SKYLA partners get to know the Tuscan model of ITS Academies

SKYLA (Smart Specialisation Skills Ecosystems for the Twin Transition) partners met in person for the 3rd time from 9 to 10 April in Florence, Tuscany Region. They were invited to better understand the regional ITS Academy model and to exchange their policy solutions and needs. SKYLA is a SMART Interreg Europe project with 11 regional partners seeking to put VET at the centre of smart specialisation for the twin transition.

Miriana Bucalossi (Regional Government of Tuscany) welcomed the participants on behalf of the Region. She stressed the relevance of the Interreg Europe projects for their region as even if the skills of governance or public policies are different, cooperation and learning from each other are key to improving the territories’ policies for citizens.

The project is now entering its second year after a successful policy needs exchange between the regions involved, as explained by Lorenzo Sabatini (SKYLA’s lead partner ASEV – Agenzia per lo Sviluppo Empolese Valdelsa). In this first year, SKYLA partners dedicated their efforts to sharing their Policy Needs and to involve local stakeholders. Thanks to these inputs, the partnership better understands the skills challenges and needs faced by the other regions, as discussed during the second partners meeting in Dublin.

In this meeting, partners explored regional policy solutions in their territories and started matching them with their policy needs. To this end, two workshops were organised to exchange their Policy Solutions and Good Practices linking up to regional policy needs and considered possible ways to improve policy instruments, building on identified policy needs and solutions to address them.  A Steering Committee meeting closed the meeting where partners discuss their impressions and have an overview of the communication and dissemination actions run by Advisory Partner EARLALL.

Getting to know the Tuscany ITS Academy model

Partners had the opportunity to learn and meet experts from the Tuscany Region who introduced regional and national tools that support the local skills ecosystems. Ms Alessandra Biancolini (Ministry of Labour – INAPP) introduced the National Jobs Act reform which established the “National Technical Body for Apprenticeship.”  The body aims with the mission to harmonise professional standards (Apprenticeship) in the job collecting agreement and linking them in the standards, and regulatory framework of apprenticeships. From the national to the regional level Mr Gabriele Grondoni and Ms Miriana Bucalossi explained how the Tuscany region is Promoting apprenticeships and work-based learning and the challenges and opportunities of this reform, with Good Practices such as the Didacta Fair.

From the theory to the practice, partners dedicated part of the meeting to deep-dive into the concept of the Tuscany Region Good Practice ITS Academies which are part of the reform of higher technical institutes (ITS Academy).  The ITS Academy focuses on strategic areas related to the ecological transition, the digital transition, national branding (‘Made in Italy’ – MITA) and specialised craftsmanship. The ITS Academies develop innovative training programmes strongly relevant to labour market needs in different sectors and territories. In particular, the ITS Academy Made in Italy Tuscany Academy (MITA) provides qualified and technological training in the fashion sector. MITA is structured as a foundation formed by private enterprises, training providers and public institutions.

Understanding the ITS Academy model

ITS MITA Academy is structured as a foundation formed by private enterprises, training providers and public institutions. SKYLA partners were introduced to the model by Mr Lorenzo Barbagli (MITA Academic Coordinator).The ITS MITA in fashion meets the region’s expectations to train future workers in the different textile companies established within Tuscany. The Academy connected with the industry and the region to understand better the needs for the next academic course. The Institution offers two-year training courses, based on the motto of “learning by doing”, in their courses practical training is essential. To get excellent practical training they rely on private companies, as 90% of their teachers are coming from the fashion industry. A second important element is the time dedicated to work-based learning, 800 hours of internships are foreseen in their programmes, which are offered to the students in the second year. The ITS MITA work placements results reveal the success of their model: on average more than 95% of their students find a job after their training. In ITS MITA it is finding a connection between public and private interest that results in a better training of workers which will improve the competitiveness of the Region.

SKYLA Partners were particularly interested in how the Academy is working towards a more sustainable fashion model. Mr Lorenzo Barbagli explained that sustainability is integrated transversally in all the areas of the Academy. On top of this, they are using no chemicals in their training labs and they are in constant contact with companies to work in that direction.

On the 3-4 April 2022, the Euro App Mobility organised its 2^nd General Assembly focusing on the Mobility of Apprenticeships at the Committee of Regions (Brussel). This organisation aims to be an accelerator of long-term mobility of apprentices in Europe. In the context of the European Year of Skills, the Euro App Mobility network joined forces with EuroChambes and the European Alliance for Apprenticeship (EAfA) to gather more than 300 mobility experts, coming from 28 European countries and beyond.

On this occasion, the aim was to discuss recent development on the apprentices mobility and to work together in a proposal for a call for action under the theme “Towards a European Area for Apprenticeship and Vocational Training Erasmus+.” EARLALL network participated as the subject of Mobility of Apprenticeships is of interest of our members regions and our members have been discussing this topic in the Working Groups meetings.

The Assembly was organised in the backdrop of the European Commission’s proposal for a Council Recommendation “‘Europe on the Move’ – learning mobility opportunities for everyone.” The final text is expected to be adopted in the next Council Meeting in May 2024.

The Council Recommendation was the main topic of discussion of the opening session where speakers from the European Commission, the Erasmus+ French National Agency, Members of the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions were invited to share their reflections on the recommendation proposal. In particular, panellists focused on Annex 2: Policy Framework for Apprentice Mobility, which looks into recommendations to establish a framework, including system-level requirements for facilitating apprentice mobility to support apprentices and companies. Speakers agreed that everyone should have the possibility to study abroad and that the lack of appropriate budget is one of the barriers to reaching the ambitious targets set up in the proposal, such as reaching at least 15% of vocational education and training learners benefitting from mobilities. Member of the Committee of the Regions, Francois Decoster, announced that in the next Plenary meeting of the Committee, he will present his opinion on Skills and Talent Mobility. Mr Decoster stated that European regions have a leading role to play alongside states in providing more opportunities for youth and strengthening education and social cooperation.

The afternoon was dedicated to discussing three strategic pillars of the Call for Action, gathering inputs from the participants. The points of discussion included:

• How the mobility officers and coordinators are professions that need to be recognised and developed. The session aimed to try to imagine together the best/ideal mobility coordinators that could be. This session counted the participation of Óscar Palazón (Regional Minister of Education of Catalonia, member of the EARLALL network) and Marc Batlle (Mobility Coordinator from the Institut Torre Vicens). They shared their experiences as mobility coordinators from the institutional point of view and the school perspective.
• How the mobility networks can support mobility coordinators. “Help and Cooperation” were the two terms mentioned by the mobility experts and coordinators during this thematic sessions. That’s why mobility networks are key to accompanying and supporting them in their role. Participants agreed that the administrative and understanding of legal frameworks is the most demanding part of their tasks.
• How soft and transversal skills are an asset for companies, and an opportunity for national and European Economies. In this session, participants explored the relationship with companies and different paths and good practices to make them understand the importance of mobilities.

Jean Atrhuis, Chairman of the Euro App Mobility organisation, opened the second day of the Assembly. He presented the final text of the call for action towards a European area for apprenticeships and vocational training.  The text calls for the removal of barriers to mobility for all and six concrete actions:

1.A single European mobility apprentice status.
2.Automatic mutual recognition of learning outcomes acquired during a period of apprenticeship abroad.
3. A European vocational learner card
4.Promotion of apprenticeship mobility mentoring within companies.
5.A European training path for ” mobility coordinators.”
6.Sustainable financial support for the Erasmus+ program.

Social partners and stakeholders discuss then the role of the companies in supporting apprenticeship mobilities. Europe is predicted to lose 1 million workers every year until 2025, as mentioned by Stefan Olsson, Deputy Director-General “Jobs, Skills and Social Policies”, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission. In this context; apprenticeships are a key solution to access to skills for the companies and young people and adults. However, mobility coordinators’ roles need to be recognised and the necessary resources must be dedicated for them to succeed in their missions.

The General Assembly was closed by the approval of the Call for Action and with the firm conviction that working together on the valorisation of the mobility coordinator’s role is essential.

In the context of the European Year of Skills, the European Commission Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) organized the first Pact for Skills Forum “Unlocking skills potential across Europe” to provide an insight into the Pact’s achievements and outline its vision for future development.

The Pact of Skills: connecting industry, education and policy

The event kicked off with an exchange of views with European Commissioners for Job and Social Rights, Mr Nicolas Schmit, and for Internal Market, Mr Thierry Breton. Both Commissioners highlighted the challenge to attract and retain talent in Europe and that the Pact was born as an initiative within the European Skills Agenda to get relevant stakeholders from the industry, education and policy spheres together. The Pact is about people, about facilitating a skills revolution and promoting a culture of upskilling and reskilling while leaving no one behind. Mr Breton explained that, for the European Industry to be competitive and maximize its capacity, we need to address the skills shortages that especially SMEs are confronted with. There are many EU initiatives (Skills Academy, AI and cybersecurity industries support) and programmes with more than 65 billion to promote training, but member states and private entities should also contribute and embark on the strategies for the future of Europe (e.g. migration policies, support to SMEs, reinforce Industrial policies, etc). 

Europe needs 20 million digital skilled people by 2030 (we are at 9.4 million now) while there are countries like India which graduate 1 million digital experts per year. As Commissioner Schmit highlighted, welcoming and hosting culture is important as well as guiding young people and women into STEAM fields, designing flexible upskilling and reskilling, promoting VET and the use of ILAs and micro-credentials. There is no need to talk about ‘new skills’ but a ‘new orientation’ of skills and more technical skills. “We need the European Year of Skills to last forever” he added.

Cooperation a key component to business success

The importance of cooperation and the idea that talent is a key component to business success was also stressed during the second panel (Working together to tackle skills shortages in the digital transition). The panel counted the participation of representatives from big companies, such as IBM Corporation or Renault Group, public authorities from the Ministry of Education and Science in Latvia and Skillnet Ireland and Ms Manuela Geleng (DG EMPL, Directorate B Jobs and Skills).

In the afternoon, three parallel thematic workshops were held on the topics of attracting and retaining skills and talent, supporting upskilling and reskilling through ILAs and addressing skills shortages through micro-credentials and Skills Academies.

Ms Olivia Montel, French Ministry of Labour, and Ms Marième Digne, Skills Department – Caisse de Dépots, presented the French example of Individual Learning Accounts for all, which raised a lot of interest from participants (this topic was already addressed during a webinar organised by EARLALL last year, see here.) The system provides an ILAs platform with individual training accounts for each person and the allocation of 500 or 800 EUR per year (with a maximum amount of 5.000 or 8.000 EUR – for people from disadvantaged backgrounds-) and a catalogue of training courses that the individual can choose from. Private companies and other stakeholders such as regions can top up the individual accounts via automatic or voluntary endowments.

The Pact for Skills and the European Year of Skills

The second event day was opened by Acting Director General DGEMPL, Ms Andriana Sukova, who congratulated the Pact for Skills members to be at the forefront of innovation and for organizing most of the 2000 events that are taking place during the European Year of Skills. She also preconized the importance of adopting skills-first approaches and supporting providers toward digital credentials.  The skills challenge goes beyond the labour market and those 3 in 4 SMEs that acknowledge difficulties in recruiting people with the right competencies, but it is also about adult Europeans lacking basic digital skills. She acknowledged the European Commission Communication on the Action Plan on labour shortages published a couple of days earlier. EARLALL is contributing to this area through several projects such as LCAMP: Learner Centric Advanced Manufacturing Platform for CoVEs(on skills and Advanced Manufacturing) or TRAILS – Enabling data analytics for actions tackling skills shortages & mismatch.

Apart from panel discussions, the event also included sessions on synergies with the EAfA, World Café interactions and a networking dinner. Ms Ann Branch, DG EMPL, Head of Unit, closed the event and provided some key messages and takeaways. She stressed the importance of the regional dimension as it is the level closer to the people, the need to promote a training culture to accelerate change, to cross-fertilize with other initiatives, and to work together and cooperate to remain competitive. Skills are important not only for the education sector but for everyone and all sectors. The European Year of Skills has created momentum and we should capitalise on it to promote a skills revolution.

EARLALL was among the more than 600 participants in the 10th edition of “Europe, let’s Cooperate” in the Belgian city of Antwerp from 20-21 March 2024. This event brought people from across the EU interested in interregional cooperation together. This year’s edition is particularly relevant as the Programme is welcoming seven new countries and it marks the launch of the third call for proposals. EARLALL is already participating in the two precedent calls through projects SKYLA – Smart Specialisation Skills Ecosystems for the Twin Transition (under the “Smart” theme) and the upcoming project SALAM – Sustainable Accessibility in the Labour Market (under the “Social” theme).

The first day was focused on the celebration of cooperation, launching the third call for project proposals and welcoming new countries into the Interreg Europe programme. Slawomir Tokarski (European Commission), Manoëlle Wasseige (Belgian Presidency Of The Council Of The European Union) and Anne Wetzel (Director Of The European Department, Hauts-De-France Region) took stock of the achievements of Interreg Europe over the years. All of them agreed on the importance of the evolution of the programme, stressing cooperation and solidarity as key elements of territorial cooperation. After 20 years, the Interreg Europe Programme has managed to deliver results and improve policies in regions across Europe. In the new call, seven new countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine will be able to benefit from this opportunity.

The Interreg Europe Secretariat introduced two aspects of the programme: the building of projects and the Policy Learning Platform.

Thanks to the projects different territories can collectively address and improve common challenges through capacity-building activities, piloting actions and understanding how other regions are doing. They encourage the participants to involved and connect with new countries, so to enlarge the scope of their knowledge-sharing.

Inspiration for EARLALL’s Interreg Europe Projects

On March 21, participants had the opportunity to learn about the Policy Learning Platform. The platform is a combination of best practices, peer-review processes and thematic experts that help to shape better policy solutions for regional challenges.

Within the networking opportunities, Talent.Brussels had the opportunity to present its project idea on promoting mobility among public civil servants to increase the attractiveness of public function jobs. This idea was warmly welcome by the regional participants.

Overall, the two days provided excellent insight into the opportunities of the programme and the possibilities of interregional collaboration to improve policy.

Between 18-19 March 2024, the Committee of the Regions organised the 10^th Summit of Regions and Cities in the Belgian city of Mons. The summit was an opportunity for regional and local representatives to debate the green transition, innovation, gender equality and integration, among other key topics for the future of Europe. EARLALL attended on the 18^th March.

Cities and Regions as the heart of Europe

During the opening speeches, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, President of the European Committee of the Regions, referred to Europe’s regions as the “beating heart of Europe”. Elio Di Rupo, Minister-President of the Wallonia Region, Member of the European Committee of the Regions, welcomed participants to Mons and pointed out that Mons, as a recently developed post-industrial city, is proof of the importance of the cohesion policy.

Panellists from outside of the EU were then invited to speak about their opinions on the cohesion policy and the ability of regions and cities to cooperate on important issues close to citizens’ hearts. Speakers included Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of Nouakchott Region, Mauritania, Chair of the Africa Section of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments; Sérgio Aguiar, President of the National Union of State Legislators, Brazil; ​​Brian Patrick Kennedy, President of the National Conference of State Legislatures, United States ; Rudi Vervoort, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, Member of the European Committee of the Regions and Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko, President of the All-Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils and Head of the Kharkiv Regional Council .

Just transition and cohesion at the heart of future EU investment policies  ​

Within the context of the necessary green transition that all regional and local authorities are facing, this plenary session explored how cohesion policy can be a lever for a just transition adapted to the realities of all regions and contributing to better public investment in Europe.

Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, placed an emphasis on ensuring the green transition leaves nobody behind. He acknowledged the real threat that climate change poses for regions and cities, and called on these authorities to see the challenges as new opportunities. He concluded that “technology only works if there are people who can handle it, meaning we need to work on upskilling and reskilling the population”.Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy and Employment echoes Mr. Schmit’s thoughts, reminding the audience that a green Europe also has to be a social one.

Within a panel of regional and local authority representatives, Emil Boc, Chair of the European Committee of the Regions’ COTER Commission, Major of Cluj-Napoca, stated that “people need to understand the benefits of the green transition to get behind it”.

Building inclusive communities from a Regional perspective: Basque Country shares its experience

The session brought together high-level policy makers and local authorities to exchange good practices and identify aspects that have to be improved to put in practice efficient integration policies that can empower both new arrivals and host communities to engage in building a more inclusive future.

The session was moderated by Anna Gumbau, Journalist and invited at first Nerea Melgosa Vega, Basque Government Minister of Equality, Justice and Social Policies to share the inspiring practice of the region in regards to integrating migrants into local societies. Ms. Vega discussed a programme Trapecista, which is funded by the ESF+ fund and helps 18-25 year olds to transition into adulthood. The program typically benefits migrants and aims to provide participants with the skills to reach full financial and social autonomy, meaning they will no longer rely on the programme once completed. In 2023, 606 people were able to benefit from the project, and 76% achieved the desired autonomy objectives. Ms Vega concluded that “we offer to these migrants what we would like to receive”.

Panellists highlighted the importance of education and labour market policies to tackle integration. Philippe Close, Mayor of Brussels was “convinced that education should be the centre of our policy” while Antje Grotheer, Vice-President of Bremen State Parliament, Member of the European Committee of the Regions said that the “biggest issue is labour market integration as it is the first contact with society”. Anne Rudisuhli, Member of the Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council and of the European Committee of the Regions, shared the positive result of implementing mentoring in the region, helping those unaccompanied minor migrants in the region to achieve very positive social integration results.

The capacity-lab was closed with the conclusion from all speakers that integration of migrants is an important local and regional issue, as migrants do not integrate first into a country without integration into local communities.

On March 14 2024, the EARLALL Academy hosted its 8^th session about An international dimension for improved capacity building of guidance. The Academy has been launched to best fulfil EARLALL’s ambitious work plan and to continue to support its members in their capacity-building at the local and regional level of lifelong learning. In each MasterClass, we will invite a new speaker to give an in-depth lesson on transversal themes and topics pertinent to the whole network. The online classes will be learning opportunities tailor-made for the needs of EARLALL’s members.

The webinar invited two experts from the Euroguidance network Nina Ahlroos and Margot Rammo. Nina has a broad experience in lifelong guidance, starting as a career guidance counsellor at Stockholm University and now serving as coordinator of the Swedish Euroguidance centre. On a European level, Nina leads the Euroguidance Network’s Communication working group and serves as a National Expert for CareersNet at Cedefop. She is also designated as the “National Correspondent” for IAEVG by the Swedish Association of Guidance Counsellors. Margit Rammo is devoted to inspiring innovation in career guidance and competence development within the European guidance community. Margit is an active member of the Association of Estonian Career Counsellors, contributes as a member of the National Career Guidance Forum, and manages Euroguidance activities within the Education and Youth Board of Estonia.

The webinar was an excellent opportunity to exchange about the Euroguidance and EARLALL networks, and provided background and practical information for helping guidance counsellors to promote mobility in their work.

On 13 March 2024, EARLALL attended the conference “On the Way towards EU Integration: Countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe Shaping Lifelong Learning Systems” organised by the European Training Foundation (ETF), the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) and VHS DVV International. The conference was an opportunity to hear from many of the EU’s neighbouring countries about the current state of affairs in adult education and lifelong learning.

The event was opened with welcoming words from DVV International, ETF and EAEA, [The speakers highlighted the potential for learning across different national settings and the impetus to work on adult education during the European Year of Skills.

The day? was then split into  three-panel discussions following different important themes:

Increasing participation in adult learning and education

To open the first discussion, Mr Koen Nomden, Team Leader in Transparency and Recognition of Skills and Qualifications, DG EMPL, European Commission, gave an overview of EU policies in Adult Learning and Lifelong Learning, including the European Pillar of Social Rights; the Pact for Skills Initiatives; Upskilling Pathways Initiatives and the European Skills Agenda 2020.

Following this, speakers from EU neighbouring countries took the floor to discuss the opportunities and challenges in their countries, from Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kosovo*; North Macedonia and Serbia. Along the discussion many similarities among their systems.

Building Systems in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning

Ms. Ena Drenkhan, Chief expert in the field of adult education, explained the success factors and challenges in the Estonian context. The adult education landscape is characterised by lots of flexibility, a wide range of formal and non-formal providers and mainly short courses. One of the strengths of the systems is the recognition of prior learning and work experience, as well as the empowerment of cooperation networks and high quality.

Ms. Patricia Navarro-Palau, Labour market economist, at OECD, discussed the need for adults to be trained in skills for the future, particularly digital skills. To provide the funding for these upskilling pathways, Ms Navarro-Palau outlined the potential benefits of vouchers, loans and individual learning accounts. Firms are the main providers of training in the EU and should be part of the solution. In some contexts, firms can receive vouchers for this purpose. Quality assurance and career guidance are also essential to ensure good options for adult learners.

Panelists from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine took the floor to present funding for ALE in their countries. Mr. Avetiq Mejlumyan, Director of, NGO Institute of Public Policy fromArmenia mentioned that there are many NGOs and growing networks of youth centres and the goal of community centres in the future. The main providers of adult education are NGOs and civil societies, they are working with the support of international partners too.

Ms. Tamar Kitiashvili, an independent expert on ALE, Georgia introduced the Georgian system of labour market qualifications, which supports those who are looking to increase their employability through upskilling. Soon Georgia will open the Open Learning Service.

 Ms. Felicia Bechtoldt, State Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Republic of Moldova introduced updates in the country. For example, a new voucher system has been introduced, which has increased the number of training providers in the formal education sector. Career guidance is also an important aspect of motivation to participate in adult learning, and a strong focus of the system.

Mr. Oleg Smirnov, Country Director, DVV International Ukraine highlighted the need for policy coherence across policy areas in Ukraine, despite strong regional examples.

Actors and stakeholders in lifelong learning

Brikena Xhomaqi, Director, of Lifelong Learning Platform, introduced the last panel of the day about governance in the lifelong learning sector. The European example of Slovenia was introduced by Ms Teja Solga, head of the Adult Education Unit in the Ministry of Education in Slovenia. [

The conference was closed with speakers from key institutions, including the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, the European Training Foundation, DVV International, as well as Ms Felicia Bechtoldt, State Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection Moldova, and Ms Jasna Jovanovic, State Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation Montenegro.

Brikena Xhomaqi, summarized the final panel discussion with the key takeaway that cross-border exchanges of progress in lifelong learning should continue to be shared, as it inspires one another and creates common ground for continued cooperation.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

On 12 March 2024, the Mission of Switzerland to the EU, SwissCore and DLR Projektträger organised a new series of its “Brussels Future Talks” evening events. On this occasion, the talk was focused on discussing tools and projects that contribute to building a more inclusive and innovative development of Vocational and Educational Training (VET) in the context of the European Year of Skills.

Anna Barbieri, European Commission, Team Leader Apprenticeships in DG “Employment, Social Affairs, Inclusion”, set the scene by introducing the participants to the different powers that the VET sector has. Ms Barbieri stated that VET can be a driving force that supports Europe to tackle European challenges in times of disruption but for that “we need an innovative and modern VET system.” To reach that point, she indicated that improving the attractiveness of VET is essential. The European Commission is already working on initiatives for  VET students to tell their own stories, such as the Meet the Champions of Excellence gathering that took place in Brussels, and that in which EARLALL and its members participated. Other initiatives such as the European Alliance for Apprenticeship or the Centers for Vocational Excellence (in which EARLALL actively takes part) are also contributing to improving the attractiveness of VET.  She stressed that the next European Commission’s main challenges will be to enhance the attractiveness of VET and to promote transversal skills.

The evening continued with the discussion and presentation of good practices and perspectives from Switzerland, Germany and Latvia.

Swiss colleagues presented the VET strategy which is looking towards 2030. Currently, they are developing  how to deliver the rights skills for each individual that also meets the labour market needs, and how to tackle the skills shortages. They presented a good practice “Solar Apprenticeships” which is a new professional profile: Sollar Installer + Sollar Fixer. The Swiss certification (EBA) for solar fitters is completed after a two-year apprenticeship, while the EFZ for solar installers can be obtained after three years of training. The two training plans were developed by Swissolar in the short term. This comes from an industry demand as they were lacking workers in this, so VET and industry cooperation. It is integrated under the professional branch of building careers.   

In the case of Germany, the country has a long history within VET and apprenticeships. Nevertheless, the authorities are continuously looking into how to modernise the different VET curricula and professional profiles. To this end, the German Federal Institute for VET (BIBB) works to identify future challenges in VET, stimulate innovation in national and international vocational systems and develop new, practice-oriented solutions for VET and CVET. Latvia has had to contend with the negative perception of VET, therefore improving the attractiveness and the quality of VET is among its top priorities as a country.   

The panel discussion was focused on how to empower European VETs in challenging times. Speakers addressed topics such as how to integrate disadvantaged people into the labour market or gender equality issues. All in all, panellists agreed that we are on our way to building a more inclusive future for VET, but that a long road remains ahead.

On March 7, 2024, EARLALL attended the session “Education to tackle polarisation and enhance democracy”, organised during the European Economic and Social Committee’s annual European Civil Society Week, in Brussels.

The session was co-organised by the Lifelong Learning Platform and introduced different approaches to polarisation in classroom settings. The opening speech was help by  Ms Tatjana Babrauskiene, EESC member – NAT Section, who highlighted that polarisation in the world, spurred on by global crises, will necessarily enter into classrooms. In this perspective, it is imperative that these spaces are equipped to deal with differing positions.

Next, Maarten Van Alstein, Researcher at Flemish Peace Institute, dived into the nuances of polarisation, and the great challenges it poses for teachers in classrooms. The opportunity is to transform toxic polarisation into democratic disagreement. He introduced the concept of open classrooms – spaces young people can voice their opinions even if different from the rest, and teachers present topics from a variety of points of views. This can enhance critical citizenship in classrooms.

 Following this, Erika Stael von Holstein, Chief Executive of Re-Imagine Europa (RIE), looked at education’s core role in building healthy narratives in chimdren, including building responsive listening, eliminating polarising langauyge and focusing on shared objectives.

Finally, Dominic Richardson, Director of Learning for Well-being Institute, discussed how we need to focus on early intervention and building adequate health and family settings before education begins. He proposed that that divides our educational outcomes are family function, poverty, academic ability, housing, disability, gender, race, migrant, home learning and environment. These are all factors that influence children even before they attend education, and hence need to be equalled out to reduce polarisation.

Lifelong Learning and reducing polarisation in education

After the introductory presentations, participants were divided into groups to discuss, “How can we reduce polarisation in education and in our societies with the support of an intergenerational perspective for healthy democracy?”. One proposition related to lifelong learning explored the role of lifelong learning centres where non-formal and informal learning environments and people of all ages come together and foster mutual understanding. Discussions centred around the benefits of intergenerational exchange to question preconceived ideas, informal learning in youth groups and outdoor settings and learning with people of all backgrounds. These experiences help to break down social and intellectual barriers and can foster respectful understanding of one another’s’ views.

On March 1, 2024,  EARLALL associate member GO! (the Adult Education Association of Flanders) hosted the final conference for the two-year Innovation4Education project. The project  focused on strengthening the capacity of European education employers through the promotion of innovation in education institutions in a post-COVID-19 era, and was led by the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE).

The conference was opened by Barbara Novinec, President of EFEE, who welcomed participants and introduced their network and the Innovation4Education project. The floor was then taken by Stefaan Hermans, Director for Policy, Strategy and Evaluation (DG EAC, European Commission). Mr Hermans celebrated the outcomes of the project, stating that the result is “not just another report”, but truly dug deeper into the differences in structural and institutional innovation in education. Mr Hermaans linked the report to how the European Commission is fostering innovation in education, notably through the European Education Area. In line with the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU’s priorities, the EEA seeks to put evidence-based policy at the forefront.

How to strengthen the capacity of European education employers through the promotion of innovation in education institutions in the post-Covid19 era?

One of the main outputs of the Innovation4Education project is a short report on the possibilities for innovation in education in a post-COVID-19 era. Peter Kelly, researcher at the University of Plymouth, outlined the main findings that the project contributed to. For example, the report suggests that education needs to build resilience and be responsive, where resilience depends on developing communities, and being responsive is linked to innovation. In this way, the report moves away from the understanding of innovation as technological advancements only but rather proposes innovation as a way to solve real problems in local contexts.

Following this, a panel discussion was held with the question “What are the current priorities in the education sector in Europe and how to comprehensively foster new ideas and innovation?”, with speakers from ESHA, EPA, OBESSU and the Flemish Department of Education and Training, moderated by Isabelle Janssens, the Director of GO!. Panellists discussed various topics, including the need to promote well-being for students, a sense of community in classrooms and support teaching through the strong involvement of parents.

Peter Kelly then discussed the draft policy recommendations that were a result of the project, asking for audience input. The recommendations cover four areas: innovation and technology; innovation in professional learning; innovation in management and leadership and structural innovation. Participants shared their views and developed the draft recommendations.

Finally, an important aspect of the event was the poster showcase of different members of the EFEE community, including schools from Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Poland. Guests were invited to discover the posters of the practices in the corridor, and also through presentations.

On Thursday 29 February 2024, the UK Mission to the EU organised the UK-EU Green Skills Workshop, at the Scotland House Brussels. The event was an opportunity for over 60 participants from the EU and the UK to meet and discuss important issues such as how training courses can be designed to fit business needs and the role of technology can strengthen skills forecasting and build workforce data to inform skills investment.

The workshop was opened by a keynote speech from Dr El Iza Mohamedou, Head of the OECD Centre for Skills. Dr El Iza Mohamedou outlined that the projected growth in the renewable sector has increased, with an estimated 25 million jobs created by 2030. She highlighted that while many of these will be technical jobs, there is an important role for transversal skills, such as problem-solving, data analysis, data and digital literacy, client services and research and development. With regards to possible policy directions needed to tackle the skills revolution, there is an increased need for career guidance for adults and youth, access to education in rural areas, investing in green curricula and international collaboration for skills development. VET has a particularly important role in occupations impacted by the green transition, as VET aids the transition to greener sectors through skilling and upskilling in a targeted and efficient way.

Technology and skills forecasting: what future?

Following the keynote speech, participants were split into two breakout room sessions. EARLALL participated in the first one entitled “What role can technology play to strengthen skills forecasting and build workforce data to inform skills investment?”. The discussions were highly animated, with participants sharing their appreciation and uncertainty around new technology for skills forecasting. In this domain, the TRAILS –  Enabling data analytics for actions tackling skills shortages & mismatch – Horizon Europe project, was extremely relevant. Among its results will be an innovative methodology to measure skills mismatches; an analysis framework of training in the area of artificial intelligence, as well as a selection of best practices for tackling skills shortages and mismatches in Europe. Moreover, the SKYLA, Smart Specialisation Skills Ecosystems for the Twin Transition project was discussed, as a concrete example for the region to improve their policies in the field of skills forecasting, including VET stakeholders. Those in the breakout session representing the VET sector shared that forecasting needs to be local, quick, relevant and easy to access for VET institutions, as teachers and staff need to then translate this data into practical courses.

The breakout sessions were an excellent opportunity to see the common challenges and opportunities in green skills for UK-EU partners. The discussions concluded with a plenary session, where all of the visual representations of the breakout sessions were shared and explained.

Between 21-22 February 2024, the Regional Ministry of Education of the Government of Catalonia organised the 2nd International Seminar on Mobility and Cooperation Projects. The event welcomed 150 coordinators and VET teachers from Catalonia and twelve other countries. The conference was opened by a performance by VET students, before a welcome from Ms Miriam Castillo, Head of VET programs and project service. Mr Òscar Palazón from the International Unit took the floor as moderator and laid the context for the importance of internationalisation for the Department of Education.

The first keynote speech was held by Ms Camilla Winter, EARLALL Associate Member and external expert for the Swedish Erasmus+ National Agency. Ms Winter outlined her insights and strategies for successful Erasmus+ KA1 applications. The following speeches developed on the topic of Eramsus+ KA1 mobility, offering perspectives from Brainport and Connecteif. In the afternoon, three workshops were provided with the topics VET Education in Catalonia, Europass and Centres of Vocational Excellence. To finish the day, participants were guided through a matchmaking activity and many new international partnerships were established.