PACT FOR SKILLS FORUM
Brussels 22 March 2024
Unlocking the potential across Europe
The Pact for Skills in the context of the European Year of Skills
The EU Pact for Skills Forum, 22 March 2023
Ateliers des Tanneurs, Brussels
ARTIFACTORY, a permanent member of the EU Pact For Skills in the Industrial Ecosystems CCI and tourism has attended the Pact for Skills Forum on 22 March 2023.
Pact for Skills and SMEs
LABOR SHORTAGES
- 1M workers leave annually; they need to be replaced, so that companies and regions remain competitive
- SMEs face skills shortages; 20% of the Pact For Skills members face skills shortages
- SMEs need facilitators to integrate them into bigger clusters: while some countries have more facilitation capacities and instruments, other countries lack facilities (400 facilitation structures in Germany, 10 facilitation structures in Bulgaria)
EDU PARTNERSHIPS
- Companies need to partner with education providers, HED, VET, Research Centers, and with one another and share WBL and onsite training;
- They need to exactly know skills demands to survive and complete in the market; They need a clear picture of skills needed to close the skills gap.
- Needed are LSPs (Large-Scale-Partnerships), Incubators, Local/Regional Ecosystems
The green transition
HIGHLIGHTS
- The much-needed green transition has an influence on skills and green skills are transversal skills, and the only ones to accelerate the green transition;
- New production from recycled materials is the future;
- Companies need to envisage the circular transformation; fully develop digitalization; consider providers of all sizes, that no one is left behind; put green skills at the core at the core of the efforts; analyze needs for carbon neutrality.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
Companies are aware that they need to become green: investing in sustainable production will ensure future profits; more cost for green training and investments means more profit because a niche is being built that leads to a new market and the benefits of protecting the environment. What we do today for the planet will ensure the planet. SMEs have changed from a supply chain to a partnership and ecosystems chains. Regions need to be at the core of the reform and this needs to be reflected in the training programs. Regions also need to have green strategies.
FINAL REMARKS
- Assessing skills should not be left solely to employers, but also include the employees; workers should be at the core of the reskilling efforts in all sectors and all levels;
- Skills assessments should not be left to Artificial Intelligence
- A dual regional and sectoral approach is needed for the change of the mindset, which will lead to the product change via the green training investment;
- Networking has suffered during the pandemic, but companies, regions and LSPs are encouraged to go on this path.