EUROPEAN UNION
Committee of the Regions
An agenda for new skills and jobs
Regions and cities contributing to training
and active labour market policies
Dublin, Ireland
28 February 1 March 2013
Hosted by
programme
Conference of the
EU Committee of the Regions
a certain degree of responsibility for training and active labour market
policy and take a leading role in developing new strategies for economic
growth. Cities and regions often provide guidance to jobseekers, finance
training and job programmes, and invest in education.
The conference on “An agenda for new skills and jobs” is the second
in a series of seven events on the flagship initiatives of the Europe
2020 strategy, organised by the EU Committee of the Regions (CoR).
Conclusions of the conference will feed into the CoR’s contribution to the
mid-term evaluation of the Europe 2020 strategy and into the 2014
European Summit of Regions and Cities.
As part of the Europe 2020 strategy, the EU is committed to reach an
employment level of 75% of its workforce by 2020 (68.6% in 2011). In
Europe, currently more than 26 million people are looking for a job.
Levels of employment and work-related skills vary significantly between
EU regions. In many member states, regional and local authorities have
The conference will focus on the main priorities of the flagship initiative:
the reform of the labour market, the increase of the skill levels, job
growth and job quality. The conference will be a platform for gathering
political input from the local level on the delivery of the flagship initiative,
but also for exchanging experience and good practice in training and
employment strategies. The event will gather about 200 policy makers
and senior experts of national, regional and local public administrations,
as well as employment specialists from academia, networks and
associations.
Thursday 28 February 2013
Flagship initiative: progress and perspectives
Study visits
OPTION 1: 10:30 - 13:30
Visit to the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and
Working Conditions (www.eurofound.europa.eu)
Participants will be welcomed by Juan Menéndez-Valdés, Director
Eurofound (tbc). Research manager John Hurley will talk about EU
employment shifts by sector, occupation and skills level, and Irene Mandl
will present Eurofound’s future work on restructuring at regional level.
- Pierre Mairesse, Director Lifelong Learning: Horizontal Policy Issues
and 2020 Strategy, DG Education, Training, Culture and Youth,
European Commission
- Martin Le Vrang, Policy Officer Skills, Mobility and Employment
Services, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European
Commission
Results of the CoR survey, conclusions and recommendations:
- Markku Markkula, Member of the Espoo City Council (Finland), on
behalf of the Steering Committee of the CoR Europe 2020 Monitoring
Platform
A bus transfer between Eurofound, the city centre and RHK will be
arranged and a sandwich lunch will be offered (a detailed briefing will be
sent to the participants).
15:45 - 16:00
OPTION 2: 12:00 - 13:30
16:00 - 16:30
Visit to the Digital Hub (digital media enterprise cluster and
centre for community learning, innovation and entrepreneurship)
(www.thedigitalhub.ie).
Dr Stephen Brennan, Chief Strategy Officer of the Digital Hub
Development Agency, will welcome the participants, introduce the
concept and the management of the cluster and share his views on
innovative local development. Then the Digital Skills Academy will present
its digital content, technology and game development programmes,
designed to move jobseekers back into employment by equipping them
with the skills that are now in demand. A sandwich lunch will be offered.
13:30 - 14:15
Welcome and registration
14:15 - 14:45
Opening of the conference
(Great Hall, RHK)
Interpretation from/into English, French, Spanish and
Italian
Welcome speeches by
- Mercedes Bresso, First Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions
- Pamela Kearns, Cathaoirleach, Dublin Regional Authority
14:45 - 15:45
Conference session I: “Skills and jobs:
What is at stake?”
The first session will introduce the Flagship Initiative “An agenda for new
skills and jobs”, mapping the context and background, the latest trends and
evolutions in European employment and training policy, and the delivery of
headline targets at the national and regional level.
Moderator:
- Anton Rombouts, Mayor of the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch (The
Netherlands), Chair CoR Commission for Education, Youth, Culture and
Research
Mapping the theme: Current situation and main challenges of the
European job market
- Jose Enrique Garcilazo, Head of Unit Regional Development Policy, OECD
Coffee break
(Chapel, RHK)
Key note speeches
(Great Hall, RHK)
Interpretation from/into English, French, Spanish and
Italian
- Ramón Luis Valcárcel, President, Committee of the Regions
- Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research,
Innovation and Science
16:30 - 18:00
Conference session II: “Local answers to
the European employment challenge”
The second session will focus on one of the current priorities for regions and
cities: Local and regional employment development and labour market
matching. The workshop will present some inspiring case studies from the
EU and debate how LRAs can further develop their employment strategies.
Moderator:
- Simone Beissel, Municipal Councillor of the City of Luxembourg
(Luxembourg), Chair CoR Commission for Economic and Social Policy
Perspectives from the Committee of the Regions:
- Marialuisa Coppola, Councillor of the Veneto Region (Italy), CoR
Rapporteur “The role of local and regional authorities in promoting
growth and boosting job creation”
- Fiona O’Loughlin, Member of the Kildare County Council (Ireland),
CoR Rapporteur “Rethinking Education”
Case studies:
- Toomas Vitsut, Chairman of the Tallinn City Council (Estonia), member
of the CoR: “Tallinn works”
- Patrizio Bianchi, Regional Minister for Labour, Emilia Romagna (Italy):
“Emilia-Romagna / Education-Research”
- Kristof Welslau, Policy Advisor, Flemish Government - Department of
Work and Social Economy (Belgium): “Skills and jobs strategy”
Debate with the panel and the audience
18:00 - 19:30
Networking drink
(Chapel, RHK)
Friday 1 March 2013
9:00 - 10:45
Networking session: “Shared concerns,
joint solutions”
Masters Quarters, 1st floor, RHK
(please use the side entrance of the building)
“The involvement of local and regional authorities in Europe’s fight
against unemployment is a conditio sine qua non. Regions and cities
have a key role to play in revitalising our labour market and thus
safeguarding the wellbeing of our future generations.”
Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, President of the Committee of the Regions
This interactive round table session allows practitioners at local and
regional level to meet with colleagues and with experts from the
European Commission.
Opening
Chair:
- Ramón Luis Valcárcel, President of the Committee of the Regions
In a lively and participatory set-up, participants will discuss funding
and (transnational) networking opportunities, in particular linked to
the partnership agreements with the European Commission in the
new programme period 2014-2020. The networking session also offers
a platform for sharing expertise in employment development, social
enterprises, entrepreneurship programmes, etc.
Introductory statements:
- Naoise Ó Muirí, Lord Mayor of Dublin
- Phil Hogan, Irish Minister for the Environment, Community and Local
Government
- Emer Costello, Member of the European Parliament
Three EU programme experts will attend this session:
- Marie-Anne Paraskevas, Principal Administrator ESF Policy and
Legislation, DG Employment and Social Affairs, European Commission
- Alison Partridge, Consultant, INTERREG IVC and URBACT
- Carsten Westerholt, Project Development Manager, North Sea Region
Programme
Debate
Moderator:
- Margaret E. Ward, journalist
All participants are invited to send in their questions, discussion points
and inspiring examples before the conference.
11:00 - 13:00
Conference session III: “Skills and jobs for
a sustainable and inclusive growth”
(Great Hall, RHK)
Interpretation from/into English, French, German,
Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Czech, Lithuanian,
Hungarian, Polish and Romanian.
During this closing session, combined with the meeting of the CoR Bureau,
a high level policy debate will focus on the perspectives beyond 2020: How
can the “Agenda for new skills and jobs”, to include European, national and
regional/local employment strategies, bring a sustainable solution to the
current economic crisis? The conclusions of this debate will feed into the CoR
contribution to the mid-term assessment of the Europe 2020 strategy.
Video message:
- Laszló Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs
and Inclusion
Expert contributions:
- Azita Berar-Awad, Director Employment Policy Department,
International Labour Organisation
- Frank Ryan, CEO, Entreprise Ireland
- Luca Visentini, Confederal Secretary, European Trade Union
Confederation
Conclusions:
- Mercedes Bresso, First Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions
13:00
Lunch
Museum cafeteria (basement level)
Venue
The conference (Thursday afternoon and Friday morning) is generously hosted by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, at the Royal Hospital
Kilmainham (Military Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8, www.rhk.ie)
An exhibition with inspiring skills and jobs projects at local level is set up in the
Chapel, together with information and documentation stands of the Committee of
the Regions and of Eurofound.
All background information, conference presentations and proceedings,
photographs and video recordings will be published on the conference website
www.cor.europa.eu/europe2020
You will receive a participant’s badge at the registration desk. Please wear this badge
so that it is clearly visible throughout the two days.
Employment rate
> of people aged between 20 and 64 in %, 2011
> 80
75 - 80
70 - 75
65 - 70
60 - 65
< 60
© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries
February 2013
Edited by the Directorate for Communication, Press and Events of the Committee of the Regions
Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 101, 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel
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Tel. +32 22822211, Fax +32 22822325
www.cor.europa.eu/europe2020