The Making Skills Count Conference has been a flagship event of the European Year of Skills, that took place on 8-9 June 2023 in Brussels (and even online). The main goal was to emphasize the importance of skills development and recognition in a cross-border context and, generally, in our societies. Therefore it aimed to bring together experts, policymakers, stakeholders, and practitioners from various fields to discuss key issues and innovative approaches related to skills recognition, validation, and mobility. At the same time, the conference highlighted the importance of skills for the recovery and resilience of the European economy and society, as well as for the green and digital transitions, showcasing best practices and innovative solutions for developing, validating, and recognising skills, such as the European Skills Agenda, the European Qualifications Framework, the Europass platform, and the European Skills Panorama. We believe that, reading this summary, you will find topics and points very similar to the main theme of our Mag.
The different sessions, workshops and discussions focused mainly on topics such as unlocking skills, recognising qualifications, promoting lifelong learning, and addressing the challenges and opportunities of skills development in a rapidly evolving economy – making then a real link to the EEA & Norway Grants goals and challenges to face. As we do daily, it was an occasion to explore best practices, policies, and initiatives aimed at enhancing skills mobility, bridging the skills gap, and promoting inclusive and sustainable growth across European countries.
Not surprisingly, the Making Skills Count Conference saw the participation of representatives from government bodies, educational institutions, industry associations, and other relevant organisations. The ideal results was to provide for a platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and collaboration, with the goal of advancing skills development, recognition, and utilization to meet the demands of the modern labor market. Basically what we are going to discuss with that Mag’s edition, isn’t it?
Indeed, such as we are presenting in this issue, the conference aimed to explore different ways in which skills “count” and matter for individuals, employers, and society, showcased initiatives and tools addressing skills-related challenges. The covered topics seems to perfectly fit with our topic of the month:
– Skills-first approaches for recruitment and talent management;
– Skills for the green and digital transition and for net-zero industry;
– Skills for social inclusion and active citizenship;
– Skills development and lifelong learning, etc.
With other terms, participants explored a variety of ways in which skills count and matter, to individuals, organisations, and at system level. Such as you do.
Bringing together stakeholders, training providers, guidance and validation practitioners, companies, social partners, chambers of commerce, qualifications agencies/authorities, and public authorities who play a vital role in the concrete delivery of skills, a concrete occasion was created to stimulate discussion about the gaps in skills development and the needed changes in public policy and in the business world, with a view to improve implementation and reforms.
The event resulted in some lessons learned on how to address skill imbalances, also by taking advantage of EU initiative and tools. What we, as Regional Funds, are doing following a similar path, is fostering dialogue and cooperation among different actors and sectors involved in skills development and use, and trying to make skills count for all, by ensuring that everyone has access to quality and inclusive education and training, that skills are recognised and valued across borders and sectors, and that skills intelligence and guidance support informed choices and career development
Meaning that, most probably, this is the right path.
Francesca Bombarda
