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UNI Europa Commerce at the EU Sector Skills Council information session



UNI Europa Commerce and Eurocommerce presented the activities and objectives of the ongoing project on establishing a European Skills Council for the commerce sector at an information session organised by the European Commission



Attended by social partners’ representatives of different sectors currently involved in the setting up of EU Sector Skills Council, on 13 February 2012 the European Commission organised an information session aimed at informing participants about the state of play on the different ongoing and future projects. UNI Europa commerce and Eurocommerce shared their experience and expectations as regards the launch of the first European Sector Skills Council for the commerce sector.

Together with the TLC (textile clothing and leather) sector, they are pioneers in this initiative among social partners. Made up of two phases, the first one being a mapping exercise on existing and emerging observatories on employment and training and a feasibility study, social partners have just entered the second phase. During this phase, the Council will be formally launched and an ICT web tool will be built with a view to share knowledge, access information and stimulate networking activities among existing observatories, as well as workers, companies, training and education institutes which will be the final beneficiaries of this project.

Strongly supported and highly recommended by the European Commission, the creation of the EU Sector Skills Council is the first comprehensive initiative aimed at putting together EU Member States resources and information and building a partnership among actors active in education and training, with a view to identifying the skills and competences needed and the job profiles emerging in today’s faster evolving labour market. The main mission of the Council would be to improve and facilitate the anticipation and matching between demand and supply of training by putting together in a network existing training and employment observatories. This is an instrument managed by and created for social partners with a view to enable them to gain a better understanding on the evolution of their sector of skills and employment at EU level and develop a broad policy approach and strategy for employment and training.

Please find annexed the presentation