Eurisy at the Networking Event for Potential Pact for Skills Members
On 6 June 2024, Eurisy as a member of the SPACE4GEO Alliance represented the partnership at the Networking Event for Potential Pact for Skills Members. The event consisted of presentations and panel discussions, exploring opportunities, advantages and benefits for organisations from joining the Pact for Skills, which was launched in November 2020 by the European Commission (EC) as a shared engagement model for skills development in Europe aiming to maximise the impact of investing in upskilling and reskilling.
Since the launch of the Pact for Skills, more than 2500 organisations, among them companies, national, regional, and local authorities, social partners, cross-industry and sectoral organisations, education and training providers, chambers of commerce and employment services, have joined the Pact, including Eurisy. Within the Pact, multiple large-scale partnerships have also been established in all industrial ecosystems, such as SPACE4GEO, the Large-scale Skills Partnership for the space sector dedicated to data, services and applications.
During the event, Ann Branch, Head of Unit for Job Creation in the EC Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL), on behalf of the EC reflected on the European Year of Skills, a year-long conversation on skills at the EU level, which concluded in 2024. One of the achievements highlighted was the focus on the skills gap challenge on different levels, with the aim of emphasising the importance of investment in skills for ensuring the competitiveness of the EU, especially in light of the 2020 European Skills Agenda, which bring visibility to the continued relevance of various initiatives such as the Pact for Skills. The latter is of particular importance as it allows for cooperation at the EU level, where stakeholders can work together, join their efforts and exchange good practices, and therefore learn faster. In the same line, Jakub Boratynski, Director of Networks & Governance in the EC Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), noted the importance of the Pact for Skills for the successful EU industrial policy.
Ison Psychometrica shared the perspective of an SME on the benefits of the Pact for Skills membership, emphasizing several key advantages. These include access to knowledge events, integration into a growing community, and networking opportunities with both private and public institutions. Additionally, the European DIGITAL SME Alliance highlighted the benefits of participating in various EU projects through the Pact for Skills initiative.
Furthermore, the Pact for Skills online resources were presented, including the guidance handbook, online library and a funding tool. The guidance handbook is a resource for organisations to understand the key elements for setting up an effective skills partnership in line with the objectives of the Pact for Skills, while the online library a European one-stop-shop for tools, resources and information on upskilling and reskilling, which are developed by relevant stakeholders at the international, EU and national level, as well as Pact members. At last, the funding tool is an online database and search tool for funding opportunities.
The Networking Event for Potential Pact for Skills Members was a valuable opportunity for Eurisy to connect with organizations interested in joining the Pact for Skills. This event allowed Eurisy to expand its network and gain deeper insights into the advantages and benefits of Pact for Skills membership, like access to knowledge on upskilling and reskilling needs, as well as networking opportunities within its growing community.