The Decision on EYS is finally adopted
The European Parliament and the Council of the EU adopted the Decision (EU) 2023/936 on EYS on 10 May after a relatively long negotiation process. It entered into force one day later when it was published in the Official Journal of the EU. This provides the legal basis for the campaign, which is running from 9 May 2023 to 8 May 2024. The Decision defines the four objectives of EYS, types of measures, coordination at the national and Union levels, international cooperation, as well as monitoring and evaluation. The Commission will report on the implementation and results of EYS in the EU Member States on 31 May 2025. In addition, to create a lasting legacy for EYS, the Commission will add ideas for further joint efforts in the field of skills.
Here is the link to the Decision in English, Slovenian and other EU languages.
The event overview will be available at the European and Slovenian levels
On the European EYS website, it has been possible to submit events aligned with the four objectives of EYS for some time now.
The working group at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment reviews and approves the entries. Once approved, they are displayed on the EU map. The registry into this calendar at the Slovenian level is not coordinated but left to the stakeholders of EYS themselves. Within the scope of the EAAL project and its e-portal Upskilling Pathways – New Opportunities for Adults, we have established a Slovenian website for EYS at the SIAE. It is also accessible via the simple address https://els.si.
This website displays some key facts about EYS and provides essential links. Available are also Slovenian logos and interesting infographics justifying the importance of EYS, as well as the EYS section in the Slovenian version of the Newsletter SIAE, where I, the author and the national coordinator for EYS in Slovenia, provide updates on current events (in Slovenian). The website also displays entry points for data input for the Slovenian and European calendars. In addition, key Slovenian and European events are announced. We will continuously update and refresh the website, while the quality of the data, particularly events, depends on the quality of the stakeholders’ entries.
They have a wide range of possible measures available, as defined in the Decision on EYS. In addition, however, it is allowed for events, campaigns, platforms, and other tools to be designed in accordance with national priorities.
The first key European event has already been carried out
It was named the EYS Festival and took place on 9 May in a hybrid format at the Cité des Métiers, an information and counselling centre for vocational training at the Brussels Employment Service. The hour-and-a-half-long programme, interspersed with videos showcasing examples of skills provision in EU Member States, was also streamed online, and the recording is available here. Slovenia was chosen by the European Commission, in line with the fourth objective of EYS (attracting talents from third countries), to present a case study of a doctoral student from Serbia who is undergoing training at the National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana.
In Slovenia, we presented EYS at two major professional conferences
In both cases, there was an invitation to participate in EYS by organising relevant events, registering them in both calendars and creating stories about individuals and projects, which the European Commission collects for the EYS website; more information here.
Adult Education Colloquium was the opening event of EYS in Slovenia
The SIAE organised it in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and the Ministry of Education on 1 June at the House of the European Union. We presented contributions from national stakeholders and two practical cases of companies investing in employee training. In addition, we discussed the challenges of ensuring skills for work and life. More information, the event recording (in Slovenian) and photos can be found on the website of the 27th AEC.
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (zvonka.pangerc@acs.si), SIAE