AVAILABLE AND QUALIFIED WORKFORCE is a guarantee of growth and employment

The EU should encourage Member States to execute reforms of education and vocational training systems to help reduce the growing skills mismatch. The EU should support the exchange of Member States’ experience in education and vocational training and help to raise primary skills across the EU through targeted policy measures.
Connecting the European Semester with Member States’ investment priorities can help to invest in high quality vocational education and training, apprenticeships, including tertiary education, digital education and further education to improve competitiveness and employability.
Given the EU’s aging population, we would also welcome better conditions for access of skilled workers from third countries onto the EU labour market through the revision of the Blue Card Directive.

“The skills gap is increasing. The EU must put in place initiatives to support Member States in responding to increasing skill mismatches and boost investment in education.”

Jan Wiesner

President of the Confederation of Employers´ and Entrepreneurs´ Associations of the Czech Republic