34 Amendments of Leila CHAIBI related to 2022/0326(COD)
Amendment 30 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) A skilled workforce is crucial to ensuring socially fair and just green and digital transitions, and to strengthening the Union’s sustainable competitiveness and resilience in the face of adverse external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the fallout of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. More and better skills, combined with high-quality jobs with decent wages and working conditions, open up new opportunities and empower individuals to fully participate in the labour market, society and democracy, to harness and benefit from the opportunities of the green and digital transitions and to exercise their rights.
Amendment 34 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
(1a) An efficient and comprehensive skills strategy should be combined with quality jobs creation and retention policies. Too often, skills mismatches and shortages are in fact the result of unattractive job positions and poor working conditions in some sectors1a. Offering decent wages, stable work contracts, a good work-life balance, regular trainings and attractive career developments will be as important as comprehensive skills strategies to provide European companies with a skilled workforce. _________________ 1a According to CEDEFOP’s European skills and jobs survey, about 45% of EU adult workers believe that their skills can either be better developed or utilised at work. At the same time, 70% of the companies suffer from skills shortages but few of them link this to obstacles they create to find skilled workers, e.g. recruitment problem, geographical location of the company, salary level and working conditions.
Amendment 44 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) Across the Union, companies report difficulties to find workers with the necessary skills. In 2021, 28 occupations were classified as having shortages, including the healthcare, hospitality, construction and service sectors, sectors well-known for offering too often low wages and poor working conditions, in addition to shortages of IT and security specialists, in particular cybersecurity experts, and workers with science, technology, engineering and mathematics background.22 Increasingly, the biggest constraint to a successful digital and green transition is the lack of workers with the right skills. In many Member States, demographic ageing is expected to accelerate over the coming decade as “baby boom” cohorts retire, reinforcing the need to make use of the full potential of all working-age adults through continuous investments in their skills as well as activitating more people, in particular women and young people especially those not in education, employment or training (NEETs). _________________ 22 European Labour Authority, Report on labour shortages and surpluses 2021 and ENISA, Cybersecurity skills development in the EU, March 2020. The ENISA studies identify that there is a gap of 291,000 professionals in cybersecurity.
Amendment 50 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The availability of skilled staff or experienced managers, who play an essential role in Europe’s sustainable growth, also remains the most important problem for a quarter of Union’s 25 million small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs)23 , constituting the backbone of Union’s economy and prosperity, representing 99% of all businesses and employing 83 million people. The Commission Communication “An SME strategy for sustainable Europe”24 recognises the essential role of SMEs to Europe’s competitiveness and prosperity. _________________ 23 Eurostat, Key Figures on European Businesses, 2022 Edition, p. 10. 24 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the regions “An SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe” (COM/2020/103 final)
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) Low skills of working-age adults remainand low participation in training activities of working-age adults reduce their work opportunities in the labour market, generating social and economic inequalities that represent a significant challenge for the Union,. They also pointing to considerable untapped potential of upskilling and reskilling to help mitigate increasing labour shortages in sectors such as manufacturing and services, and in particular in economic activities related to hospitality and manufacturing of computer and electronic equipment, and the care sector.25 However, participation in adult learning in the Union has stagnated over the last decade and 21 Member States fell short of the 2020 EU-level target. For many adults, such as those in atypical forms of work, employees of small and medium-sized enterprises, the unemployed, the inactive and the low-qualified, skills development opportunities are too often out of reach. Increasing the upskilling and reskilling opportunities for these groups, and all working-age adults, also contributes to reaching the EU employment target of 78%, with employment rate in the EU in 2021 being at 73.1%.26Against this background, it’s crucial to effectively implement workers’ right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning as defined in the European Pillar of Social Rights, ensuring access to training also for unemployed workers and workers with atypical forms of employment through subsidies such as unemployment benefits, training expenses and training allowances, as well as to develop active labour market policies and promote better working conditions. To that end, Member States should enhance the implementation of both Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults, and Council recommendation on the integration of the long-term unemployed into the labour market. _________________ 25 European Commission, 2021 Labour Market and Wage Developments in Europe, p. 26 26 Eurostat, Employment (as % of the population aged 20 to 64), (LFSI_EMP_A)
Amendment 60 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The first principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights27 states that everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and successfully manage transitions in the labour market. Principle 4 touches on active support for employment, to uphold everyone’s right to timely and tailor-made assistance to improve their employment or self-employment prospects, including the right to receive support for training and re-qualification. Principle 5 on secure and adaptable employment emphasises that, regardless of the type and duration of the employment relationship, workers should enjoy fair and equal treatment with respect to working conditions, access to social protection and training. Article 14(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the ‘Charter’)28 states that everyone has the right to education and access to vocational and continuing training. Providing workers with training during working hours, paid training leave, free training and support material, recognition and certification of training outcomes and clear career guidance, as well as ensuring that they will improve their job quality, salary and career development as a result of trainings, will therefore be critical to achieve the European Pillar of Social Rights’ objectives. _________________ 27 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the regions Establishing a European Pillar of Social Rights (COM/2017/0250 final) 28 Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union (2000/C 364/01)
Amendment 70 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) The European Skills Agenda30 , adopted in July 2020, calls for a skills revolution to ensure the recovery of our economy, strengthen Europe’s globalsustainable competitiveness and social fairness dimension and turn the green and digital transitions into opportunities for all. It aims to foster collective action on skills, ensure that training content is aligned with the evolving labour market needs, and better match training opportunities with people's aspirations to incentivise their uptake across the working-age population. The European Parliament welcomed the objectives and actions of the European Skills Agenda in its Resolution of 11 February 2021.31 _________________ 30 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (COM(2021)274 final) 31 European Parliament, European Parliament resolution of 11 February 2021 on the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (2020/2818(RSP))
Amendment 79 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 9 – paragraph 3
Recital 9 – paragraph 3
The Year of Skills follows the 2022 European Year of Youth which sought to empower, honour, support and engage with young people, including those with fewer opportunities, in a post-COVID-19 pandemic perspective with a view to having a long-term positive impact for young people. The European Year of Youth already emphasised the importance of skills to find good quality employment for young people. Young people’s smooth integration into the labour market shall be guaranteed by providing them with quality jobs and education and training opportunities.
Amendment 80 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 9 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Recital 9 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 84 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) As companies, trade unions and workers’ representatives, social partners and other stakeholders know best what skills are needed in their industrial ecosystems, strengthening their collective action on skills development, including through collective bargaining, has to be part of the solution. The Pact for Skills, which should continue to be supported as it's firmly anchored in the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, brings together companies, social partners, education and training providers, public employment services and other key skills stakeholders, both private and public. So far, more than 700 organisations have signed up and 12 large scale partnerships in strategic sectors have been set up, with pledges to promote 6 million training opportunities. Stakeholders who have signed Large-scale Skills Partnerships, including social partners, should be accompanied in delivering tangible results assuring that the skills dimension stays at the heart of the discussion on the twin transition and of recovery and resilience plans. The regional dimension is also important, including in border regions, where finding workers with the right skills requires targeted measures to support effective cross-border labour markets. Similarly, disadvantaged and remote regions, including the outermost, face particular challenges as access to the labour market and upskilling and reskilling opportunities are limited.
Amendment 89 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 10 a (new)
Recital 10 a (new)
(10a) Effective social dialogue and collective bargaining processes are crucial to anticipate labour market and skills needs. Member States should promote the role of the social partners and support their activities and prerogatives on issues related to changes on the labour market and skills needs by consulting with them the competency needs and the update of the curricula of education and training systems and by co- designing with workers’ representatives on-the-job training to adapt it to the needs of the working force. The activities carried out in the framework of the European Year of Skills 2023 will be a good opportunity to enhance social partners’ critical role in this matter, ensuring that the skills policy encourages collective agreements regarding the definition and regulation of skills and continuing training.
Amendment 95 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) The Council Recommendations on Individual Learning Accounts34 and Micro- credentials for lifelong learning and employability35 help people to update or complete their skill-sets, also in response to emerging skills needs in the labour market, in a more flexible and targeted way and invites Member States to adopt universally available paid training leave provisions. The Council Resolution from December 2021 on a new European Agenda for Adult Learning 2021-203036 promotes upskilling and reskilling that can in turn reduce skills mismatches and labour shortages. SkillsHigh- quality career guidance and skills self- assessment opportunities are among the measures which support people in their up- and reskilling. _________________ 34 Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on individual learning accounts (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 26) 35 Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on a European approach to micro- credentials for lifelong learning and employability (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 10) 36 Council Resolution on a new European agenda for adult learning 2021-2030 (OJ C 504, 14.12.2021, p. 9)
Amendment 112 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) Skills for the green and just transition and the upskilling and reskilling of the workforce will be needed in the context of the shift to a modern, resource- efficient and competitive, inclusive and resilient economy, as laid out under the European Green Deal39 setting the path towards EU climate neutrality by 2050. The Commission Communication “Fit for 55”40 recognises that the green transition can only succeed if the Union has the skilled workforce it needs to stay competitive and points to the flagship actions of the Skills Agenda to equip people with the skills that are needed for the green and digital transitions. In that context, the European Year of Skills 2023 should give a special attention to up and re-skilling of workers from regions and sectors that will be the most impacted by decarbonisation policies in order to avoid rising inequalities between European regions and to ensure cohesion and upward convergence. _________________ 39 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - The European Green Deal (COM/2019/640 final) 40 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – Fit for 55: delivering the EU's 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality (COM(2021) 550 final)
Amendment 120 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) The Digital Decade Policy Programme 203041 reiterates the objective of ensuring that at least 80% of the EU population have at least basic digital skills by 2030 to allow all Europeans to benefit from the welfare brought by an inclusive digital society, with a special attention to older workers and marginalised groups, and sets the target of 20 million employed ICT specialists, with the aim of achieving gender convergence, by 2030, also by creating a cooperation framework between the Member States and the Commission. The Digital Decade42 stresses the lack of capacity of specialised education and training programmes to train additional ICT experts. The Digital Education Action Plan 2021-202743 emphasises that technological means should be used to ease accessibility and strengthen flexibility of learning opportunities, including upskilling and reskilling. _________________ 41 Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the 2030 Policy Programme “Path to the Digital Decade” (COM/2021/574 final) 42 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the regions; 2030 Digital Compass: the European way for the Digital Decade (COM (2021)118 final) 43 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the Digital Education Action Plan (COM/2018/022 final)
Amendment 124 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) The Commission Communication on An Updated Industrial Strategy44 calls for decisive action to make lifelong learning a reality for all and ensure that education and training keep pace with and help deliver the digital and green transitions. It underlines that a skilled workforce is key in ensuring successful just transitions, supporting the competitiveness of the European industry, it's digital and green transition and quality job creation. It also recognises the importance of strong partnerships between the EU, Member States, social partners and other relevant stakeholders and cooperation between and within industrial ecosystems. TAs pointed out in the Commission's action plan, the social economy can play a decisive role as it is an important proponent of socially fair and inclusive digital and green transitions and a key driver of social innovation, including in the field of reskilling and upskilling, facilitating for example the setting up of a skills partnership for the proximity and social economy industrial ecosystem. _________________ 44 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Updating the 2020 New Industrial Strategy: Building a stronger Single Market for Europe’s recovery (COM(2021) 350 final)
Amendment 128 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) Attracting skilledll migrant workers and refugees, regardless of their status, should have equal opportunities and access to training as well as decent working and employment conditions. They should have the possibility to validate theird-country nationals skills and competences and receive quality apprenticeships, as well as reskilling and upskilling for quality jobs. New channels of legal migration are necessary to offer non-EU workers decent and safe opportunities within the EU, including quality jobs. Attracting skilled third- country nationals, while acknowledging a potential risk of brain-drain in migrants’ countries of origin and offering quality employment and skills development to migrant workers and their families already present in the EU, can contribute to tackling the Union’s skills and labour shortages. In October 2021, the revised EU Blue Card Directive45 entered into force, a key achievement for attracting highly skilled talent into the labour market. The New Pact on Migration and Asylum46 also places a strong emphasis on labour migration and on integration of third country nationals. Against this background, the Commission adopted a Skills and Talent Package47 in April 2022 to reinforce the legal framework and Union action in this area. Proposals to recast the Long- Term Residents Directive and the Single Permit Directive will allow to simplify the procedures for the admission of workers of all skill levels to the Union. The Commission will also continue to roll out an EU Talent Pool to facilitate labour matching with non-EU nationals. The Commission is also working towards the launch of tailor-made Talent Partnerships with specific key partner countries to boost international labour mobility and development of talent in a mutually beneficial and circular way. In addition, the Union continues to be the leading contributor to global funding for education focusing especially on teacher training, girls education and vocational education and training. This work, under the umbrella of the Global Gateway strategy48 , is complementary to the objectives of this proposal. _________________ 45 Directive (EU) 2021/1883 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2021 on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of highly qualified employment, and repealing Council Directive 2009/50/EC (OJ L 382, 28.10.2021, p. 1) 46 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a New Pact on Migration and Asylum (COM/2020/609 final) 47 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Attracting skills and talent to the EU (COM/2022/657 final) 48 Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank The Global Gateway (JOIN/2021/30 final)
Amendment 135 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) Trust in and transparency of qualifications, whether acquired in Europe or beyond, is key in facilitating their recognition. EU transparency tools (European Qualifications Framework, Europass, ESCO, EU Skills Profile Tool for third country nationals, European Digital Credentials for Learning) are a starting point to help increase the transparency and comparability of qualifications. For well functioning labour markets, skills must be understood and valued, whether acquired in formal, non- formal or informal settings. Skills identification and documentation, as well as guidance to make skills visible, are crucial steps in this context. The recognition of migrant workers and refugees’ formal and non-formal qualifications should be eased in order to smooth their integration into the European labour markets.
Amendment 145 #
(19) Overall public and private investments in upskilling and reskilling are insufficient. Most job-related training in the Union is employer-sponsored or supported by social partners’ funds. However, many companies, in particular SMEs, do not provide or fund training for their staff, and individuals in atypical work have less or no access to employer- sponsored training. Such inequalities undermine individuals’ welfare and health, reduce economic competitiveness, result in missed opportunities and barriers to innovation and risk leaving people behind in the transition to more sustainable economic activities. AIn that context, it is of the upmost importance to promote corporate investment in formal and informal training and in life-long learning and to provide workers with training during working hours, paid training leave, free training and support material, recognition and certification of training outcomes, and clear career guidance. Besides, an enabling framework unlocking and incentivising employers’ financial investments in skills and giving visibility to the economic value of upskilling and reskilling is needed.
Amendment 155 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) Regulation (EU) 2021/1056 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Just Transition Fund53 recognises that upskilling and reskilling of workers and jobseekers is an instrument needed to ensure a fair and inclusive green transition and to mitigate adverse consequences. The Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality54 sets out specific guidance to help Member States devise and implement policy packages on relevant employment and social aspects, including upskilling and reskilling policies. Furthermore, the Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development55 promotes policies and programmes to ensure that learners of all ages acquire the knowledge and skills to benefit from a changing labour market, live sustainably and take action for a sustainable future. In that context, the European Year of Skills 2023 should give a special attention to up and re-skilling of workers from regions and sectors that will be the most impacted by decarbonisation policies in order to avoid rising inequalities between European regions and to ensure cohesion and upward convergence for a just transition. _________________ 53 Regulation (EU) 2021/1056 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 establishing the Just Transition Fund PE/5/2021/REV/1 (OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 1) 54 Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 35) 55 Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on learning for the green transition and sustainable development, OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 1.
Amendment 170 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
In line with principles 1, 4 and 5 of the European Pillar of Social Rights, contributing to the objectives set out in the 2020 European Skills Agenda and the EU headline targets set by the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, the overall objective of the European Year shall be to further promote a mindset of reskilling and upskilling thereby boosting competitiveness of European companies, in particular small and medium-sized entreprisesworkers’ well- being, employability and career progression, realising the full potential of the digital and green transitions in a socially fair, inclusive and just manner. More specifically, the activities of the Year will promote quality jobs alongside skills policies and investments to ensure that nobody is left behind in the twin transition and the economic recovery, and to notably address labour shortages for a better skilled workforce in the Union that is able to seize the opportunities of this process, by:
Amendment 171 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point -1 (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point -1 (new)
-1. Promoting the creation of good quality jobs and retention strategies as the best way to attract a skilled workforce and incentivise employers to invest in their worker’s skills development.
Amendment 176 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
1. Promoting increased, more effective and inclusive investment into free training and upskilling to harness the full potential of the European current and future workforce, to ease young workers integration into the labour market and to support people in managing job-to-job transitions, active ageing, and benefiting from the new opportunities brought by the ongoing economic transformation.
Amendment 183 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2
2. Strengthening skills relevanceIdentifying workers’ needs for well-being at work and strengthening skills relevance and access to upskilling and reskilling by closely cooperating with social partners, public and private employment services, companies, education and training providers and developing joined-up approaches with all branches of governments.
Amendment 199 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 4
4. Attracting people from third countries with the skills needed by the Union, includingSupporting refugees and migrants, including by offering new channels for legal migration, by strengthening learning opportunities and mobility, and by facilitating the recognition of qualifications, including for migrant workers already living in the EU regardless of their status.
Amendment 207 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point -a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point -a (new)
(-a) promoting actions, projects and funding opportunities to encourage access to life-long learning and training for workers in collective bargaining agreements, supporting social dialogue and the role of trade unions in the definition of skills needs and training and the design of national, sectoral and company-specific skills strategies and training programmes;
Amendment 211 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) conferences, forum discussions and further events to promote debate on the role and contribution of skills policies to achieve competitiveworkers’ well-being at work and career development, sustainable and fair economic growth in light of the demographic change and to mobilise relevant stakeholders to ensure access to training is a reality on the ground;
Amendment 219 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) information, communication and awareness-raising campaigns on EU initiatives for upskilling and reskilling, including those carried out by European social partners, promoting their implementation and delivery on the ground and also their uptake by potential beneficiaries;
Amendment 224 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point e
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point e
(e) increasing dialogue in existing stakeholder groups and networks, including in European sectoral social dialogue committees, also via established online platforms;
Amendment 230 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point g
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point g
(g) promoting tools and instruments for increased transparency ofand improvement of validation and qualification systems, including qualifications awarded outside the Union;
Amendment 245 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 4 – paragraph 1
Article 4 – paragraph 1
The organisation of participation in the European Year at national and regional level shall be a responsibility of the Member States. To that end, each Member State shall appoint a national coordinator that can represent the different branches of government in a holistic manner. The national coordinators shall ensure the coordination of relevant activities at national and regional level. National and regional social partners shall be closely involved also in those activities.
Amendment 250 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 5 – paragraph 2
Article 5 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission shall rely on the expertise and assistance of relevant Union Agencies and European social partner organizations in implementing the European Year.
Amendment 252 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 5 – paragraph 3
Article 5 – paragraph 3
3. The Commission shall convene meetings of the national coordinators in order to coordinate the activities referred to in Article 3. These meetings shall also serve as opportunities to exchange information regarding the implementation of the European Year at national and Union level. Representatives of the European Parliament and, relevant Union Agencies and European social partner organizations may participate in those meetings as observers.
Amendment 256 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 5 – paragraph 4
Article 5 – paragraph 4
4. The Commission shall closely engage with social partners, labour market bodies and representatives of organisations or bodies active in the field of skills, to assist in implementing the European Year at Union level.
Amendment 257 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 1
For the purpose of the European Year, where necessary, the Commission shall cooperate with third countries and competent international organisations, in particular with the OECD, Unesco and the ILO, the ILO and global social partner organizations, while ensuring the visibility of the Union's participation.