As global transformations reshape the world of work, the International Labour Organization (ILO) is rethinking how it adapts and delivers, starting from within. Across the ILO, staff members are taking on new roles as Innovation Scouts: identifying early ideas, testing practical solutions, and contributing to a growing network that supports innovation from the ground up. The project is one of several initiatives jointly developed by the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) and ILO policy departments, field offices and field projects to advance the Organization’s innovation agenda.

During a dedicated session at the 113th International Labour Conference, four Innovation Scouts pitched their proposals: early-stage projects selected for their purposeful use of technology, inclusive design, and potential to be adapted and scaled across different contexts. The session was moderated by Christophe Perrin, Director of the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO), and Celeste Drake, ILO Deputy Director-General.

Watch their full presentation during the ILC, or get a quick insight into their projects through the visual maps and the 1-minute pitch videos below.

This project helps the ILO and its constituents to anticipate, not just react. It uses AI-powered strategic foresight to explore big drivers of change, like geopolitical shifts, and test how they impact the world of work. By thinking ahead, it builds resilience and supports decent work through disruptive times.

The Workverse is a virtual reality platform designed to bring missing voices like youth, women, refugees, and informal workers into vital labour policy discussions. Users can step into immersive worlds to test new ideas, experience real workplace challenges, and develop new skills. The goal is to create a more inclusive, accessible, and engaging environment for social dialogue.

The Global Child Labour Conference goes Business as UNusual with Innovate4Change. By adding interactive and inclusive formats like design sprints, immersive VR, and AI tools to track action, it aims to turn discussions into a co-creation space, engage a broader range of actors, and strengthen accountability.

TVET AI brings artificial intelligence to technical and vocational education in Africa. Trainers can create lessons, activities, and assessments that align with national standards and real industry needs in minutes. By using AI, they cut prep time, can focus on mentoring, and can equip young people with skills they need, starting in Kenya and scaling across Africa.

As ITCILO Director Christophe Perrin noted, “We are proud to contribute to this broader effort through the Innovation Fund, which helps transform ideas into working prototypes. These four initiatives are more than pilots, they are blueprints for how the ILO can continue to evolve, experiment, and lead through innovation and concrete action.”

The Innovation Scouts initiative is part of a broader push to embed innovation across the ILO, aligned with its Strategy on knowledge and innovation. As facilitator of innovation-related activities, ITCILO coordinates a wide portfolio of initiatives, provides technical support and seed funding, and helps build innovation capacity, to promote the development of coherent and systemic approaches to innovation within the Organization.

“These ideas are grounded in practice,” said Deputy Director-General Celeste Drake, referring to the Scouts’ proposals. “They come from what staff see and do every day, and show how innovation, when guided by purpose and driven by the needs of constituents, can unlock new solutions and generate real impact.”