EESC Corner: What Is the Role of Business in Education in the EU?

Job creation through apprenticeships and lifelong vocational training – it is a key point of the new own-initiative opinion adopted by the EESC in March. Europe is now deploying all its drivers of growth, which includes a skilled labour force of the right size and structure to meet current labour market needs. This is why the focus is now on practical work skills, vocational training, apprenticeships and technical subjects.

Commission sets out a series of specific proposals calling for a strong partnership of trust among all stakeholders. The opinion represents a contribution of the business community to this common effort and its strong commitment to all new actions of the Commission asking for re-thinking skills in Europe and their better matching with the labour market needs, and entrepreneurial education. A newly announced initiative Alliance for apprenticeship is particularly welcomed to promote attractiveness of apprenticeship, to create a sufficient number of places for trainees and apprentices on the basis of dual systems which link school learning with in-house work experience. Action to strengthen the position of industry and related services in Europe will require changes in the structure of qualifications and related skills in all sectors based on clearly defined results. The shortage of STEM skills will become one of the greatest barriers to economic growth.

These sectors have an ageing workforce; a change of generation is a reality for a number of STEM professions, with highly experienced employees leaving companies to go into retirement. It will be several years before the schools systems have adapted to supply the labour market with the skilled specialists that are needed so urgently. That is why employers must fight the myth that STEM skills have no future. They must show that, on the contrary, the development of STEM subjects at schools of all levels will mean greater opportunities in the future and more flexibility in terms of career development.

They need to inform people more effectively about the future skills needed by companies and must contribute to the process of lifelong learning among teachers.

Vladimíra Drbalová
Rapporteur, Group I Member