Permacrisis – a term describing what 2022 felt like for many and chosen by the Collins Dictionary as Word of the Year 2022 – says it all about Europe recovering from a pandemic only to be hit by a war. Social and economic disruption with unprecedented refugee arrivals and levels of inflation and an ever-grimmer climate emergency have deeply shaken European countries’ and citizens’ faith in the future. In this context of crisis and accelerating megatrends, Cedefop continued to focus attention on the VET, skills and employment dimensions of the twin transition. Its work helped assess the implications of current challenges for vocational education and training (VET) systems and qualifications and stimulated reflection on how policies contribute to making people fit for the future. In the run-up to the European Year of Skills and throughout it, Cedefop activities have contributed, and will continue to contribute transversally, to making learning, upskilling and reskilling the new normal. Skills are central to shaping successful transitions. But the ‘right’ skills are short in supply. Designating 2023 the European Year of Skills will focus EU institutions’ efforts on building skills, closing gaps, and alleviating mismatches. It will also shine a spotlight on the European Agency dealing with skills, Cedefop.
In reaction to the multiple crises which are upending delivery chains and whole economic sectors, jobs across occupations are being digitalised. Novel working patterns are emerging and countries strive for more sustainability. These vast changes require an adequate, well-skilled workforce. Cedefop will use the European Year of Skills as an opportunity to champion people and their skills. In transformative times, developing and making good use of the skills of young people and adults motivates them to be the best they can be, gives them a springboard to a successful career, and has a positive bottom-line impact. Permacrisis became the new normal in 2022. The European Year of Skills 2023 will make sure that ‘permaskilling’ is the response. Cedefop, with its extensive work on digital jobs and skills, skill forecasts and trend tracking tools, is at the forefront of skills intelligence in Europe. It examines, among others, the implications of the green transition across all EU Member States in terms of skill needs and looks at how countries' VET systems change to meet new challenges. It shares the results of its studies and analyses with European institutions, international organisations, and education and training policymakers, researchers and practitioners through its briefing notes, policy briefs and other publications, its multilingual website, its online visualisation tools, events and podcasts. Cedefop Director Jürgen Siebel will present the agency’s achievements of 2022 and its plans for 2023 to the EMPL Committee meeting of Tuesday 24 January, along with the directors of the European Labour Authority (ELA) and of the other agencies in the remit of the European Parliaments’ EMPL Committee, Eurofound, ETF and EU-OSHA. For further reading on Cedefop’s work in 2022/2023, please consult Cedefop’s latest briefing note. Want to know more about cooperation between Cedefop and ELA? Please read more on how the directors of the two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding to join forces a week ago. Also, listen to Cedefop’s recent podcast with Nobel laureate economist Sir Christopher Pissarides on work in the digital era.
Interested in obtaining first-hand information from Cedefop experts on Cedefop’s ongoing work 2022-2023? Our experts are happy to talk to you and share their insight.
Stay updated on Cedefop’s work: Cedefop Info is distributed to the Members of the European Parliament several times per year. Login or register on our web portal to subscribe to Cedefop’s media products (newsletter, briefing notes, podcasts, announcement of events, etc.).
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