Events

The demand for skilled labour has been increasing. Tasks requiring high skills have become more important; jobs increasingly require high levels of education and training; high-skilled occupations have expanded most rapidly, while mid-skilled occupations have declined; and the median returns to higher education have been maintained or even increased. The drivers of skills demand are new technologies, managers’ strategies as to how these new technologies are used and associated ways of organising work, changing industrial and consumer demand, and rising inequality. The future demand for skills is especially uncertain because of the unknown implications of highly automated new technologies (robots). This uncertainty contrasts with the much greater confidence we can have in the growing supply of tertiary educated workers for the foreseeable future. Skills mismatch takes many forms, the “skills deficit”, “skill shortages” and graduate underemployment are all important, with detrimental effects on both workers and employers. Unemployment, recruitment difficulties, skills becoming outdated and people doing jobs not using their potential are examples of skill mismatch: situations where skill supply and skill demand diverge. Policies addressing mismatch can mitigate the social and economic costs linked to the waste of skills and human potential it entails.[1] The VET sector has been a main proponent of validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe. Its close relationship to the labour market and strong traditions in work-based learning has aided validation. Widespread use of learning outcomes and competence-based standards has also supported developments in VET and standards are normally aligned with occupational standards that are easier to relate to previous work experience. It is reasonable to expect that the VET sector will continue to play an important role in validation. Validation is particularly important to adult education and training and as a way to support lifelong learning. The 25 to 45 age group is mostly the main user of validation, indicating that these arrangements play an important role in aiding transitions from employment to education and back. In many countries, adult education providers play a key role in implementation. As the non-formal education acts as a most powerful tool in overcoming possible skills shortages by bringing flexibility in responding to the labour market needs, the awareness of employers could undergo a rise. By this event, we would like to bring together all relevant stakeholders from the education, training and the world of work to explore and discuss the practices, policies and try to initiate cooperation resulting in concrete projects supporting stronger connections among all relevant sectors. The skills should follow easier pathways to responding jobs. [1] Insights into skill shortages and skill mismatch Learning from Cedefop’s European skills and jobs survey

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VET and adult education providers, representatives of employers and their chambers and associations, decision-makers