The EU Commission will launch the European Year of Skills in May 2023. The initiative, which aims to strengthen the EU's competitiveness, will be implemented across Europe and at national level by May 2024. The plan is to increase investment and action in education to combat the EU's skills shortage and improve business competitiveness.
According to the EU Commission, more than three-quarters of companies in the EU struggle to find workers with the skills they need, while only about 35 percent of adults regularly participate in training. The European Year of Skills is designed to help member states achieve the EU's 2030 targets of a 78 percent employment rate and a 60 percent adult training rate each year. The EU Commission is currently preparing the annual program, which will be linked to skills initiatives and actions at national, regional and local levels.
European Vocational Training Week in October 2023 will focus on "Digital and Green Transformation".
The EU Commission also wants to encourage all relevant stakeholders in vocational education and training, such as companies, chambers, education and training institutions, to participate in the implementation of the "European Year of Skills" with their own contributions and events. To this end, it has set up an interactive map on the initiative's official website, where relevant events and initiatives can be entered via an online form. The Internationaler Bund (IB) will of course also participate as an education provider.
"This initiative should definitely be supported! The current Europe-wide shortage of skilled workers cannot be overcome by any country alone. This once again shows the advantage of EU membership. In this way, helpful measures can be coordinated multilaterally," says Thiemo Fojkar, Chairman of the IB Executive Board.
The planned "European Vocational Training Week" will take place from October 23 to 27, 2023, and will also offer companies and chambers the opportunity to register their own activities on the corresponding website. The focus will be on the qualification and further training needs for the digital and green transformation.
