Skills
Eurochambres believes that maximising the value of Europe’s human capital is vital to increasing its global competitiveness and to tackling unemployment. This requires a workforce that is equipped with a range of transversal skills, a capacity to adapt and an entrepreneurial attitude. Such attitudes such be fostered by entrepreneurial education accessible at all stages of learning. It also means that education and training (including tertiary education) policy must be developed and delivered in close collaboration with the business community and focus more on competences than qualifications. This will help reduce the skills mismatch between what employers need and what the market offers.
Effective skills intelligence tools must be developed, and their findings need to form a basis for education and training curricula. Active and targeted measures for the integration of migrants and refugees will help them quickly adapt to European labour markets.
Chambers have a strong tradition in the provision of education and training. In a typical year, over 2.5 million people receive training from Chambers.
At EU level, Eurochambres in particular campaigns for a stronger focus on vocational education and training, notably through combining apprenticeship schemes with academic learning at secondary and tertiary level. Eurochambres also contributes actively to the policy dialogue on education and training. It takes part in a variety of EU level technical committees on skills, qualifications and training. It also advocates strongly for more accurate skills forecasting, improvements in the provision of apprenticeship schemes and a pan-European approach to the integration of refugees in the workforce. In addition, Eurochambres advocates for entrepreneurial education as a basic skill which should be provided in a course of education.
Strategic Chamber Network Development
- Martha Schultz – Chair
- Xavier Mirel - Policy Advisor