Social Dialogue Liaison Forum – European Year of Skills update
9 January 2024: At the latest Social Dialogue Liaison Forum on 19 December, an update on the European Year of Skills was provided by the European Commission, alongside an overview and objectives of the Skills and Talent mobility package. ERA attended to find out about the key initiatives.
The Commission provided an overview the achievements and future plans in the context of the European Year of Skills. Building on the Skill agenda action, it has been involved in several initiatives, from the Green Deal Industrial Plan, which supports the transition to a climate-neutral industry, to the Cybersecurity Skills Academy, which trains professionals and students in cybersecurity skills. The Commission also plans to launch the European Digital Skills Certificate, which will certify the digital competences of individuals and organisations.
They also invited stakeholders and interested parties to join future skills events and projects including the 'Experts’ Corner,' a series of online sessions where experts share their insights and best practices on skills and talent mobility topics.
The Commission has recently published a document that outlines its initiatives and recommendations for enhancing skills and talent mobility across the EU, especially for third-country nationals. The paper aims to address the challenges of labour and skills shortages, as well as to foster learning mobility opportunities for all.
One of the key initiatives is the EU Talent Pool, a platform that connects qualified jobseekers from third countries with employers in the EU. The platform simplifies the recognition of qualifications and skills and provides guidance and support for both parties. The document also sets new targets for learning mobility in higher education and vocational training, aiming to increase the number of students and trainees who participate in cross-border learning experiences by 2030.
The presentations from the meeting can be found below;
2 May 2023: On 7 March 2023, the co-legislators reached agreement political agreement on the European Year of Skills with the Decision to be adopted this month.
By promoting ongoing work on skills development, the Year will provide a unique opportunity to push for a skills revolution in Europe, a push to normalise the upskilling and reskilling of all working age.
The Commission will celebrate the start of the Year with a European Year of Skills Festival on 9 May and are linking up to other events and speakers across Europe to showcase skills-related efforts and highlight the value of skills, providing opportunities to engage in discussions, to learn and to promote work in the field of skills development.
The main event will be hosted at Cité des Métiers in Brussels and live-streamed for broader participation.
Members are invited to join this event. Should you wish to attend, please confirm your attendance here.
As a reminder, should members be organising events on skills development, please register them on the Commission’s interactive events map through this survey. You can also find skills-related activities and events by checking the interactive map on the European Year of Skills website.
The Communication Toolkit or the 2023 European Year of Skills was created to help prepare communication activities, events and media relations. When communicating skills-related activities on social media, please link them to the Year using the hashtag #EuropeanYearofSkills.
Members are also invited to submit stories of successful projects linked to skills and labour market to the Commission, who have created a template for project stories, which can be sent, along with any relevant communication material (e.g. videos, photos) and a privacy consent form signed to EMPL-SHARE-YOUR-SKILLS-STORY@ec.europa.eu. Both documents can be found in the downloads area in the top right.
The Commission has also published a regular newsletter, to which you can subscribe here.
For events and activities, you can contact your State National Coordinator who will be shaping the Year in their respective countries.
Should you have any other queries, you can contact the Commission directly via the Year’s official email address: EMPL-EY-SKILLS@ec.europa.eu