Cedefop provides evidence and support to help shape vocational education and training (VET) in Europe into something that, through a ‘can-do attitude’, becomes a tool for resilience and an engine of innovation.
This is the centrepiece of Cedefop Executive Director Jürgen Siebel’s exchange of views with members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) on 1 February.
The new EMPL Committee Chair Dragoş Pîslaru welcomed Mr Siebel and his counterparts from the European Training Foundation, Eurofound, EU-OSHA and the European Labour Authority to the annual exchange.
Mr Siebel referred to Cedefop’s commitment to keep evolving alongside the policy framework. ‘For us - he said - this means continuity, refocusing, and novelty in our work.’
He presented the Agency’s performance data for 2021, noting that two achievements are particularly noteworthy:
- in the second year of the pandemic, Cedefop’s team has proved resilient, committed and performing strongly;
- despite the drawbacks of virtual events that we all know these helped us reach much wider audiences than we could have with on-site hosted events.
Focusing on the challenges the green and digital transitions present for Europe’s societies and economies, Mr Siebel highlighted Cedefop’s labour market and skills intelligence (LMSI) tool, a compass for the skills that are required at specific levels in specific areas. LMSI, he added, is crucial for evidence-based policy-making and to trigger the right investments in skills.
Based on Cedefop’s research findings, he also laid out the view of VET and apprenticeships as ‘greening’ agents, given their proximity to the labour market and their specific governance structure, which make it easier for them to translate change into learning outcomes.
The Cedefop Executive Director underlined how the Agency’s work helps shape and aligns with EU policy, noting, among others, that its research and events inform and support the debate on two ‘hot issues’: the proposed European Commission's proposals on microcredentials and individual learning accounts.
He also presented the activities whereby Cedefop optimises its corporate tools and processes, focusing on its new interactive web portal, which offers innovative online tools, dashboards and targeted visualisations, and the Agency’s collaboration with other organisations, noting as an example its joint work with Eurofound that will also be linked to the green transition and post-pandemic skills policies.
He finally referred to last September’s visit to Cedefop by the European Commission Vice-Chairman Margaritis Schinas and the European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit, which confirmed that the evidence the Agency’s research provides is relevant for EU-level policy-making.
Watch the presentation!
