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EU announces new agenda to equip people with better skills

Xinhua, June 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

The European Commission announced on Friday a new Skills Agenda, aiming to help equip people in Europe with better skills and ultimately boost employment and growth.

The agenda calls on the EU member states and stakeholders to improve the quality of skills and their relevance for the labour market. Concretely, the Commission proposes 10 actions to be taken forward over the next two years.

"In this fast-changing world we need to invest in Europe's greatest asset: our people. People need a broad set of skills to fulfil their potential both as active citizens and at work. Skills are vital for prosperity, jobs, growth and sustainable well-being," Commission Vice President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen was quoted as saying in a Friday statement.

European Central Bank president Mario Draghi said on Thursday during the Brussels Economic Forum that investing in human capital is the key ingredient in making growth both stronger and more inclusive.

"There is a large, latent potential in the euro area labour force which can be unleashed with appropriate labour market and activation policies -- and more so than in other advanced economies," he said.

According the agenda, several plans will be launched such as the plan of Skills Guarantee to help low-skilled adults acquire a minimum level of literacy, numeracy and digital skills.

And the "Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition" bringing together member states and education, employment and industry stakeholders to develop a large digital talent pool and ensure that individuals and the labor force in Europe are equipped with adequate digital skills.

According to studies, 70 million Europeans lack adequate reading and writing skills, and even more have poor numeracy and digital skills, which put those people at risk of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion.

On the other hand, a large number of Europeans, particularly high-qualified young people, work in jobs that do not match their talents and aspirations.

At the same time, 40 percent of European employers report that they cannot find people with the right skills to grow and innovate.

Moreover, too few people have the entrepreneurial mindset and competences to start their own business and keep adapting to evolving requirements of the labor market, studies showed. Endit