PES welcomes Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu’s proposals to advance the Union of Skills, whether they be on skills portability, on vocational education and training, or on STEM in education.
The Union of Skills will help build strong skills foundations, support better upskilling and reskilling opportunities to workers, favour the recognition of their diplomas and competences and help to attract talent. It is a strategy that will facilitate workers’ transitions in the labour market and ease the skills shortages that companies are facing across Europe.
The right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills is acknowledged as the first principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights. It must enable everyone to participate fully in society and successfully manage transitions in the labour market.
Welcoming the Commission’s initiative,PES President Stefan Löfven stated:
“The European economy’s success rests on the quality, knowledge, training and know-how of its workforce. Competitiveness today is about the knowledge and skills of workers; it is not about wage repression.
By supporting additional training, reskilling and upskilling opportunities for European workers, Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu’s Union of Skills is definitely going in the right direction. The Union of Skills will strengthen the right to education, training and life-long learning acknowledged in the European Pillar of Social Rights. It will support workers moving from carbon intensive industries to new sectors and help them gain the confidence to change occupation. It will contribute to making our economy more resilient, circular and innovative.
Confronted with great challenges, the European economy must make the best use of all its forces. The Commission has now put forward its proposals for skills. We look forward to the publication of its proposals on quality jobs later this year, as quality jobs are the key to mobilising workers, filling vacancies, and attracting and retaining the talents we need for continued economic success.”
