Brussels, 22/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - The subject of inappropriate skill sets in Europe will be at the heart of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council on 24 February in Brussels. Speeches by ministers will help to develop the future “strategy on skills in Europe”, which will be presented by the European Commission in May.
The Council meeting will exclusively focus on the theme of education. Ministers will begin by adopting a resolution on promoting socio-economic development and inclusion through education in the EU. This text comprises the education and training sector's contribution to the 2016 European Semester and focuses on the following points: (1) ensuring effective investment in education; (2) rectifying skills deficits and anticipating skills requirements and (3) tackling the question of education, citizenship and social inclusion.
Ministers will then debate the way in which links between education, the labour market and society can be made. This discussion will be attended by the Norwegian Minister for Education and Research, Torbjorn Roe Isaksen. The results from the ministerial debate will contribute to the Commission initiative on the new skills strategy in Europe, which seeks to promote investment in people throughout their lives and improve their employability. This initiative will cover areas such as skills development, improved transparency of qualifications and the fight against inappropriate skill sets and disparities.
Education Ministers will proceed to an exchange of views on ways of promoting citizenship and fundamental values through education, as part of the Paris Declaration adopted after the terrorist attacks in France and Denmark at the beginning of 2015. Three short presentations are planned: France will provide examples of good practices in education for the media, the Czech Republic will discuss education and citizenship and Spain will look at the question of improving teachers' resources.
During dinner, ministers will again discuss the role of education and language learning as a means of tackling the refugee crisis. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)