The first issue of Cedefop’s new magazine is out! Skillset and Match is packed with exclusive interviews, guest messages, features, news from EU Member States and information on new publications. The magazine aspires to reach a wide spectrum of people, from policy-makers in the public and private sectors to employers, employee representatives, teachers, students and parents.

Highlights of the first issue:

In vocational training, but also for general economic growth needed for employment, European policies are catalysts for innovation, according to Cedefop Director James Calleja.

Mr Calleja was a key panellist during the 3rd international conference on industrial technologies research and innovation, held in Athens from 9 to 11 April. The conference attracted over 1 000 delegates from 50 countries as well as 150 speakers in plenary and workshop sessions.

Partnerships between education and training and social partners are not an option but inevitable to prevent skills mismatch and having people not in employment, education or training (NEETs), argued Cedefop Director James Calleja at the Greek EU Presidency’s flagship conference on vocational education and training (VET).

The conference, held on 26 March in Athens, gave participating Member States an opportunity to get acquainted with successful VET policies and practices which tackle skills mismatches, focusing on how work-based learning can meet contemporary challenges.

More than one quarter of adults in the ACT don’t have the skills they need to cope with the demands of everyday life[1].

You are invited to A Learning Agenda, a workshop exploring solutions to this issue.

In the ACT, 31% of adults are functionally illiterate. While they can read and write some, they do not have the skills to follow a recipe, or accurately read a medicine label.