As part of the European Year of Skills 2023, the focus is on vocational training, in particular retraining and further training during working life. The aim is not least to secure the jobs of tomorrow. The event was primarily intended to emphasise the value of vocational education and training. The aim was to encourage young people to choose vocational training as a career path.

Young people from all over Europe network
More than 400 young people attended the one-day "Meet the Champions of Excellence" event at the EESC to network and discuss vocational education and training. Among them were the winners from more than 20 different vocational disciplines, who had competed in the WorldSkills, EuroSkills and Abilympics competitions. Visitors to the event were able to gain insights into topics such as "Skills for the future" and "Fighting gender stereotypes" in several workshop sessions.

Furthermore, they were able to get to know different professional fields as well as European companies, interest groups and organisations at around 20 stands. From Lower Austria, the Chamber of Labour (AKNÖ), the Chamber of Commerce (WKNÖ) and the Vocational Training Institute (BFI) were represented with showcase projects that met with great interest among the visitors.

Quality and secure jobs are needed for everyone
During the joint panel discussion with three champions, the CEO of WorldSkills Europe and Oliver Röpke, President of the EESC, the latter emphasised that the importance of vocational education and training is often underrated. Yet people with high-quality vocational training are usually in secure and well-paid jobs. Employee and employer organisations are also key to this, which is why Röpke explicitly highlighted the presence of representatives from Austria.

Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights highlighted the social dimension of the job competitions. Young Europeans who are unemployed or have no vocational training should not be forgotten, he said. They, too, must be given the opportunity to put their skills to good use. There was agreement that there should always be the opportunity to reorientate and further their education, even in existing employment relationships.

Lower Austrian projects lead the way
Markus Wieser, President of AK Lower Austria, presented the "FAME" initiative, which is jointly organised by AKNÖ and WKNÖ. This is primarily intended to familiarise young people with apprenticeships and inform them about training in digital, technical and ecological fields. The career guidance app "BoToGo", the "Let's Walz" internship abroad and the Master’s Programme in Careers Guidance were also presented at the event in Brussels.

The BFI Lower Austria presented the first climate protection training centre in Europe. In response to the energy transition and Green Transition, the Waldviertel BFI Centre in Sigmundsherberg will focus on green jobs. Modular training in the fields of the environment, sustainable building technology, photovoltaics and electromobility is to be created for the 11 vocational training and 18 further education programmes in metal, electronics, gas, sanitary and refrigeration technology. In addition, the Climate Info Point will answer all questions on climate protection, sustainability and the energy industry for interested parties from schools, companies and the general public. The centre was planned in collaboration with AMS Niederösterreich (Austrian Public Employment Service Lower Austria) and  was completed in December 2023. According to BFI Lower Austria CEO Christian Farthofer, the initiative and the expertise gained should now also be shared at European level.

A total of 18 Austrian "career champions"
The eighth European Skills Competitions (EuroSkills) took place in Poland last September. Around 600 qualified skilled workers under the age of 25 from 32 participating countries competed in a total of 43 professions to demonstrate their skills. With a total of 18 medals and 9 additional honours for exceptional performance, the Austrian team came top of all participating nations.

Two of the Austrian champions, electrical engineer Florian Steffek and structural engineer Joachim Nimpf, attended "Meet the Champions of Excellence" in Brussels together with AKNÖ and WKNÖ  to network with young people from all over Europe and share their experiences and knowledge. The next European Vocational Championships will take place in Herning, Denmark, in 2025.

Further information:
Meet the Champions of Excellence - European Union
AK EUROPA: European Year of Skills: Focus on education and training
AK EUROPA: Social dialogue as a response to the challenges of our time
AK EUROPA Position Paper: Communication on the European Education Area by 2025
AK EUROPA Position Paper: Shaping the future through high-quality education and training – make continuing vocational training a basic right!
A&W-Blog: Bildungspolitische Perspektiven auf den Arbeitskräftebedarf (Education policy perspectives on labour demand) (German only)
A&W-Blog: Just Transition: Arbeitskräfte für die Energiewende (Labour for the energy transition) (German only)