Debate: Start of the European Year of skills
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Nicolas Schmit
Language: EN

The agreement you reached with the Council lays the ground for a successful and impactful European Year of Skills, which we are launching today. Today on the 9th of May, Europe Day. Europe needs skills more than ever. Investing in skills makes as much business sense as it does social sense. Some say that skills are the new gold. Skills are indeed a key enabling factor for successful green and digital transitions and for the competitiveness and resilience of our social market economy. And I can just echo what the representative of the Swedish Presidency has now already mentioned. Labour ministers a few days ago in Stockholm had a very extensive debate and discussion on the Year of Skills and on the necessity, really, to promote very active skills policies in order to create new opportunities for everybody, but also in order to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness. Skills help people navigate an ever-changing labour market and reap the opportunities that technological progress and the digital and green transitions offer. And we are very grateful to the Parliament, as we are to the Swedish Presidency of the Council for their support and for keeping the objectives of the year streamlined. The main objective of the year is clear. We have to instil a culture of upskilling and reskilling, which is needed for quality jobs, in particular for young people not in education, employment or training, but also for all other vulnerable groups. For those who do not benefit from an inclusive labour market, the best way to be included in the labour market is to invest in skills and to support these vulnerable groups – be they young, be they long—term unemployed, be they a bit less young, be they women and especially also be they people with a disability, who still are quite discriminated on the labour market. Against the current background of labour and skills shortages, if we want to preserve and strengthen our social model, we need to increase our investments in skills with the aim of creating quality jobs, jobs with good remuneration and proper working conditions and social protection. Skills are at the heart of our political and legislative agenda. They are a key component of important EU measures and proposals from the European Social Fund Plus and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, to REPower, the Fit for 55 package, the European Green Deal Industrial Plan and the net-zero package. During the year, other key proposals, such as a new learning mobility framework, a talent pool to facilitate international recruitment or an initiative on quality traineeships will equally contribute to the objectives of the year. At the same time, the Year of Skills is very much about the shift from policy to reality. Now is the time to see the comprehensive set of EU measures and financing available for skills delivered in practice. And it is also very important that skills are recognised not only between EU Member States and third countries but also inside the EU. I think here some more efforts are indispensable. Since the 2020 European Skills Agenda, we have been calling for a skills revolution in Europe that shifts the mindset towards continuous investment in skills development by both the employers and the workers. I must also say that our appeals have been quite fruitful. Appeals to companies, to all kinds of stakeholders, to unions, to regions. Because the skills pact, which has the intention to bring together all these stakeholders coming from the different economic ecosystems, now gathers more than 1 000 participants. And every month, we have new applicants for the skills pact with very clear objectives to increase the reskilling efforts. The ambition, our ambition, our common ambition is very clear. EU leaders have welcomed ambitious skills targets. By 2030, 60% of adults should take part in training every year. This means we have a long way to go as this figure stands at a bit less than 40% currently and 40% is an average for the European Union. There are a few countries well above and there are also still countries below. To achieve this target, we are offering high levels of funding for upskilling and reskilling, in particular through the European Social Fund Plus, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Just Transition Fund. The 2023 European Year of Skills should be a turning point in helping us meet our ambitious social targets. This is why the work on the ground is key at national and regional levels, but also we have to be much more innovative. I think skilling, reskilling, upskilling people should really take all the possibilities, including the technological possibilities to reach out to all those who sometimes have some doubts if they should or can be skilled or reskilled. So, technology innovation is also part of this Year of Skills. And today marks just the beginning. We have intensive months in front of us, and I look forward to close cooperation, to working together on this important initiative for our economy, our labour markets, but also for our societies, for our strong societies in a world that is changing. Also, in the transformation of our economies, especially also a strengthening of our industry, and it has been just mentioned what is happening in some Member States like Sweden.