Utrecht – NL, June 10, 2024. WCC is proud to announce that we have officially joined the European Commission’s Pact for Skills. 

The Pact for Skills is one of the flagship actions of the European Skills Agenda and it aims to support public and private organizations with upskilling and reskilling, so they can thrive through the green and digital transitions. 

The Pact for Skills encourages collaborative efforts to maximize the impact of investments in upskilling and reskilling. It urges a great variety of players at national, regional and local level to collaborate and commit to investing in training for all working-age individuals in the EU. These players include: national, regional and local authorities, businesses, social partners, chambers of commerce, education and training providers, and employment services. 

Skills are vital for developing a resilient and competitive workforce, and for navigating the digital and green transitions. Both large and small businesses require skilled individuals to innovate and grow. However, the dynamic nature of the labor market can lead to skill mismatches and shortages, which can be factors that contribute to high unemployment rates. This concern is widespread among different age groups with 40% of younger employees (40 years old and under) feeling frustrated by insufficient resources and skill tools. Thus, it is necessary to provide them with the right tools and foster a sense of empowerment which leads to the development of the workforce and could create a significant potential benefit for the businesses. This is specifically true for frontline workers, we talked about it in detail here. 

This is why initiatives such as the Pact for Skills are crucial.