25/10/2016 (Agence Europe) – The European Union is currently confronting a shortage of professionals in information and communication technologies (ICT), science, technologies, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as a shortage of doctors, nurses, midwives and teachers. This is the evaluation drawn up by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop). On 25 October, Cedefop presented a new method “to identify occupations for which a critical shortage has important implications for national economies and their education and training systems”. This method also provides insights into why skill shortages arise. It subsequently explains that the shortage of skilled healthcare professionals and teachers is due to the ageing population and poor working conditions. Cedefop's evaluation can be consulted at: http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/9115 (SPj)