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More than 130 experts and representatives of governments, social partners, education and training, and the labour market discussed how technology and workplace change impact on skill needs and how to create partnerships to address skill mismatch at Cedefop’s high-level conference in Thessaloniki this week. Findings of Cedefop’s European skills and jobs (ESJ) survey, were also discussed at the conference, which featured some world-renowned speakers.
Innovation in the labour market is reshaping vocational education and training (VET). In response VET itself is becoming more dynamic and innovative.
In 2013, around 49% of the 22 million learners at upper-secondary level in the European Union (EU) were in VET. Developing their ability to innovate can bring considerable economic and social benefits. VET also supports social innovation. Civic competences and social awareness skills acquired through VET can improve work organisation and strengthen civil society.
More than one in four (27%) European employees are in dead-end positions with skills higher than needed to do their job and limited potential to grow. At the same time, 22% of employees say that their skills have not developed since they started their current job. These are some of the findings of Cedefop’s European skills and jobs (ESJ) survey, which will be discussed at a high-level conference in Thessaloniki on 7 and 8 December 2015.
Cedefop is holding a conference on 26-27 November in Thessaloniki to discuss how globalisation influences national vocational education and training (VET) systems and how national VET provision can meet global needs.
More than 200 participants explored and debated work organisation and skill development practices that benefit both employers and employees at a joint seminar organised by Cedefop, Eurofound and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Brussels on 19 November.
Following on from the success of the first European apprenticeship conference in 2014, Cedefop’s second such event, on 9 and 10 November in Thessaloniki, will be a learning experience addressed to a wide range of stakeholders with a role in helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increase their apprenticeship offer.
Demografie und Wirtschaft beeinflussen die Beschäftigungsentwicklung
Deutschland ist neben Frankreich, Österreich, Schweden und dem Vereinigten Königreich eines von mehreren Ländern, die heute einen höheren Beschäftigungsstand aufweisen als vor der Wirtschaftskrise. Dennoch sagen Prognosen für Deutschland bis 2025 vorläufig einen Beschäftigungsrückgang voraus – und das trotz des Wirtschaftswachstums. Grund: das sinkende Arbeitskräfteangebot (Abbildung 1). Wie sich der derzeitige Flüchtlingszustrom auf die Gesamtbeschäftigung auswirken wird, ist dabei noch nicht absehbar.
Vocational education and training (VET) can help attract young people with different abilities and learning backgrounds to education. It also plays a decisive role in retaining them in the education system or reintegrating them after a drop-out experience.
Not a lack of economic growth, but rather a lack of people in the labour market could hold back employment in Poland over the next decade.
According to forecasts produced by Cedefop, employment in Poland is expected to be slightly lower in 2025 than it is today (Figure 1). In contrast, in the EU overall, employment is expected to rise to its highest levels over the next 10 years.
The forecasts produced by Cedefop - a European Union (EU) agency that analyses training and the labour market – show that, between now and 2025, most job growth will be in construction – the sector worst hit by the crisis. Other sectors that should see job growth are distribution and transport sector and business and other services and non-marketed (mainly public) services (Figure 1).
The outlook for Malta’s labour market over the next decade is reasonably good, but skills need to improve to sustain it.
The forecasts produced by Cedefop - a European Union (EU) agency that analyses training and the labour market – show that between now and 2025, employment in Malta is expected to continue to be high (Figure 1). Job growth, like elsewhere in the EU will be driven by the business services and the distribution and transport sectors, with some small job losses predicted in manufacturing and construction.
Many of the skills Europe needs for sustainable economic recovery will be learned at work. According to Cedefop’s new European skills and jobs survey, to overcome skill mismatches, more and better jobs that invest in people’s skills are needed.
Employees face a constant challenge to learn new things to keep up with rapidly changing skill demands. The survey, the first pan-European on skill mismatch, finds that almost half (47%) of EU adult workers have seen the technologies they use change since they started their job; 21% also consider it very likely that several of their skills will become outdated in the next five years.
One of Cedefop’s main priorities is to support EU Member States and social partners in further developing and improving vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning policies and practices. To be able to do this systematically, Cedefop has launched a series of policy learning forums on a range of subjects. The aim is to establish a continuous process of sharing and learning where initial policy learning events are followed up through continued cooperation.
Europe’s labour force is getting older, but not enough adults participate in learning. In 2014, just over 10% of adults (aged between 25 and 64) participated in lifelong learning, well below the European Union’s (EU’s) target benchmark of 15% by 2020. There are signs that more employers are providing training, but other changes are needed to encourage adults to learn more.
By 2020, employment in the European Union (EU) is forecast to be back to its 2008 pre-crisis levels (Figure 1). But the overall picture masks differences between countries on the rate of job growth and the types of jobs that will be available, highlighting the varied challenges for vocational education and training systems across countries and sectors.
‘Our role as a European Union agency is to act as a catalyst and facilitate apprenticeship programmes,’ said Cedefop Director James Calleja at the ministerial meeting which endorsed the Riga conclusions on vocational education and training (VET) on Monday.
Cedefop celebrated 40 years’ contribution to vocational education and training (VET) in Europe and 20 years in Greece with the opening of an exhibition on its history (11 June) and a conference (12 June). Friends and stakeholders, Commission representatives, Governing Board members, and present and former staff were invited to the festivities.
Eurolib, the collaboration group of libraries of the EU institutions, EU agencies and services, held its 2015 general assembly on 21 and 22 May at Cedefop in Thessaloniki, Greece. Discussions mainly focused on library management tools, collaboration and information sharing.
Reform of training systems under the voluntary European framework for cooperation in training, known as the Copenhagen process, has improved training in Europe. However, the full benefits of the changes made still need to be felt by people and enterprises.
Since 2010, all countries have been actively reforming their vocational education and training (VET) systems, following objectives set out in the Bruges communiqué. Even countries with strong training systems, such as Germany, France Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Malta, Austria, Finland and the UK, have all adapted existing and introduced new measures since 2010. Others such as Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Portugal, Poland and Romania have improved their systems and made up ground over the period.
Τα κράτη μέλη της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης και οι κοινωνικοί εταίροι έχουν επωφεληθεί από το έργο του Cedefop, του Ευρωπαϊκού Κέντρου για την Ανάπτυξη της Επαγγελματικής Κατάρτισης, στη 40χρονη πορεία του, σύμφωνα με τον Διευθυντή του οργανισμού, Τζέιμς Καλέγια.