Agenda
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Cedefop is organising a meeting to present, discuss and validate initial findings of a Cedefop study aimed at investigating the economic and social consequences of a too high rate of low-skilled adults in Europe.

In particular, the study aims to develop a solid and up-to-date evidence base about trends, determinants and consequences of the phenomenon of adult low skilling across the EU, to inform future policy interventions in this area.

The meeting will consist of two sessions:

  1. informative session (from 10.00 to 11.30)
    will provide a non-technical outline of the project and will discuss preliminary results and expected future outputs and their relevance for policy-making;
  2. technical session (from 12.00 to 17.30)
    will discuss the validity of the preliminary results and of the adopted methodology and is targeted at a more specialised expert audience.

Conclusions of this meeting will feed into the final Cedefop research report on the economic and social costs of low skilled adults in the EU which will be published in 2016.

The working language will be English only and participation to this event is by invitation only.

For further information on the event, please contact:

 

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Cedefop organises a validation workshop to discuss the preliminary findings of the ongoing research on the role of VET in reducing early leaving from education and training. Selected policies and measures from fifteen European countries are examined in-depth during this second year of the research.

Key stakeholders and policy makers from Europe will debate on a set of success indicators and criteria for policy transfer to different countries and contexts.

The findings of this project aim to support the European Commission, Member States, social partners and other stakeholders in their effort to implement EU policies to reduce early school leaving and to achieve the EU target by 2020.

The conclusions of this workshop together with the findings of the study will be published in 2016 in a Cedefop research paper and two policy briefs, one for national and local policy makers and another one for EU level policy makers.

Participation to this event is by invitation only.

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Skills are a key driver of labour market success, competitiveness and social inclusion for individuals, enterprises and societies. High-level skills are not only a prerequisite for employment, higher wages, productivity, innovation and continued economic growth; they also empower individuals to be active and productive members of society.

Skills, however, need to keep up with rapid technological progress, organizational change in the workplace and labour market change. At the same time, there is a growing concern with the so-called gaps between the skills provided by education and training systems, the needs of the current and future labour markets, and the extent to which such skill mismatches are a cause of high young unemployment rates. There is also growing evidence about the fact that the skills of EU employees are underused in workplaces that do not fully harness people’s potential.

The aim of this workshop was to bring together researchers working on the issues of skills and skill mismatch. Topics included (but were not limited to):

  • Trends in educational and skill mismatches
  • Skill shortages and the impact of skill mismatches for enterprises
  • Job search, job quality and skill/educational mismatch
  • Economic and welfare (e.g. job satisfaction) consequences of skill/educational mismatch for individuals, firms and macro economies
  • Technological progress/ organizational change and skills utilization (and mismatch)
  • The relation of job tasks and skill utilization
  • Labour market mobility and skill mismatch
  • Impact of wage systems and working conditions on skill mismatch
  • Gender differences in cognitive and non-cognitive skills
  • Training provision, skills development and skill mismatch
  • Impact of the business cycle and of economic recessions on skill mismatch

A selection of papers presented at the workshop were considered for publication in a special volume of the journal Research in Labor Economics (RLE).

Access to european skills and job survey

Authors of accepted papers could request early access to the Cedefop European Skills and Jobs Survey conditional on committing to submit a scientific paper that made use of the data for presentation at the workshop and subject to agreeing to the terms-of-use as stated in a confidentiality agreement which needed to be signed prior to receipt of the microdata.

The European Skills and Jobs Survey was a new cross-sectional dataset collected by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) in April-June 2014. The survey collected information on the skills, jobs and skill mismatch over time of about 49,000 adult employees in the 28 EU Member States. For more information on the survey click here.

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The preparation of Cedefop’s pan-European on skills supply and demand forecasts is supported by experts in labour market analysis and forecasting from each EU Member States. These experts contribute to increasing of the quality of the forecast by commenting and validating methods, tools and results.

Cedefop organises regular technical workshops to provide a platform for this group of experts to meet and provide its feedback to Cedefop in a structured way. The aim is to involve national experts closely in the forecasting process, drawing on their knowledge and expertise, as well as obtaining country specific insights.

The workshop will provide an opportunity to bring together the research team, national and international experts together with Cedefop staff to discuss:

  • Preliminary results of the new forecasts and alternative scenarios
  • Progress in adopting new classification standards;
  • Key assumptions to be adopted in the new forecasts and alternative scenarios;
  • Interpretation and clarity of indicators of future labour market imbalances,
  • Assumptions and preliminary results for an alternative skills supply scenario.
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Cedefop’s second apprenticeship conference, on 9 and 10 November in Thessaloniki, is addressed to a wide range of stakeholders with a role in supporting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in increasing their offer on apprenticeships.

The conference is a learning experience. Participants will learn from:

  • success stories: how SMEs take the lead and set apprenticeship programmes – the conference special guest, Jason Holt, is a leading SME employer that set up the UK’s sole provider of government-accredited training to the wider jewellery sector;
  • national practices put in place by industry, social partners, public authorities, and other bodies that have a role in supporting SMEs;
  • messages brought forward by the employers’ representatives at European and national levels.

The conference is an opportunity for participants to identify ideas that may be turned into cross-country partnerships, and find partners.

It is also an opportunity for participants to understand how they may finance their ideas and turn them into reality. The following funding opportunities will be presented:

  • an Erasmus+ call for proposals, which aims at supporting SMEs engaging in apprenticeships;
  • ESF (to continue/further develop their projects in supporting SMEs to provide training, including apprenticeship placements; also possibilities for the SMEs themselves to access ESF to provide training, including apprenticeship placements);
  • European Investment Bank.
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On 19 November 2015, Cedefop, Eurofound,  and the EESC will hold a joint event to present recent findings and initiatives on work organisation and workplace learning, including the results of Eurofound’s 3rd European Company Survey and Cedefop’s European Skills and Jobs Survey.

The half-day event will bring together up to 200 representatives from national authorities, European institutions, enterprises, trade unions, civil society and academia to explore and debate work organisation and skill development practices that benefit both employers and employees.

The event marks the 40 year anniversary of Cedefop and Eurofound - the two longest established EU Agencies - and recognises the EESC’s support in setting up the Agencies as well as its strong tripartite role in EU policymaking. Both Agencies are tripartite organisations with a governing structure of employers, trade unions and governments.

Keynote speakers will include:

  • Nicolas Schmit, President of the Council of the EU Employment Ministers
  • Pavel Trantina, President of the EESC Section on Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC)

Registration is now closed.

Event Venue: European Economic and Social Committee, Rue Belliard 99, Brussels, Jacques Delors building, ROOM JDE 62

Event Contact: Corinna Frey, Stakeholder Relations corinna.frey@cedefop.europa.eu

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In June 2015 EU ministers in charge of VET of EU Member States acknowledged the importance of promoting responsive vocational education and training (VET) systems able to strengthen the international competitiveness of the labour force (Riga Conclusions 2015).
Consequently, national VET programmes and qualifications must be developed with a direct reference to global technological and economic requirements and developments.

The November Conference organised by Cedefop offers an opportunity to discuss the quality and relevance of VET in the context of globalisation. It will explore how globalisation influences the review and renewal of VET content and the way it is defined and described. It will look at the synergies and competition between European and International sectoral standards and qualifications with national ones.

The following questions will be addressed:

  • How are national VET systems being influenced by global developments?
  • How are different national VET systems dealing with the challenge of globalisation?
  • Which economic sectors use international solutions and which do not?
  • How far are international VET programmes and qualifications competing with national ones?
  • Are international VET standards and curricula a way to go?
  • How can national authorities benefit from the quality and standards of international sectors and qualifications?
  • Can international sectors awarding international qualifications respond to national criteria establishing education and training programmes?

National perspectives and solutions on developing relations between the public sector, the sectoral bodies and multi‐national companies, will be discussed including mechanisms to recognise skills and qualifications that can assure quality and instill confidence. The role of economic sectors as ICT, welding, banking and finance, food and drink, automotive, social work in driving these developments will be given particular attention.

The event aims at discussing these and other issues and seeks to illustrate how solutions need to be sought at the interface of local needs and global requirements.

Working with us

External notice of vacancy

Reference
Cefefop/2015/04/AD_external
Closing date
22/10/2015