On Wednesday 26 October, the Political Committee on Jobs, Competitiveness and Sustainable Growth met with Ms. Susan Bird from the Unit on VET, Apprenticeships and Adult Learning from the Directorate General for Employment.

The Political Committee is currently working on a new Policy Position on Skills and Youth, and met with Ms. Bird to further discuss the work of the European Commission in this regard. The discussion centered on current initiatives in the area of education, skills and vocational education and training (VET). In particular the European Alliance for Apprenticeships, the Pact for Youth (of which the European Movement International is a supportive organisation), and the European Vocational Skills Week.

The European Vocation Skills Week takes place between 5 and 9 December in Brussels, but is preceded by events on the local, regional and national level. It is aimed at raising the attractiveness and image of vocational education and training by focusing on excellence and quality in VET. Everyone that organizes an event around these topics is invited to register it at the dedicated website and receive communication material from the European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=1261

During the meeting of the Political Committee, members of the European Movement International and Ms. Bird exchanged views on the implementation of the New Skills Agenda for Europe, the linkage between the different skills initiatives, and the contribution of civil society in these efforts.

The Political Committee will continue its work on the Skills Agenda with a discussion at its Members’ Council, taking place in Brussels on 25 November.