In the context of its advocacy on Education and Training, COMECE publishes on Wednesday 11 January 2023 its Contribution to the European Commission’s consultation on the European Year of Skills. The policy paper encourages the European Commission to embed a human-centred, integral and inclusive approach to its proposal. Read the document
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Officially announced in von der Leyen’s speech on the State of the Union in September 2022, the European Year of Skills aims to equip the EU workforce with “the right skills for the current competitiveness of our social market economy”. The EU Commission’s proposal suggests a series of initiatives, projects and events to spark exchange on the role and improvement of upskilling, reskilling and training in the EU.
The contribution submitted by COMECE is the result of a joint work with FAFCE and Don Bosco International. It warns the Commission and the EU institutions against understanding training and upskilling solely through the lens of employability and competitiveness, and suggests interpreting the EU Year of Skills more holistically, with the ultimate aim of fostering the integral development of the person.
The paper delves into the various challenges that affect the EU today and are tightly linked with skills provision and learning. In particular, the contribution addresses the demographic winter, the educational challenge, the migration crisis and the skills needed to respond to this context.
Among others, COMECE, FAFCE and DBI suggest integrating interreligious, interpersonal, critical thinking and cultural awareness competences at all levels of reskilling and upskilling, with boosted cooperation between formal and nonformal education providers.
The contribution also calls on a balanced and more inclusive approach to digital and technical skills, with better recognition of soft and informal skills and more support to the role of Vocational Education and Training in Europe.
The document includes input from the COMECE Youth Net members and the COMECE Working Group on Culture and Education.