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Supporting Skills Development through reforms

Investing in training and upskilling for a resilient and qualified Europe - 25 May

The Conference - Supporting Skills Development through Reforms

This conference is organised by the Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) of the European Commission in the context of 2023 being the European Year of Skills. It is organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security of Portugal and the Directorate-General for Employment, Social affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL).

Through the Technical Support Instrument, the Commission underpins Member States’ reforms in the area of skills to harness the opportunities of the green and digital transition, while addressing the related challenges.

The objectives of the conference are to exchange on how to best support national administrations achieve the necessary reforms in the area of skills development, and how to build synergies with EU funding instruments such as the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund+.

The Conference will feature examples of reforms undertaken by some Member States with the expertise provided by the Technical Support Instrument. It will provide a forum to discuss opportunities and challenges associated with the reform process in the area of skills.

Speakers and panellists from a wide horizon will discuss how to design and implement meaningful up- and reskilling programmes, how to establish quality assurance systems for training providers, strengthening the ability of public employment services to better match skills supply and demand, updating curricula to provide young people with transversal skills.

The conference discussed how to address existing skills shortages in key sectors like health, education, tourism or the green economy, including by attracting talent from third countries.

From a public administration perspective, the conference will debate how to ensure that public administrations are fit for the present and future challenges.

The event took place in the Theatro Municipal do Porto-Rivoli in Porto, Portugal.

Conference recording

Playlist of the conference recording - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 

Programme

The conference brought together high-level public officials from Member States’ ministries of labour and social affairs, public employment services, ministries of education, ministries responsible for public administration, EU institutions, European and national organisations and other stakeholders.

Panel discussions for the morning session

  • Skills shortages – What types of reforms are needed to better match demand and offer in the labour market?
  • Skills for the digital and green economy- How to strengthen synergies between the Technical Support Instrument and other EU funding instruments?

Panel discussions for the afternoon session

  • Nurturing, attracting and retaining international talent – How talent acquired outside the EU can best contribute to filling skills shortages?
  • Skills for civil servants – How to ensure that public administrations are fit for the present and future challenges?
  • Supporting educational systems to deliver on the skills of the future- How to shape reforms to ensure quality and inclusive education for better market adapted skills

 

Morning Session

9:00-9:30 GMT+1

Welcome coffee 

  Moderators: Mr Daniele Dotto, Deputy-Director, DG REFORM, and Raluca Painter, Head of Unit, DG REFORM
  Welcome address: Mr Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto

 

Video message: Ms Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms

 

Video message: Mr Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights

 

Introductory remarks: Mr Mario Nava, Director-General, DG REFORM 

10:15-11:15 

Panel 1: Skills shortages – What types of reforms are needed to better match demand and offer in the labour market? 

Mr Federico Muñiz, Deputy Director General for Statistics and Information, Public Employment Service, Spain. Testimonial about TSI support Project “Implementing a new approach to the management of statistical and analytical information in the Spanish labour and social security administration”. 

Moderator: Ms Manuela Geleng, Director Jobs and Skills, DG EMPL  

Panellists:

  • Mr Maxime Cerutti, Director Social Affairs, BusinessEurope
  • Ms Anna Delibasheva, Deputy director general at National Employment Agency, Bulgaria 
  • Mr Jochen Schanz, Senior Economist, Economics Department, European Investment Bank
  • Mr Andrew Bell, Centre for Skills, OECD
  • Mr Mario Patuzzi, European Trade Union Confederation, DGB Bundesvorstand, Head of the Department for Fundamental Issues in Vocational Education and Continuing Education

Questions and Answers session 

11:15- 11:25 Intervention: Mr Juan Rayón González, President of Erasmus Student Network

11:25- 11:35 

Keynote address (video message): Ms Nadia Calviño, First Vice President and Minister for Economy and Digitalisation, Spain  

11:35- 12:35 

Panel 2: Skills for the digital and green economy – How to strengthen synergies between the Technical Support Instrument and other EU funding instruments? 

Ms Katre Trofimov, Head of Person-Centered eHealth, Ministry of Social Affairs. Testimonial about TSI support project “Improving digital competences of the health workforce in Spain and Estonia” 

Moderator: Ms Nathalie Berger, Director for Support to Member States’ Reforms, DG REFORM

Panellists:

  • Mr Spiros Protopsaltis, Governor of the Public Employment Service, Greece 
  • Mr Joaquim Bernardo, President of POCH, Portugal 2020, ESF, Portugal
  • Mr Boris Sloboda, Director General, EU funds section and Head of the Managing Authority for the ESF Operational Programme Human Resources, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Slovakia  
  • Mr Antonio Ranieri, Head of Department for Vocational Education and Training, and Skills, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) 
  • Ms Stefania Rossi, Senior Adviser, Employment, Welfare and Human Capital, EU and International Employment Policies and Social Affairs, Confindustria  

Questions and Answers session  

12:35-14:15 

Lunch break

Afternoon Session

 

Moderator afternoon session: Mr Daniele Dotto, Deputy-Director, DG REFORM

14:15-15:15 

Panel 3: Nurturing, attracting and retaining international talent

Introduction: Yusra Mardini, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador

Moderator: Mr Ioannis Hadjiyiannis, Head of Unit 01 Horizontal Policies, DG REFORM  

Panellists:

  • Ms Anna Brabcova, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Czech Republic  
  • Ms Alexandra Knowles, Head of Talent and Digital Development in Copenhagen Capacity 
  • Mr Martin Ruhs, European University Institute (EUI)
  • Ms Paola Alvarez, IOM Regional Office

Questions and Answers session 

15:15-15:30 Keynote address: Ms Ana Mendes Godinho, Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security of Government of Portugal

15:30- 16:30 

Panel 4: Skills for civil servants – How to ensure that public administrations are fit for the present and future challenges?

Mr Philip McGrath, Head of Public Service Transformation Delivery. Testimonial about TSI support project “Maximising Public Service Capability through Innovation & HR (phase 2)

Moderator: Mr Daniele Dotto, Deputy-Director, DG REFORM 

Panellists:

  • Ms Maria Jepsen, Deputy Director, Eurofound  
  • Ms Gillian Dorner, Deputy Director (Acting), Public Governance Directorate, OECD  
  • Ms Cécile Jolly, Project manager for prospective professions and qualifications, France Stratégie
  • Mr Philip McGrath, Head of Public Service Transformation Delivery, Ireland

Questions and Answers session 

16:30- 16:45

Coffee Break

16:45- 16:55 Introductory remarks: Mr Dragos Pîslaru, Chair of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, European Parliament

 

16:55-17:55 

Panel 5: Supporting educational systems to deliver on the skills of the future – How to shape reforms to ensure quality and inclusive education for better market adapted skills 

Mr Matthieu Merciecca, Chef de la Mission éducation-économie Campus, Ministère de l’éducation nationale et de la jeunesse, France. Testimonial on the project "Support to improve the quality and effectiveness of the French Centres of Vocational Excellence - “Campus des métiers et des qualifications". 

Moderator: Ms Raluca Painter, Head of Unit, Labour market, Education, Health and Social Services, DG REFORM 

Panellists:

  • Ms Susanne Conze, Head of Unit, Country Analysis DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (EAC)
  • Ms Agnė Kudarauskienė, Vice-Minister for Education, Science and Sport, Lithuania  
  • Ms Ana Cláudia Valente, Member of the Board, Agency for Qualification and Vocational Education and Training (ANQEP)
  • Mr Elisio Costa, Director of the Competence Center on Ageing and Coordinator of RIS-Hub University of Porto

Questions and Answers session 

17:55- 18:10

Keynote address: Mr Johan Pehrson, Minister for Employment and Integration, Sweden

18:10- 18:20

Keynote address: Mr João Costa, Minister for Education, Portugal

18:20- 18:25 

Closing remarks: Mr Mario Nava, Director-General, DG REFORM

Interpretation will be available in French and Portuguese. 

Nadia Calviño picture

Nadia Calviño

First Vice-President and Minister for Economy and Digitalisation, Spain

Boris Sloboda picture

Boris Sloboda

Director General of the EU Funds Section, Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic

Anna Brabcova picture

Anna Brabcová

Director, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Czech Republic

Cecile Jolly picture

Cécile Jolly

Project manager for prospective professions and qualifications, France Stratégie

Federico Muñiz picture

Federico Muñiz

Director for Statistics of the SEPE (National Employment Service, Spain)

Antonio Ranieri picture

Antonio Ranieri

Head of Department for Vocational Education and Training, and Skills, CEDEFOP

Martin Ruhs picture

Martin Ruhs

Professor, European University Institute (EUI)

Katre Trofimov picture

Katre Trofimov

Head of Person-Centered eHealth, Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonia

Ana Cláudia Valente picture

Ana Cláudia Valente

Member of the Board, Agency for Qualification and Vocational Education and Training (ANQEP)

Elisio Costa picture

Elisio Costa

Director, Competence Center on Ageing, University of Porto

Paola Alvarez picture

Paola Alvarez

Senior Regional Thematic Specialist on Labour Mobility and Social Inclusion, International Organization for Migration (IOM)

poza dragos

Dragoș Pîslaru

Member of the European Parliament, acting chair of the Employment and Social
Affairs Committee (EMPL)

Gillian Dorner picture

Gillian Dorner

Deputy Director (Acting), Public Governance Directorate, OECD

Jochen Schanz picture

Jochen Schanz

Senior Economist, Economics Department, European Investment Bank

Matthieu Merciecca picture

Matthieu Merciecca

Chef de la Mission éducation-économie Campus, Ministère de l’éducation nationale et de la jeunesse, France

Mario Patuzzi picture

Mario Patuzzi

Head of the Department for Fundamental Issues in Vocational Education and Continuing Education

Dedicated 2024 & 2023 Flagship Technical Support Projects

The proposed 2024 Flagship technical support projects have been selected on the basis that they are largely needed across Member States and are linked to top EU priorities the Member States are in the process of implementing. As such, they aim at supporting Member States in achieving resilience and growth enhancing reforms.

  • Fostering skills development systems better adapted to the labour market: The flagship aims at supporting Member States ministries of education and labour to advance skills development through reforms to enable them to reach the 2030 EU headline targets of at least 60% of adults participating in training every year, and at least 78% of the working-age population being in employment;

  • Public Administration Cooperation Exchange 2024 (PACE): The flagship provides an opportunity for civil servants of national administrations to experience the working methods and culture of other EU public administrations;

  • AI-ready public administration: The flagship will include supporting the preparedness of computing and data infrastructure, increasing interoperability, developing IT and data governance, strengthening digital skills, and supporting regulatory mapping in the context of (forthcoming) EU digital legislation, including the AI Act.​

     

In the context of the 2023 Technical Support Instrument, DG REFORM presented four TSI flagship initiatives to facilitate Member States’ efforts to pursue reforms on skills:

  • Youth FIRST: The flagship focuses on skills of the young people, offering support for increasing access to inclusive and quality education and training and support for up-skilling and re-skilling;
  • Public Administration Cooperation Exchange (PACE): The flagship provides an opportunity for civil servants of national administrations to experience the working methods and culture of other EU public administrations;
  • Digital transformation for regional and local public administrations: The flagship aims at helping EU regional and local authorities design and implement structural reforms in the field of digital public administration, including digital skills, and
  • Migrant Integration and Talent Attraction: The flagship offers support to Member States to create opportunities for employers to recruit international talent to address skills gaps.