On 23 February, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the European Commission held a flagship event for the European Year of Skills, bringing together over 400 young people from all EU Member States to shine the spotlight on the skills needed for current and future jobs.
More flexible and even tailored pathways to upskilling and lifelong learning can be one way of reaching people with low skills levels, from poorer backgrounds or at risk of social exclusion. Attention still needs to be paid to gender imbalances in labour markets.
On 2 May 2023, the Liberal Professions Category of the EESC held the 7th edition of the Day of the Liberal Professions in Brussels. This annual event brings together key players from Europe's liberal professions, as well as key policymakers from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Member States. This year's event was entitled Fostering skills and delivering the Green Deal.
As part of the European Year of Skills, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a conference on "Skills and talents as key drivers for personal fulfilment, economic growth and competitiveness" on 10 March to assess the needs and issue recommendations regarding skills development in the EU.
At its plenary session on 22 February, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate that warned about companies' growing struggle to get a skilled workforce and pointed to the pressing need for an all-encompassing skills strategy at all levels. The debate saw the participation of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD), SMEunited and Social Economy Europe.
Transforming societies from fossil-fuel based to circular and sustainable will require far-reaching changes in all sectors, including education. In an own-initiative opinion, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls for transformative education that empowers young people to contribute to the green transition.
A coordinated and systematic approach to skills training is needed to ensure that all Europeans can face the challenges of the green and digital transitions, the European Economic and Social Committee(EESC) and the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) emphasised at their fourth Policy Learning Forum on 16 November.
Lifelong learning will ensure jobs and decent living standards. However, in the absence of a standardised system across the EU, not all workers have opportunities to reskill and upskill during their careers, an EESC study finds
Eight concrete proposals were handed to the European Commission's Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová by secondary school students from all over Europe. The students were taking part in the virtual youth event Your Europe, Your Say! (YEYS2022) under the title: The truth about lies. Youth challenging disinformation.
With less than half of Europeans in possession of basic digital skills, the EU will need a skills revolution to enable a smooth transition to a digital and green economy and – more importantly – to ensure that no-one is left behind
