On Friday 17 March, EU Member States approved the agreement reached with the European Parliament on the European Year of Skills (see EUROPE 13137/17), which will encourage more effective investment to better match employers’ needs with the skills required, particularly in the areas of digital and ecological transition.
The agreement reached concerns the period selected or the target groups.
The period selected is from 9 May 2023 to 8 May 2024. “The title of the decision has thus been adapted to refer to the ‘European Year of Skills’, without specifying the calendar year”, explains the Swedish Presidency in a note preparing the ambassadors’ meeting.
“It was agreed that the overall objective of the European Year was to promote a more skills-oriented and re-skilling mindset, while the outcomes of the European Year were defined more broadly. As well as aiming to boost the competitiveness of European businesses, the Year will also contribute to the creation of quality jobs”, adds the note.
It will also promote “equal access to skills development and contribute to lifelong learning, empowering people to access quality jobs and participate fully in the economy and in society”.
The target groups are “women and young people, especially those not in education, employment or training (NEET), the low-skilled, older workers, people with disabilities, people from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds, people living in remote areas and in the outermost regions, and internally displaced people in Ukraine”.
Enhanced involvement of the social partners has been added to the measures supported by the European Year.
And an “additional relevant measure has been added, namely the promotion of the development of skills and training strategies at national, sectoral and enterprise level”.
Link to the note: https://aeur.eu/f/5w1 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)