mr president i am particularly glad to present together with commissioner andor this new flagship initiative an agenda for new skills and jobs
better education and training is fundamental for equipping people with the skills they need to find work stay in work and prepare themselves for the jobs of the future
this is the reason why we need to invest in people and in their capacity to innovate to create new enterprises and new jobs
without significant and sustained investment in high skill levels and education our economies will struggle to emerge from the crisis quickly
skills are at the heart of europe twenty twenty for smart sustainable and inclusive growth
this is the reason why two flagship initiatives youth on the move and an agenda for new skills and jobs have important education and training as well as employment dimensions
today with this initiative we want to reflect on how education and training can contribute to reaching a seventy-five employment rate by twenty twenty
jobs occupied by highly qualified people are expected to rise by sixteen million between now and twenty twenty while those held by low skilled workers will decline by around twelve million over the same period
there are more than eighty million adults in europe hampered by severe deficiencies in basic skills
urgent action is therefore needed especially on the education side
firstly we need to recognise lifelong learning as one of the crucial pillars of flexible security strategies in order to make sure that our labour market functions better as commissioner andor has said
we all agree on the diagnosis
skills can secure and improve transitions in the labour market but lifelong learning is not yet a reality in europe
upgrading skills should not be a luxury for the highly qualified
it is a necessity for all
the low qualified have very few opportunities to participate in continuous training in all member states
this should change with the joint effort of all partners governments employers and citizens
secondly we need to provide people with the right skills for employment
europe needs not only to upgrade the skills of people already in the labour market but also to ensure that people get from the start the right mix of skills to adapt and evolve in a fast-changing society
we need firstly to forecast better the skills needed in the labour market
with that aim in mind we will present an eu skills panorama which will not only tell us what skills employers are looking for now but will also forecast what skills will be needed in the future
in order to prepare our young people for entering the labour market and to adapt and work in jobs that may not even exist yet we need to focus on education systems delivering the right mix of skills
specific emphasis should be put on basic skills in reading mathematics and science
it is of the utmost importance to fight especially against low educational achievement and early school leaving
this is the reason why i decided to launch a high-level group on literacy in january
moreover in order to develop a knowledge-based society we need our children to be better at science maths and technology
but we also want to focus our effort on the acquisition of transversal skills which are crucial for employability for example language skills digital literacy or entrepreneurship and initiative-taking skills
it is i believe equally important that we act in order to ensure that we develop the competences which the jobs of the future will require for example in renewable energy green building smart transport and e-health just to name a few
finally even in times of crisis and high unemployment rates some employers are reporting difficulties in recruiting
the agenda calls therefore for better matching of people's skills and job opportunities and capitalising on europe's potential
to this end i will propose a european skills passport which will enable citizens to record their skills in a clear and comparable way
this will build on the popular europass cv
my last point is that neither education nor employment alone can deliver the right mix of skills
we must seek new forms of cooperation and partnership with education and training providers business and other stakeholders including trade unions and public employment services
mr president honourable members with europe twenty twenty we set our targets and our aspirations
now is the time to make progress towards our aspirations and to determine our reform strategy
the agenda for new skills and jobs explains how europe can contribute to reaching our targets
the way out of the crisis is to develop a competitive knowledge-based economy in europe providing more and better jobs in europe
