, particularly from employers.” The next generation of GSPs have incorporated this principle.

Partnerships like “ProMob PlastSkills” and “Senegal / Ghana-Germany" have brought industry associations and private employers to the table, not just as advisors but as operational and financial partners. The “ProMob PlastSkills” project also plans to test a cost-sharing model, where the financial contribution from French industry increases over time.

3. Aligning with global trends: green and digital skills

The next generation of GSPs are strategically targeting sectors at the forefront of global economic and labour market transitions. The “Digital Explorers II” project is a prime example, creating a pipeline of talent for the booming ICT sector. Crucially, several new partnerships are targeting sectors that are vital for the global green transition. Germany’s “PAM” project, for example, has a “particular focus on professions that contribute to green transformation”. Similarly, the “Senegal / Ghana-Germany" and “THAMM” programmes include sectors like construction and electric trades, which are required for building renewable energy infrastructure and improving energy efficiency. This demonstrates how GSPs can be used as a forward-looking tool to help build the global workforce needed for a sustainable future.

Conclusion

The journey of the GSP model is testament to over a decade of rigorous research, strategic outreach, and piloting. The next generation of GSPs shows that the model is becoming more diverse in its application, more deeply integrated with the private sector, and more sophisticated in its design.

Challenges of scale, complexity, and political will certainly remain. But global demographic shifts make clear that labour mobility isn’t going anywhere, and this next generation of partnerships demonstrates that the GSP model is an essential, adaptable, and proven tool for redefining migration as a force for global prosperity.