This article focuses on the radical changes taking place in skills development for work and life, and their implications for the content of education and schooling. It examines skills development for employability and workforce education, with particular reference to technical and vocational education and training (TVET). In turn, it is argued that the impact of these issues upon the world of work will be reflected in those education reform initiatives that will become necessary to keep pace with such institutionalized change.

The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by ADB in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area, or by using the term "country" in this document, ADB does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.

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This special double issue of the International Journal of Training Research with the theme 'emerging labor markets of the futurereimagining skills development and training' contains 13 articles that provide a comprehensive overview of global and regional trends that impact on emerging jobs and labor markets of the future. With particular reference to Asia, the papers examine promising strategies in skills for jobs that address these trends. The articles provide a snapshot of the changing dynamics of labor markets of the future and the importance of reimagining not just the content of skills development and training but also the mechanisms by which they can be delivered to prepare a futureready workforce. The key attributes possessed by such a globally relevant talent pool for the workforce of the future include basic digital skills and literacy; learnability skills; skills needed for greening economies; skills required for engaging in Industry 4.0 occupations; skills for next-generation infrastructure and services; skills for technology-infused manufacturing sectors; and broad-based soft skills that help to improve workplace effectiveness, such as skills for teamwork, problem-solving, creativity, and design-thinking. All these will have an important and far-reaching impact on future directions for technical and vocational education and training in the region that policy makers and practitioners need to take into account.

No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Foreword This is an important and insightful book on a topic of great importance, which is attracting increasing attention worldwide: that of the reform of methods of educational and learning assessment. Knowledge and skills shape the future lives of learners, so it is important that learning assessment is accurate, reliable and fair. Recent decades have seen significant developments in the field of educational assessment. New approaches to the assessment of student learning achievement have been accompanied by the increasing prominence of educational assessment as a policy issue. In particular, there has been a growth in modes of assessment that promote, as well as measure, standards and quality. These developments have profound implications for individual learners, institutions and educational systems. Educational assessment refers to the process of gathering accurate and reliable information on the knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs of learners. Assessment can focus on the individual learner, a group of learners, a learning institution such as a school, or the educational system as a whole. Assessment is a form of educational research since it is concerned with obtaining reliable, verifiable information on the learning outcomes of those being assessed. In a report (2000) by the Hong Kong Curriculum Development Council entitled Learning to Learn: The Way Forward in Curriculum Development, the general directions for curriculum development and student assessment in Hong Kong to fulfil the vision of enabling students to attain all-round development and lifelong learning, were set out. The Report recommended that there should be a change in assessment practices and that schools should put more emphasis on assessment for learning, a process in which teachers seek to identify and diagnose student learning problems, and provide quality feedback for students on how to improve their work. The CDC report notes that: 'The concept of assessment for learning is not new. It is underpinned by the confidence and belief that every student is unique and possess the ability to learn, and that we should develop their multiple intelligences and potentials. To promote better learning, assessment is conducted as an integral part of the curriculum, learning and teaching, and feedback cycle. The curriculum has set out what students should learn in terms of the learning targets/objectives (e.g. knowledge, skills, values and attitudes). Assessment, a practice of collecting evidence of student learning, should be so designed that it ...