Langas i ateiti received Skills for Employability Award 2011

Monday, 28 November 2011 10:29

The European Employment Week conference last week sent a strong message to EU governments and industry alike with the closing delivered by László Andor, Commissioner responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, underlining the debate with reference to the 43% of unemployed people across the EU that have been job seeking for over a year and with specific focus on the rapid growth in youth unemployment, raising once again in Europe the spectre of a wasted generation.

Fuelling the debate with grass-roots initiatives from across Europe, the European Alliance on Skills for Employability was proud to host the 2011 awards ceremony as part of the Employment Forum to recognize some of the strongest job readiness and social inclusion initiatives through skills & ICT training across Europe!

The skills gap transcends regions and countries, a new set of job requirements and the ability to fully participate in society are changing as the economy goes digital.  The workforce of the future, regardless of industry sector or even function, depends on an acclimatization to digital skills and the right labour market training.  

The European Alliance on Skills for Employability is a coalition of industry partners; State Street, Adecco Group and Microsoft that work together to support the EU Growth and Jobs strategy with targeted skills & workforce development  initiatives for the jobs of tomorrow;  EA also strives to reach those furthest removed from the job market through the NGO partnerships we support.

Since its launch in 2006 in Lisbon with European Commission President Barroso and Jean-Philippe Courtois, President of Microsoft International  it has demonstrated and inspired individuals, businesses, employers, organisations and governments on how ICT skills boost Europe’s competitiveness as well as  social and economic inclusion.  This long term sustained effort is about sharing partner competences to build an inclusive and smart Europe.  

Bringing forward the voices of NGO collaborations that support sustainable progress to bridge the employment gap, Lieve Van den Brande, Senior Policy officer, DG Education and Culture joined industry partners Microsoft, Adecco Group and State Street to present the awards to three exceptional projects that directly impact the creation of new jobs and skills profiles in the EU.  Applications had been previously put to a distinguished jury panel of experts in the field from CSR Europe, Age-platform, the European e-Skills Association, European Centre for Women and Technology (ECWT), Adecco Group, Microsoft and State Street.

Firstly, with the impact of the recession on the employability of Gen Y being a critical issue, Asociacion Cultural Norte Joven, Spain, was formally presented with the Youth empowerment through skills category in recognition of a project that combines both social and labour market skills alongside the training to use new technologies in the search for employment.  What sets this Spanish workforce development project apart is the broad co-operation agreements that have been signed with industry partners to deliver internship opportunities for young people that help improve the efficiency of integrating young people into the labour market.

Internet Saloon, Italy followed on stage to accept the award for Active ageing through IT learning.  This project was considered best-in class by the European jury as they have now expanded their program for job seekers over 50 where training is combined with job searching online, writing resumés etc. to reach 7 cities in Italy and they train almost 5000 people each year. Last year they championed at national level the European “Get Online Week” initiative in Italy for the first time.

The third initiative called forward was Langas į ateitį  (LIA), Lithuania or ‘Windows to the Future’ (W2F) which has for almost 10 years pioneered various on-line curricula to reach disparate and distributed audiences throughout Lithuania, winning both national and European award recognition along the way.  Today’s award celebrates the accomplishments of a project kicked off in 2010 that has so far trained more than 11 000 citizens throughout Lithuania, with more than 75% (8250) participants women.  Among those trained, approximately two thirds were unemployed or economically inactive, mostly from rural areas and most over 45 years old.  


The European Alliance on Skills for Employability is proud to participate to Europe’s Digital Agenda vision and goals by supporting and bringing to the fore NGO and industry collaborations that aim to meet 21st century challenges through an inclusive and diverse workplace. With  49 %, fewer than half, of individuals with low skill levels employed in the EU, this is a critical challenge to be shared by industry, government and the third sector.

Help drive momentum around the New Skills for New Jobs agenda and Europe’s Digital Agenda by finding out about exceptional employability partnerships here:
www.employabilityalliance.eu/

Skills for employability 2011 video