READY, STEADY, GO! Cedefop 2022-23 activities help kickstart the European Year of Skills
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BRIEFING NOTE
READY, STEADY, GO!
Cedefop 2022-23 activities help kickstart
the European Year of Skills
Permacrisis – a new concept that says it all about Of the job ads posted online between mid-2020
what 2022 felt like for many – was chosen as the Col- and mid-2022, 54% were for high-skilled science/
lins Dictionary word of the year. In early 2022, when engineering, business/administration, social/legal or
the EU was only just recovering from the pandemic, ICT jobs. The manufacturing, construction, and main-
war broke out in Europe. Economic disruption and tenance sectors drove the recovery and expansion
unprecedented migration followed. Moving towards of the online job market. Jointly, job ads for manu-
energy independence, looming gas shortages and fi- al, medium and low-skilled jobs are the lion’s share
nancial hardship caused by soaring prices were cen- of its growth. Demand for manufacturing labourers,
tral policy concerns, at a time when the climate emer- cleaners and helpers, drivers and plant operators is
gency became increasingly visible and intense. booming.
In a context of crisis and accelerating megatrends, Long-term trends paint a somewhat different pic-
Cedefop continued to focus attention on the voca- ture. A new Cedefop EU skills forecast to be released
tional education and training (VET), skills and em- in 2023 suggests that employment will rapidly become
ployment dimensions of the twin transition. Its work more skills-intensive. The number of high-skilled jobs
helped assess the implications of current challenges will likely rise faster than forecast earlier, surpassing
for VET systems and qualifications and stimulated re- medium-skilled employment in about a decade from
flection on how policies contribute to making people now (Figure 1). Employment in elementary jobs re-
fit for the future. In the run-up to the European Year mains stable. With skills upgrading dominating labour
of Skills and throughout, Cedefop activities have con- market trends in the decade ahead, the focus will
tributed, and will continue to contribute transversal- need to be on expanding VET’s potential and role in
ly, to making learning via up- and reskilling the new helping people access more demanding jobs.
normal. Skills are central to tackling our challenges As employment is projected to be more close-
and shaping successful transitions. At the same time, ly aligned to supply at all skill levels than previously
the ‘right’ skills are short in supply. Designating 2023 forecast, it appears that, at the EU aggregate level,
the European Year of Skills will focus EU institutions’ matching is set to improve. But this will not happen
efforts on building skills, closing gaps, and alleviating by itself. The EU Green Deal ambitions incorporated
mismatches. It will also shine a spotlight on the Euro- in the forecast will need to be met, and realising the
pean Agency dealing with skills: Cedefop. forecast upgrading trend will require an adequate and
well-skilled workforce.
Labour market recovery Figure 1. Future employment by qualification level:
meets skills upgrading Cedefop 2020 and 2023 forecast compared
European labour markets are recovering from the 150 000
pandemic and today are more digitalised because 100 000
of it. The telework boom spilled over into recruitment
practices, skills shortages led employers to expand 50 000
online job advertising to reach more potential candi- 0
dates, and job turnover increased because many em- 2014 2018 2022 2026 2030 2034
ployees used the labour market upturn to look for a Low qualification 2020 Low qualification 2023
better job elsewhere. SkillsOVATE – Cedefop’s jobs Medium qualification 2020 Medium qualification 2023
and skills trend tracking tool – showed this trend. In High qualification 2020 High qualification 2023
the first semester of 2022 the number of jobs adver-
tised online was double what had been registered in
the same period of 2019. Source: Cedefop 2020 and 2023 skills forecast.
BRIEFING NOTE JANUARY 2023 ISSN 1831-2411 Page 1
VET for Ukrainians train companies to become part of it, will also play
The EU labour market reacted quickly to growing ten- crucial roles (Figure 2).
sions between Ukraine and Russia. More employers VET has the potential to accelerate the green tran-
started targeting online job ads at Ukrainians; after sition through its strong labour market links and in-
war broke out in March-May 2022, there were almost creasingly flexible approaches to qualifications, e.g.
20 000, more than five times the jobs advertised on- via microcredentials. Greening provides VET with an
line in the entire year 2020. opportunity to redefine professions, to market its po-
The EU activated the Temporary Protection Di- tential to drive the green transition, and to expand fur-
rective in March 2022 to grant Ukrainian refugees la- ther into higher VET.
bour market and VET access. Cedefop relied on its
ReferNet VET expertise network to collect information Figure 2. The green transition: emerging
about the challenges countries face and how they occupations and transition accelerators
responded to them. Financial support, easing pro- GREEN TRANSITION ACCELERATORS
gramme entry, including dual VET, and measures to Marketing green jobs/careers
address language difficulties helped overcome inte- Trusted skills intelligence
gration barriers. Approaches to support teachers and Strong feedback loops for agile VET
in-company trainers emerging in some countries are Green apprenticeship
inspirational for others. Microcredentials
Systems thinking
Being inclusive and supportive to young Ukrain-
Networks
ians with different backgrounds, and a focus on Empowered local players
wellbeing and mental health of learners in uncertain
circumstances, appear to be overarching challeng- SMART/GREEN CITIES
es. Overcoming them through VET and support will Green/smart city manager
ICT professional
remain crucial for the education, labour market and
Urban space specialist
social integration of the millions of young and adult Energy professional
refugees who have fled the war. Transport and mobility specialist
Environmental protection specialist
VET empowers sectors Citizen engagement specialist
Construction professional
and cities in the green CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Circular product designers
transition Industrial problem analysts
Material and process engineers
In 2022, energy efficiency and renewable energy tar- Renewable energy managers
gets and measures agreed in the EU Green Deal’s ‘fit Industrial symbiosis facilitators
for 55’ package were made more ambitious. Reinforc- Hydrogen specialists
ing the idea that education and training policies and Consumer behaviour specialists
programmes drive change towards a more sustaina- Sustainability trainers
ble future, the Council adopted a Recommendation WASTE MANAGEMENT
on learning for the green transition and sustainable Logistic manager, data analyst
(Strategic) waste manager
development. The greening of VET, occupations, and
Waste valorisation professional
qualifications was in the spotlight during the 2022 Eu- Quality assurance manager
ropean vocational skills week organised by the Euro- Energy expert
pean Commission; new evidence supporting it found Waste sorting optimisation professional
its way in Cedefop’s new Green Observatory. Circular economy plant designer
In 2022 Cedefop took a closer look at what the Technical engineer (recyclable products)
European Green Deal means for cities, waste man- Material extraction/recycling/reuse expert
Waste management trainer
agement, agri-food and the circular economy. Social
Repair specialist
partners, sectoral associations, public authorities,
AGRI-FOOD
and experts teamed up with Cedefop to map trends HR specialists (large farms)
and their implications for occupations, VET and skills Agronomists
up to 2030. Every sector will undergo its own trans- Engineers
formation, but there are also striking commonalities. Data scientists
Alongside experts with green technological expertise, E-commerce specialists
professionals who implement it at scale and those Food safety experts
GPS experts (precision agriculture)
who manage the green transition, engage citizens or
BRIEFING NOTE JANUARY 2023 ISSN 1831-2411 Page 2A flagship 2022 Cedefop-OECD report showcases ducive job design. There are enormous opportunities
how green apprenticeships are emerging across Eu- to ‘digitally upgrade’ the world of work. For many
rope and demonstrates their transformative potential. workers, when given the means to up- or reskill, dig-
The power of practical learning can help apprentices italisation can go together with more interesting and
become change agents in their workplace. Thanks fulfilling work, expanding autonomy, improving job
to their double ‘identity’ as learners and employees quality, and more learning opportunities. The first Eu-
they can relay ‘greenovation’ from learning venues to ropean training and learning survey by Cedefop, to be
workplaces and vice versa. Scaling up green appren- fielded in 2023, and new work on apprenticeship for
ticeships for adults in ‘brown’ jobs will be critical to just digital transitions will provide insight into how to
ease transitions and to help regions become greener make that happen.
and cleaner (1). Green work in 2023 will increasingly
focus on the role social partners can play in preparing
regions for a greener future.
Simply more skills will not
do for generation COVID
Just digital transformation In 2022, the European Year of Youth Cedefop teamed
means more skills and up with four other agencies under the remit of DG Em-
ployment to make a strong case for expanding sup-
better jobs port to young people: by putting more emphasis on
The second European skills and jobs survey findings, opening up access to work experience and job op-
presented at the Powering the European digital tran- portunities in the green and digital economy (Box 1).
sition conference, show why it is so important that Measures that help create better jobs to complement
digital and STEM skills be a top VET and skills policy and make more effective skills-supply-oriented poli-
priority: 52% of EU-27+ (2) adult workers need to de- cies are particularly urgent. Young people across the
velop their digital skills further to do their job better EU faced unprecedented challenges in learning and
and two in three workers affected by technological accessing a matching job when COVID-19 hit, and
change have a digital skills gap. While artificial intel- they suffered greatly in terms of mental health.
ligence and advanced digital applications are often
in the spotlight, many European adults would benefit Box 1. Youth first! Policies that work for young
from basic and mid-level digital skills upgrading as a Europeans in times of uncertainty
stepping stone towards more advanced jobs (Figure
3).
Figure 3. Learning potential in digital activities
(% of EU+ adult workers in 2021)
BASIC MEDIUM HIGHER © EU, 2022
Web browsing, 20% Use specialised 50% Manage or 81%
email, social media software merge databases
Write or Prepare IT systems, 87%
28% 60%
edit text presentations hard/software
Use Advanced Programme
spreadsheets
38% spreadsheets
74% or code 92% Organised by Cedefop and Eurofound (lead organ-
isers) and ETF, EU-OSHA and ELA in the European
Parliament on the occasion of the European Year of
Source: Cedefop (2022). Setting Europe on course to a human
Youth.
digital transition.
The agencies shared their expertise on labour market
The digital transformation should also be about and skills trends, the COVID pandemic, the Ukraine
giving people an opportunity to use and build on their crisis, and the quality of employment and working
skills: via innovative job design, by widening access to conditions of young people in Europe.
digital technology and by championing learning-con- One of the key themes was the synergies EU agen-
cies develop and how they complement each other:
(1) In 2022 Cedefop took an important step in its own green tran- by collecting data, sharing methodological expertise,
sition by committing to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. The
Agency’s objective is to cut greenhouse gas emissions to the and publishing joint research.
lowest possible level and compensate unavoidable emissions
through carbon removal activities. In countries with a weaker skills formation system,
(2) The EU-27 Member States plus Norway and Iceland. lower skills-intensive employment and a less resilient
BRIEFING NOTE JANUARY 2023 ISSN 1831-2411 Page 3economy, the experience of the young who managed risk of social exclusion, and making ad hoc projects
to secure a job shows that, for many, mismatch is sustainable (3).
not about lacking skills but about jobs that do not tap Apprenticeship can be a powerful training pathway
their potential. They are more digitally savvy, more for low-skilled adults. Scaling it up can contribute si-
used to remote work and learning, and more skilled in multaneously to upskilling, integration, twin transition
advanced digital technology. The fact that they often and other policy objectives. For this to happen, ap-
find themselves in less secure and lower-quality jobs, prenticeship must become a real and realistic pos-
that they are often overqualified, enjoy lower job satis- sibility for adults; more adults and companies must
faction and less employer-sponsored training, clearly engage (Figure 4).
puts them at a disadvantage.
Figure 4. How to make the most of adult
Box 2. Cedefop and ReferNet: partners in apprenticeship
strengthening European VET for 20 years
MAKING ENGAGING
APPRENTICESHIP MORE
A POSSIBILITY LEARNERS AND
FOR ADULTS COMPANIES
Removing barriers Understanding
to access to quality the motivation
training provision of adults and
companies in using
Outreach and apprenticeship for
guidance to help adults up- and reskilling
© Cedefop/Dimitris Tosidis, 2022
understand the benefits
ReferNet is Cedefop's network of institutions which Motivation through Clearly identifying
non-financial incentives the real needs which
provide information on national VET systems and pol- apprenticeship
icies in EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. may fill
Financial incentives, and
targeted and individualised
At the ReferNet 20th anniversary event held on support to companies
Systematically
November 9 2022, Cedefop looked back at 20 years of engaging trade unions
Flexibility in the organisation and employers alongside
successful cooperation and partnership. and delivery of training public authorities, and
collaboration between
public and private
ReferNet’s tremendously successful contribution so far Shaping apprenticeship employment
to the distinct
makes the network one of Cedefop’s most cherished characteristics of adults
enterprises
—Cedefop Director Jürgen Siebel
In 2022, Cedefop’s work on key competences fo-
We are a group of Europeans sharing a vision of working
cused on entrepreneurship which underlies creativity,
for better VET sustainability, resilience, and adaptability to change. It
—Cedefop Head of Department Loukas Zahilas also boosts growth, innovation and competitiveness.
In 2023, Cedefop will look in detail into national en-
The upcoming European Year of Skills will fundamentally trepreneurial learning ecosystems to identify meth-
be a year of awakening vocations and training ods, tools and approaches that help policy-makers,
—EU Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas VET providers and other stakeholders make VET pro-
grammes more powerful in building entrepreneurship
Enabling the great transformation, education in a ‘liquid’ competence.
world can help people claim new freedom while safe- VET teachers and trainers play a vital part in the
guarding social cohesion
skills revolution. Cedefop’s 2022 mapping of national
—Futurist Fabienne Goux-Baudiment
approaches to their initial and continuing professional
development demonstrates the challenges teachers
Starting the skills revolution and trainers face in complex and rapidly changing so-
cieties. Teachers need to be informed and retrained
Cedefop used its research and joined forces with the to become twin transition ambassadors and change
European Economic and Social Committee to make learner mindsets. Cedefop will launch the first ever
a case for more coordinated and systemic approach- European survey among teachers and trainers in 2023
es to up- and reskilling. Findings from current Cede- or early 2024 to gauge how prepared they are for the
fop upskilling pathway reviews in France and Italy
revealed what such approaches are often made of: (3) In 2023 thematic country reviews on upskilling pathways for
action at local level, reaching out to people most at adults in Croatia and Spain will be launched.
BRIEFING NOTE JANUARY 2023 ISSN 1831-2411 Page 4challenges that lie ahead. must be overcome to tap their potential in up- and
The skills revolution will not take off without ex- reskilling. These include building visibility and trust
panding learning and career support: via guidance, among employers and education institutions and po-
validation of the skills people actually have, more sitioning them alongside traditional qualifications and
targeted incentives such as individual learning ac- recognition systems. In 2023, Cedefop’s Future of
counts, and social support. In 2022, Cedefop raised VET project will highlight the role of microcredentials
awareness of effective and inclusive career guidance in supporting employment.
systems and provided space to discuss the oppor- Cedefop’s tools and databases help monitor pro-
tunities and challenges in developing them. Cedefop gress and translate ambitions into action. The Euro-
engaged experts to discuss guidance monitoring and pean vocational education and training (VET) policy
evaluation methods and their potential for improving dashboard released in 2022 visualises progress to-
services and jointly organised the first Global careers wards agreed quantitative targets. A timeline of VET
month. The 4th Validation of prior learning (VPL) bien- policies in Europe, to be launched in 2023, will use
nale was an opportunity to discuss with a global audi- Cedefop’s VET policy monitoring to show progress
ence experiences, information, knowledge, ideas and over the years and to inspire and support VET and
visions on validation as an essential part of lifelong LLL policy reforms. The value of Cedefop’s tools is
learning and the trends driving change since Cedefop acknowledged, as can be seen from the 2022 Coun-
pioneered the validation concept over two decades cil Recommendation on pathways to school success.
ago. This positions Cedefop’s VET toolkit for tackling early
leaving, and its practical resources, as the main ref-
Shaping change and erence point for policy-makers and VET practitioners
in Europe.
championing skills The European Year of Skills will start in 2023. Ce-
defop will use the year as an opportunity to champion
For two decades, European countries have worked on people and their skills as the critical link between EU
making knowledge and skills transparent and trans- and national policy aims and making tangible pro-
ferable between education and training systems to gress towards them. In transformative times, develop-
facilitate free movement of citizens. In 2022, Cedefop ing and making good use of the skills of young people
looked back to understand how the transferability of and adults motivates them to be the best they can
learning outcomes acquired in formal, non-formal and be, gives them a springboard to a successful career,
informal settings can be improved going forward. The and has a positive bottom-line impact. Permacrisis
European Year of Skills 2023 will offer opportunities to became the new normal in 2022. The European Year
discuss European and national initiatives that made a of Skills 2023 will make sure that ‘permaskilling’ is the
difference for learners. response.
The EU VET and skills policy framework, and the
unprecedented funding available via the recovery and
resilience facility, the European Social fund plus, Eras-
mus plus and other sources, are becoming change
drivers. First findings from Cedefop’s VET Recom-
mendation and Osnabrück Declaration implementa-
tion monitoring show what European countries pri-
oritise in their national implementation plans: making
VET more agile, flexible and inclusive, promoting dig-
italisation, establishing a new lifelong learning culture,
and expanding CVET. Almost equally strong priorities
– yet less visible due to their transversal nature – are Briefing note – 9179 EN
greening VET and strengthening its European educa- Cat. No: TI-BB-23-001-ENN
ISBN 978-92-896-3459-5, doi:10.2801/720857
tion and training area and international dimensions. Copyright © European Centre for the Development of Vocational
Training (Cedefop), 2023. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
Microcredentials were in the spotlight in 2022.
Briefing notes are published in English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish,
These help learners build their skills portfolio ‘stack- Portuguese and Spanish, and the EU Presidency country’s language.
ing’ learning at their own pace in line with changing la- To receive them regularly register at: www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/user/register
bour market demands and individual needs. While au- Other briefing notes and Cedefop publications are at:
www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/publications.aspx
thorities, education and training providers, and social Europe 123, Thessaloniki (Pylea), GREECE
partners acknowledge the flexibility, portability and Postal address: Cedefop service post, 57001, Thermi, GREECE
Tel. +30 2310490111, Fax +30 2310490020, Email: info@cedefop.europa.eu
transferability of microcredentials, several challenges
www.cedefop.europa.eu
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