Cedefop

This was the 5th Cedefop seminar in cooperation with the rotating EU Presidencies. These events build on Cedefop research and analysis and address issues relevant to European debates on VET and employment. Over 50 participants attended, including representatives from EU institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, European Economic and Social Committee), the Permanent Representations in Brussels and major private (IBM) and international organisations (OECD).

The seminar focused on the extent to which labour market and skills information (LMSI) systems can inform VET and employment policies in EU Member States. It provided an overview of new developments in artificial intelligence (AI)-based data analytics, which may contribute to faster and better skill needs identification and matching. The opportunities and marked challenges for policy of such new data analytical instruments, reliant on big data and/or AI methods, were highlighted in the discussions.

The advent of machine learning and algorithmically-powered tools for collecting and analysing trends in skills needs and training opportunities has recently raised high hopes. They are expected to help improve skills anticipation and matching capabilities and diagnostics in countries and enterprises.

However, AI-based skills matching algorithms are more likely to be influenced by systemic and inherent biases and misconceptions in their predictive capabilities. Using the outcomes of such instruments may lead to misguided policy decisions and undermine quality assurance in VET provision if they are not placed in the right (institutional) context, or if specific skills governance processes, such as social dialogue, are not in place.  

After the opening by Yasen Gyurov on behalf of the Bulgarian Presidency, Cedefop’s Alena Zukersteinova and Konstantinos Pouliakas gave a joint introductory presentation. They highlighted Cedefop’s recent focus on the increasing use and value of big- or AI-based methods for skills analysis and policy as part of its new digitalisation and future of work thematic activity. With its assisting EU countries in skills matching country support programme, Cedefop has also been working closely with EU Member States to build better and more responsive skills anticipation and matching systems.

Big data use

The first session discussed the future of data analytics for skills and skill needs. In his keynote presentation, Cedefop’s Jasper van Loo outlined the agency’s work on big data analysis from online job vacancies, which scrapes online vacancies to detect skill trends in EU countries. He pointed out the opportunities and challenges of using this type of data for policy-making and the critical role of the human factor – the man in the loop – for correctly interpreting and using such data for the purposes of policy-making.

The Vice President of IBM’s Global Workforce Policy Division David Barnes focused on how big data and AI are used by IBM for the purposes of solving the skills equation, equipping workers for job/career transitions and empowering them to take control of their careers.

In the follow-up session on big data for skills matching, Eric Klewais of the Flemish public employment service (VDAB) showed how artificial intelligence and deep learning methods can be used to better match jobseekers to vacancies, predicting the risk of job placement of a given jobseeker or jobseekers’ reaction to caseworkers’ guidance activities.

Claudia Plaimauer (3s, Austria) reported about a pilot project performed on behalf of the Austrian Public Employment Service: testing vacancy mining for validating and  supplementing Austria's labour market taxonomies. She underlined that vacancy mining proved to be a highly effective method for identifying evidence-based amendment needs; nevertheless AI-based methods currently can only complement but not completely replace existing editorial methods in  taxonomy management.

OECD’s Fabio Manca gave an overview of how to blend ‘subjective’ traditional LMSI tools with emerging methods of skills anticipation and showcased the OECD’s skills-for-jobs database. He presented reassuring evidence that the latest methods of identifying skill shortages in economies, relying on conventional data sources, are positively correlated with emerging skills as predicted by cutting edge machine learning techniques.

In her closing remarks, Cedefop’s Acting Head of Department for Skills and Labour Market Alena Zukersteinova reflected on the exponential pace of development of AI-based data analytics: ‘We need to continue the debate on the promise and challenges posed by what is anticipated to be a wide-ranging application of new predictive instruments in public policy in the coming years. And it is important to bear in mind that we need to use these new big data instruments as complementary to, rather than replacements of, more traditional approaches.’

Participants debated issues related to the development of Cedefop’s network devoted to the policies which support individuals’ careers.

Lifelong guidance, validation and upskilling of adults were debated during the meeting. It was examined how countries can improve national skills strategies, school systems, outreach and enterprise human resources to better support individuals’ careers.

Conclusions highlighted the need for an early education for careers with full community participation and the need to expand young adults’ career support.

The key role of guidance in linking training needs, training offer and skills validation was discussed, noting how it can improve individual career plans and information transmitted between services. Participants also talked about how human resource processes can be improved with correct career development methods and adequate public incentives.

CareersNet’s first public outputs, in 2019, will comprise comparative analysis of career development policies in Europe, including guidance and career education.

The network embodies the core value that individuals learn for life and careers, rather than just for jobs which might be temporary and unstable.

DG Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion’s Head of Unit on Skills and Qualifications Alison Crabb opened the festival with Cedefop expert Ernesto Villalba. They emphasised the event’s instrumental role in creating a community of practice around the issue of validation.

On the first day, the festival featured a ‘marketplace’ with 40 stands where participants could visit a diverse range of projects related to the identification, documentation, assessment and certification of skills and competences, and get to know more about the range of practices on validation of non-formal and informal learning.

In the afternoon, thematic workshops discussed in depth various topics related to validation, such as digital badges, block-chain potential, youthpass or competence cards. Cedefop chaired two sessions on ‘developing validation in the workplace in cooperation with employers’ and ‘funding models for validation’.

Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Marianne Thyssen opened the second day debate, stressing: ‘We need to make sure people can put all their skills to use in the new world of work, regardless of where they have learned them. This means we have to put validation squarely on the map because it makes learning visible and gives it value.’

She also pointed out Cedefop’s work in assisting the Commission to support better informed policies through the development and maintenance of the European inventory on validation.

At a panel discussion, Cedefop expert Jens Bjørnåvold highlighted the importance of validation as a tool to support both education and employment policies.

The festival contributed to the creation of a community of practice. The next opportunity for the community to get together will be the 3rd Biennale on validation of prior learning in Berlin on 7 and 8 May 2019. Cedefop is part of the event’s organising committee.   

For more information contact Ernesto.Villalba-garcia@cedefop.europa.eu

#ValidationEurope

The website also has many new features worth exploring such as:

• Improved search engine, based on the ESCO classification, so that users identify what they are looking for more quickly and easily;
• Section on ‘Institutions’ providing labour market intelligence (LMI) at national level in each Member State;
• LMI guides and toolkits form a new section under ‘Resources’ with the aim to provide access to all relevant tools to users;
• New edition of the European skills index (ESI).

More is yet to come! Stay tuned for:

• Visualisation tool offering new way of interacting with individual indicators;
• New indicators such as the importance of tasks within occupations; and data on wages and unemployment levels for occupations;
• New dashboards on innovative, growing sectors and skills;
• First results of Cedefop’s vacancy analysis.

For a quick guide to the new website, watch a short video prepared by the Cedefop people behind the effort.