The European Year of Skills has focused the attention of all European Stakeholders on methods, analysis and activities meant to identify the required skills, assess existing ones, and offer solutions for up/re-skilling European professionals to prepare them to smoothly adjust to the requirements of the green and digital transition.
Throughout this year, European Stakeholders from different fields have joined efforts and worked together through various events/workshops and initiatives developed under the Pact for Skills, to bring their contribution to the European professional environment.
The Automotive Skills Alliance, as Pact for Skills Partner, has been taking multiple initiatives in the up/re-skilling field. Among those, one can mention the Key Competencies (PASS) project under which extensive research has been conducted by partners in order to identify the skills considered to be of great importance for the future of European professionals and for regional development until 2025.
The key competences for the personnel development of employees, identified through the PASS Project are analytical thinking and innovation, active learning, critical thinking, and complex problem solving, amongst others. The PASS study also focuses on the understanding of usage of key competences, their assessment, and further development. Along with key competences are also soft skills such as communication, foreign language skills such as listening and speaking, logical and rational thinking, engagement with digital and AI technologies, identification of one’s capacities, and many others. Soft skills also help individuals to better understand the environment and identify their skill gaps.
Identifying those skills, building the learning methodology and tools in order to build the skills for the professional environment, and ensuring that lifelong learning opportunities are available and accessible are the main pillars that are currently being reinforced under the Pact for Skills Initiatives. It should also be mentioned the importance of non-formal and informal learning as a practical tool for increasing participation in training and easing access to the labour market. Validated competences, knowledge and skills increase individual self-esteem and motivate staff for further training. Thus, validation paves the way for increased uptake of upskilling and reskilling opportunities, which in turn can make it easier to meet labour market demands.
“The use of validation of non-formal and informal learning for up-skilling and reskilling” is a Pact for Skills webinar that was organized on Sept 19th, 2023 to help participants learn from other organisations and discuss joint solutions to improve the attractiveness and reach of validation initiatives for upskilling and reskilling across the EU.
The PASS Project has also been showcased during this event as it brings valuable results of the research performed and also represents an interesting case study on how identified skills can be brought to the next level of validation.
The complex actions developed within the Year of Skills show their value and great results but also underline the need for cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders as all results should be integrated into a strong professional framework accessible to all European professionals and supported by local, national and regional authorities so it can be easily and immediately adjusted or developed as per the market needs so that the workforce would be at any moment ready to face the requirements of the green and digital transition.