The New Skills for New Jobs Initiative published by the European Commission in December 2008 offered an important glimpse into the future of labour market trends in the next ten to twenty years. The Initiative, which followed intense research by the Greece-based CEDEFOP, confirmed local and regional authorities' suspicions about the future needs of the European labour force. Europe's future lies in taking the lead in new and emerging markets and providing the necessary skills base that is able to make the most of new technologies, new process methods, and the most forward-thinking research. Once again, what is clear is that Europe's socio-economic groups most at risk of economic and social exclusion will face even stronger pressures over the next decades. Existing jobs at the lowest skills-base level will continue to decline, whilst jobs at the mid-range and higher-range are expected to be the fastest growing sources of new employment. It is at these skills band that Europe's regions stand the most to gain and have the best effort to reduce the unacceptable numbers of individuals at-risk of poverty.

Our regions and local authorities are committed to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty that is so detrimental to our economies. To do so, we need to ensure that today's young people are given the necessary opportunities to ensure that their horizons are broadened. They need to be given the necessary opportunities to develop and gain the skills that will enable them to access the 21st century sustainable jobs rather than locking them in sectors already identified today as most likely to decline. Yet already indications are there that we are struggling to achieve these objectives, Europe's youth unemployment figures are higher than most age-groups, and many of our most at-risk individuals struggle in school to achieve high standards, drop-out of school before achieving even basic level qualifications, and are under-represented in activities that seek to make the most of European integration.   

Our regions' economies will be shifting gears in the not-too-distant future. The drive towards low-carbon economies and societies mean that sectors will be facing unprecedented pressures and challenges to provide clean and sustainable energy and manufacturing methods. Europe is also facing a historic demographic challenge as the population continues to live longer lives, with the ratio of individuals contributing to the pensions of our senior citizens becoming dangerously unsustainable. These challenges require coordinated responses at all governance levels with a keen understanding by all decision-makers about who is doing what, where, and when. Through the European Regional Skills Forum (ERSF), we hope to provide a platform which enables local and regional decision-makers to be able to identify common challenges, promote and share best practice, and support the Commission in its efforts to make New Skills New Jobs a reality.

Objectives

The European Regional Skills Forum launch event will seek to raise awareness of the initiative and its potential added-value for local and regional actors across Europe. The launch event will seek to bring together interested local and regional actors to begin discussions key elements of the New Skills for New Jobs which will require their input and involvement. The event will also serve as an opportunity to showcase headline initiatives in the North East that directly relate to the New Skills for New Jobs' forecasting and jobs matching priorities in particular our innovation connectors.

The event will accomplish this objective by offering participants issued from across Europe an opportunity to receive practical information about the scope of the European Regional Skills Forum, a case-study from the North East delivered by our partners, and a round-table beginning debates on some key aspects of the New Skills for New Jobs initiative (i.e. the shift to the low-carbon economy, and the role of work-based learning to tackle low skills attainment and low aspirations).

It is hoped that by the end of the event, participants will be aware and enthused by the European Regional Skills Forum with the intention of participating in our future activities. We also hope to kick-start the debate on the role of local and regional actors as regards to implementing the recommendations found within the New Skills New Jobs communication. To do so, we will organise thematic round-tables and allow participants to discuss the findings of those round-tables during a networking reception.    

About the organisers

The event is co-hosted by the Representation of the State Saxony-Anhalt to the EU and the North East England Office in Brussels.

The event is supported by the active participation of a large number of regional offices who have an interest in the Raising Aspirations Incubator Event (taking place the following day) and/or are founding members of the European Regional Skills Forum's steering group.

The following regions have expressed interest in participating and may field participants:

Central Denmark (DK), Eszak-Alfold (HU), Flanders (BE), Brabant (NL), Venice (IT), Nitra (SK), Centre (FR), Valencia (ES), Active Group (BG), Bretagne, Pays-de-la-Loire, Poitou-Charentes (FR), West Sweden (SWE), Catalonia (ES), Mazovia (PL), Croatian Regions Office (CR), and Flevoland (NL)  

Practicalities for the Event

The event will be held on 8^th December 2009 from 15h00 to 20h00, it will be followed the next day with a project incubator event "Raising Aspirations" which will seek to link the policy discussions raised during the Launch Event  

The event is held at the Centre for the Regions. Home of the Representation of the State Saxony-Anhalt to the EU and North East England Office in Brussels located 80 Boulevard St Michel, 1040 Brussels. A map is provided on our website [1] (http://www.northeastengland.eu [2]). 

The nearest public transport stops include:

Thieffry (Metro Line 5)

Boileau (Tram Lines 23, 24, 25) (Bus Line 36)

Lunch is provided for all participants, as well as a reception preceding the event.

Methodology

The event is embedded in a series of activities that will be delivered by DG Education and Culture, DG Employment and Social Affairs, and a consortium of regional representation offices. The event aims to formally launch the European Regional Skills Forum and demonstrate the added-value of a forum like the European Regional Skills Forum being a focused platform dealing exclusively with the themes and challenges being addressed by the New Skills New Jobs communication.

As a result, the event will be split into three panels which will seek to demonstrate the type of activities we intend the ERSF to deliver. The first panel will formally introduce the European Regional Skills Forum, the New Skills for New Jobs, and demonstrate how we, in the North East, have developed platforms that bring together public authorities, skills providers, and business to work on a commonly shared strategy that is owned by all actors.

The second panel will demonstrate the importance of sharing best practice and solutions to common challenges. We will offer an opportunity for three of our local authorities to demonstrate how their headline projects are enabling their cities to become drivers of the New Skills New Jobs Agenda by focusing on key sectors, partnership working, and pro-active strategic vision and delivery. The cities selected for the case-study are: Sunderland Software City, Middlesbrough Digital City, and Newcastle Science City.

The last panel will seek to underline the role the ERSF will have in defining the major policy challenges facing local and regional actors and in particular communicating these challenges to the Commission with the aim of ensuring New Skills New Jobs remains a beneficial, supportive initiative with regards to the day-to-day work undertaken by local and regional actors.

The event will close with an informal networking reception that will offer participants an opportunity to discuss the information imparted to them throughout the half-day event and also give them an opportunity to speak to us about their future involvement in the European Regional Skills Forum.

Agenda for the Event

Participants' profile

The venue for the event will be the North East England Office in Brussels premises. The event will be open to approximately 100 participants. The hope is for the event's participants to come from organisations which will have a strong interest and practical experience developing policy responses to New Skills for New Jobs.

The organisations are looking for participants that are able to champion New Skills New Jobs approaches in their organisation and to provide informed advice on the challenges and issues being encountered and the solutions being put in place to address them. The examples provided below are not intended to be exhaustive.  Examples of participants include:

• Skills providers  that are expected to provide the demand-led skills model
• Business representatives that are expected to name the future skills needs of sectors
• Representatives of public authorities at all governance level expected to provide vision  
• Representatives of NGOs with a remit to engage with learners

European Skills Week Flyer_1.pdf [3]