A European Skills & VET agenda for greater employability

Gregorio de Castro DG Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Mobility

…Mobilise EU instruments to further develop the skills of the European workforce by promoting Vocational Education and Training and lifelong learning…

Commissioner Marianne ThyssenEmployment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility

Unemployment rate still close to record highs in many MS and wide differences among countries

Structural unemployment: Beveridge curve EA and EU

Source: European Economic Forecast spring 2015

How did we get here?

LABOUR SUPPLY unfit and under-

utilised

SKILLS RECOGNITION &

VALIDATION insufficient

LABOUR DEMAND is not being satisfied

SKILLS SHORTAGES & MISMATCHES

Recruitment costs and reduced

competitiveness

Dormanthuman capital

Limited mobility

Youth unemployment

Work-based learning in VET

BE, SI, SE

Illustration based on a comparison of the level of youth unemployment (4 th quarter 2011) in relation to the share of students participating in work based learning at ISCED 3 level programmes (Cedefop)

MS with more work-based learning have less youth

unemployment

MS with more work-based learning have less youth

unemployment

Are apprenticeships the silver bullet?

www.ec.europa.eu/apprenticeships-alliance

VET graduates tend to find a job faster than those with

general education*

VET graduates tend to find a job faster than those with

general education*

Graduates of work-oriented programmes spend less time

without work*

Graduates of work-oriented programmes spend less time

without work*

*Quotes from Cedefop publication "From education to working life", 2012

1.Promoting work-based learning in all its forms

2. Implement quality assurance mechanisms in VET

3. Maximising access to training and qualifications for all through initial and continuing VET

4. Strengthening key competences, in particular digital skills

5. Continuous professional development of VET teachers, trainers and mentors

VET Priorities national levelRiga 22 June

VET Reform agenda at EU level

Encourage uptake of European Credit System for VET (ECVET)

EU platform for European Associations of VET providers

Revamp Sector Skills Alliances

Supporting cross-border quality VET programs

LOT 1

Identifying skills needs

€ 4 M

9 Projects

Key Action 2 Cooperation for

innovation and exchange of good practices

Large scale partnerships between education and training establishments

and world of work

LOT 2

Developing trans-national VET content

€ 14 M

8 Projects

ERASMUS + VET Specific Calls for Proposals 2016

Sector Skills alliances

Your first EURES JobTargeted mobility

scheme

- Boost access to a first job, traineeship or apprenticeship abroad

-Help tackle mismatches and shortages in key sectors

-Call open until 26 June 2016

- € 8 m for 2 projects- Goal is 3.000 placements over 24 months- Multi stakeholder consortia

European Alliance for

Apprenticeships

Improving quality

Strengthening supply

Enhancing the image

Photo: World Skills Leipzig 2013

Communication Skills for Employability 2015/16

1. WHAT SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE?

2. HOW TO VALIDATE AND RECOGNISE SKILLS?

3. HOW TO BOOST SUPPLY OF RELEVANT SKILLS?

•Eskerrik Asko!• Gregorio.de-castro@ec.europa.eu