Making Skills Count

08:30 – 09.30

Registration and welcome coffee

09.30 – 09:40

Welcome by the Master of Ceremony
Master of Ceremony Ali Al Jaberi

09.40 – 10:15

A European Year to Make Skills Count
Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights

10.15 – 10.45

Opening panel: Why do skills matter?

Moderator: Master of Ceremony Ali Al Jaberi

• Erik Scheller, State Secretary, Ministry of Education and Research of Sweden
• Ludovic Voet, Confederal Secretary, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
• Maxime Cerutti, Director of Social Affairs, Business Europe

10.45 – 11:00

Key note speech 
Valeriya Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine

11:00 – 11:30

Coffee break

11:30 – 12:30

Panel 1: ‘Skills-first’ – what is it, what added value, and which way-forward
Skills first’ approaches focus on filling vacancies relying on skills rather than formal qualifications or job titles. Recently, this approach has been gaining momentum in recruitment and talent management. The European Union has been advocating such approaches for a number of years through its skills policy agenda and support tools.  

This panel will explore the following questions: how can a skills first approach improve access to jobs for individuals and generate a larger pool of candidates for employers? What impact will a skills first approach have on incentivising individuals’ training and career choices? How should EU policies and tools for qualifications, skills validation, and career guidance adapt to a skills first approach? 

Moderator: Master of Ceremonies Ali Al Jaberi

• Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum (WEF)
• David Barnes, Global Vice President for Workforce and Social Policy, IBM Corporation 
• Kate O'Sullivan, Senior Director EU Public Policy & Economic Graph, LinkedIn
• Isabelle Barthes, Deputy General Secretary, IndustriAll European Trade Union

12:30 – 13:00

Pitches at the Marketplace
Project promoters from all over Europe will pitch their cutting-edge projects on skills.

13:00 – 14:20

Lunch

14:20 – 15:30

Panel 2: Skills for the green and digital transition and for net-zero industry
The Green Deal Industrial Plan and the net-zero package of measures adopted recently highlight the urgency of tackling skills gaps in order to achieve the green transition and climate targets, which EU countries have agreed to. This panel will explore which technical – including green and digital - skills are most needed by the labour market to achieve the twin transition, in the EU and globally. Which approaches already exist, how can relevant skills be identified, and how can people be better equipped to adapt? 

Moderator: Pilvi Torsti, Director, European Training Foundation (ETF)

• Susan Gill, Manager of Green Skills Programme Office, Further Education and Training Authority of Ireland (SOLAS)
• Glenda Quintini, Head of Skills Analysis and Policies Unit, Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Iñigo Araiztegui Arraiz, Director of Internationalisation, Basque VET Applied Research Centre (Tknika)
• Ina Todorova, Project coordinator, Cleantech Bulgaria

15:30 – 16:30

Panel 3: Skills make business cents: how upskilling enhances value and productivity in companies
Investing in people and their skills is one of the most productive investments we can make - as a society, as individuals, as organisations and as public authorities. But investment in training is often invisible, especially when it comes to workplace training by employers. This panel will discuss how can we get better at valuing and incentivising training and its contribution to value creation in businesses and other organisations. How can company reporting, and financial accounts foster a culture change of viewing staff training as an investment not a cost. And how do boardrooms consider training as part of strategic organisational management.

Moderator: Jurgen Siebel, Executive Director, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP)

• Marie-Christine Levet, Founding partner, Educapital
• Vikas Aggarwal, Regional Head of Public Affairs for Europe, Eurasia, Middle East and the Americas, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
• Chiara del Prete, Chair of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) Sustainability Reporting Technical Group
• Romain Lasserre, FO French Labour Confederation of Workforce

16:30 –17:00

Pitches at the marketplace
Project promoters from all over Europe will pitch their cutting-edge projects on skills development.

17:00 – 17:15

Closing remarks
Dragoș Pîslaru, Chair of Employment and Social Affairs Committee, European Parliament

17:15 – 19:00

The Marketplace: twenty cutting-edge projects on skills development from across Europe

Networking Cocktail and Buffet

08:45 – 09.15

Registration and welcome coffee

09.15 – 09.20

Welcome by the Master of Ceremonies
Master of Ceremony Ali Al Jaberi

09.20 – 09.30

Skills for better jobs: why giving value to skills matters
Margaritis Schinas, European Commission Vice President for Promoting our European Way of Life

09.30 – 09:40

Introduction to workshops

09:40 – 11.10

1st round of workshops

Workshop 1: Unlocking skills and recognising qualifications in a cross-border context
Validation of skills, to make them visible and valued
Europe needs more and better skilled workers. In the context of the green and digital transitions, this means the need for up- and reskilling, the need to validate skills and the need for a better recognition of qualifications. The workshop will explore existing approaches to recognition of (vocational) qualifications across borders, including qualifications obtained in third countries. The workshop will also discuss the validation of skills as a key tool for making skills visible. Speakers will present different approaches, challenges and opportunities for recognition and validation, with a view to mobilising the European workforce and attracting skilled workers from third countries.  

Moderator: Giulia Meschino, Secretary General, European Vocational Training Association (EVTA)

• Anna Kahlson, Senior Advisor, Swedish National Agency for Higher Vocational Education (MYH), Sweden
• Swinda Krause, Project Coordinator,ProRecognition, German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK Service – GmbH), Germany
• Ilse Korving, Advisor Credential Evaluation, Foundation for Cooperation on Vocational Education, Training and the Labour Market (SBB), the Netherlands
• Yves Magnan, Executive Vice President,Products and Services, Le Forem, Public Employment Service for Wallonia, Belgium

Workshop 2: Building new skills the economy needs
How to motivate and support people to acquire the right skills (Individual Learning Accounts, Upskilling pathways, micro credentials, Pact for Skills, guidance)?
The workshop will explore the systemic reforms that Member States need to put in place to addressing skills challenges as well as the elements of skills ecosystems that support the provision of a labour force with the right skills. It will discuss how different stakeholders can contribute to building these skills and how to best meet the learning needs of vulnerable groups. The workshop will showcase innovative models to empower individuals to participate in learning, including guidance provision. 

Moderator: Johnny Sung, Honorary Fellow, The Centre for Skills, Knowledge, and Organisational Performance, University of Oxford

• Iñigo Araiztegui Arraiz, Director of Internationalisation, Basque VET Applied Research Centre (Tknika)
• John Evers, Secretary General, Association of Austrian Adult Education Centres
• Dario Baron, Senior Expert Advisor, Ministry of Labour and Pension System of the Republic of Croatia
• Ann-Sofi Sjöberg, Expert, Sjöberg Improving Transitions AB
• Andy Gent, Chief Executive Officer, Abodoo

Workshop 3: Digital credentials to support better recognition of skills and diplomas
European Digital Credentials for Learning. How can they provide more transparency of skills (the example of micro-credentials
The workshop will discuss the digital transformation of credentials and the recognition of skills and qualifications. Speakers will discuss the specific benefits of digital credentials, how they can support recognition and improve the visibility of skills, in particular micro-credentials. 

Moderator(s): Nomden Koen & Jambon Celine, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

• Simone Ravaioli, Co-Chair, W3C Verificable Credential Education  and Parchment (Director Global Ecosystem and Innovation) 
• Evelien Willems, Policy Officer, Nuffic,The Dutch Organisation for Internationalisation in Education
• Lluís Alfons Ariño Martín, Digital Strategist, Rovira I Virgili University and Convenor of the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure Diploma use case 
• Anthony Camilleri, Partner, Knowledge Innovation Centre
• Ricarda Peil, Senior Desk Officer on Digitalisation, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

Workshop 4: Funding skills
Funding opportunities, challenges and good practices from the perspective of business, practioners and managers
The workshop will discuss existing opportunities and challenges for supporting investment in skills by EU Funds, in particular in the business context, focusing on good practices and explore the challenges that persist in having access to such funding and required skills. Speakers from different Member States with different roles and perspectives will share their experience in applying for, using and managing EU funds for the development of training in and for companies (with specific attention to SMEs).   

Moderator: Egbert Holthuis Head of Unit, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

• Hugo Dionisio, Research Department Specialist, General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses, CGTP-IN)
• Jeanne Cristiansen-Gozzer, Employment and Vocational Training Advisor, Government of the Brussels Capital Region
• Emilio Cabanes, Director of ICT Projects and Digital Economy and Deputy Director of the National Reference Centre for VET in E-commerce and Digital Marketing, EOI Business School (Escuela de Organización Industrial)
• Sergi Queralt, Senior Policy Advisor, Employers’ Group of Professional Agricultural Organisations (GEOPA)
• Ingrid Vossen, Marketing Manager, Technicity.brussels

11:10 – 11:30

Coffee break

11:30 –12:50

2nd round of workshops

Workshop 1: Unlocking skills and recognising qualifications in a cross-border context
Validation of skills, to make them visible and valued

Workshop 2: Building new skills the economy needs
How to motivate and support people to acquire the right skills (Individual Learning Accounts, Upskilling pathways, micro credentials, Pact for Skills, guidance)

Workshop 3: Digital credentials to support better recognition of skills and diplomas
European Digital Credentials for Learning. How can they provide more transparency of skills (the example of micro-credentials

Workshop 4: Funding skills
Funding opportunities, challenges and good practices from the perspective of business, practioners and managers

13:00 – 13:15

Closing remarks
Stefan Olsson, Deputy Director-General, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

13:15 –14:30

Lunch