(12 October 2021) The Skills2Power project (‘Strengthen the Role of National Social Partners and VET Providers to Build Skills Intelligence in the Electricity Sector’) concludes after four years of successful activities. The project’s final conference took place on 22 September 2021.
The project was launched in 2018 and coordinated by the European social partners for the electricity sector – the European Public Service Union (EPSU), industriAll European Trade Union, Eurelectric and the consultancy company Spin360 as technical partner. Its main goal was to develop concrete joint strategies for anticipating and monitoring the needs for skilling, up- and reskilling of workers in the electricity sector in France, Italy, Spain, Hungary and Sweden.
The previous EU joint project prepared the ground for an effective action aimed at addressing the skills needs of a sector rapidly moving towards green transition, decarbonisation, developments in technology and evolution of business models. It also sought to address the currently weak relations among sectoral stakeholders in building sound skills intelligence and skills anticipation.
“The workers in the energy sector are concerned by a number of changes which raise important challenges for the sector’s future development, particularly in terms of employment, human resources and skills development. The outcome of this project should serve our unions, social partners and policy makers to better anticipate and respond to the precise nature of these evolution and developments and guarantee quality jobs in the future” said Jan Willem Goudriaan, General Secretary of EPSU
The project consisted of a series of capacity building workshops at national level, aimed at finding practical approaches to reinforce the interaction of social partners with education and training providers. This was a central part of the project. These workshops gathered a variety of stakeholders (European social partners, industry, national social partners, education and training providers and relevant public authorities) to discuss and propose concrete national roadmaps of activities on education and skills in the electricity sector.
At the final conference on 22 September 2021, key results of the project were presented and discussed and the project’s final report and the national roadmaps produced by each partner country were officially launched. The conference was attended by speakers from the European Commission, as well as social partners and national experts of the sector who had the opportunity to discuss skills and Just Transition. Judith Kirton-Darling, representing industriAll Europe in the event stated : “A Just Transition requires active labour market policies. We need education and training to ensure reskilling and upskilling of workers and equip them for jobs within and between transforming industries. Every worker must have the right to quality training and life-long learning. This project was an opportunity to define skills policies for the electricity sector and we must continue on that way.”
Read the Report Executive Summary in EN, ES, FR, HU, IT, RO, SE
Project financed by the European Commission
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