The weekend marked the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which laid the foundations for today’s European Union (EU). On 25 March 1957 six European countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) pledged to align their economic policies for the establishment of a common market, which would reduce socioeconomic differences across Europe.
Cedefop Director James Calleja presented the agency’s work in 2016 and initiatives in 2017 at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on 7 March in Brussels, and discussed further cooperation with the Committee.
At a European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)/Labour Market Observatory conference on tackling long-term unemployment, on 28 February in Brussels, Cedefop Deputy Director Mara Brugia presented the agency’s latest study on the economic and social cost of low-skilled adults in the EU.
In a context of dynamic and complex labour markets, intelligence on current and future skill needs can support better matching of skills and jobs, which is important for every country. Cedefop, the European Training Foundation and the International Labour Office have combined expertise to develop a compendium of methodological guides on anticipation and matching of skill supply and demand.
The first European big data hackathon, organised by the European Commission (Eurostat), took place from 13 to 15 March in Brussels. Over two days, 22 teams from 21 countries faced the challenge of using big data to offer policy evidence and solutions to improve the match between skills and jobs.
The second German-Greek youth forum brought together government representatives and NGOs from both countries in Thessaloniki (5-9 March), with Cedefop participation.
Vocational education and training (VET) in Latvia is changing and its attractiveness is increasing. Two-thirds of VET schools have already been transformed into VET competence centres with modernised infrastructure and equipment. Programmes available include lifelong learning and promote access to the labour market. Find out more about Latvia’s VET system in Cedefop's concise guide.
Vocational education and training (VET) in Croatia has two main roles. Alongside preparation for labour market entry, it enables progression to tertiary education, primarily through four-year VET programmes, where learners spend half of their time acquiring general competences. Find out more in Cedefop's concise guide.
The programming document describes Cedefop’s activities in 2017-20. It outlines how the Centre will allocate its human and financial resources to its core business, its communication activities and administration, including information on performance measurement and tables reflecting multi-annual staff and budget planning.
