Boosting skills training provision across Europe: the Commission should partner with business

Employers are main providers and, by and large, the main contributors to employee job-related trainings across Europe. The European Commission should partner with business to design a useful European policy initiative to improve skills training provision. The main purpose should be to strengthen the relevance of training provision to changing labour market needs. Before considering the shape of its upcoming initiative, the Commission should first map the landscape of training funds across Europe. Social partners are well placed to foster a diversified offer of training options for employees, and their autonomy needs to be respected. These were the key messages passed by BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer in a meeting on 12 April with Commission Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, and Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, on the Commission’s announced initiative on individual learning accounts.