"If statistics are not used they have no value." ETF partner countries learning from Swedish good practice

The ETF is co-hosting an international workshop together with Arbetsförmedlingen, the Swedish Public Employment Services. The event "Human Capital Development – building evidence on skills and employment" is taking place in Stockholm on 22–23 May 2024 and focuses on evidence for skills and employment policy for upskilling and reskilling.

The focus on day one was on sharing the latest developments in evidence gathering and dissemination, data collection methods and priorities for evidence generation in the areas of education, skills and employment evidence.

Hugues Moussy, Head of the ETF's Systems Performance and Assessment Unit thanked all the ETF’s counterparts in statistical services across the EU's neighbourhood for their close cooperation in building data intelligence on national education and skills development to ensure better policies adapted to local needs.

In an opening address, Shawn Mendes, Director of International Affairs at Swedish Public Employment Services highlighted the important role that data plays in education policy making adding that:

“All countries, including Sweden, really need inter-ministerial inter-agency coordination on skills and upskilling, reskilling, adult learning.”

Cecilia Stenbjörn, Director, Department for Social Statistics and Analysis, Statistics Sweden referred to the fluid nature of statistics noting:

"If they are not used then they have no value. They need to be available and used in a correct way.” 

Discussions focused on the experience of national statistical services in supplying statistics from Sweden, Georgia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Türkiye and other ETF partner countries from the EU’s neighbouring regions. Salient points included the need to develop human resources for evidence and data gathering with training on how best to communicate and coordinate with education data gathering services in particular.  

"Attention needs to be given to the profiles of staff in statistical offices," said Dušan Radovanović, Head of Unit, Department for Education, Science and Culture, Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.

Mert Öcal, Employment Expert, Employment Agency of Türkiye, highlighted how coordination and dissemination of data ensures its policy use.

In the afternoon participants attended field visits at the Statistics Sweden offices and the Swedish Public Employment Service.

Day two of the event will consist of feedback from the site visits and parallel workshops.

• The first workshop will focus on current challenges and practices at the juncture between international evidence collection requirements and standards, and national data and evidence collection practices and standards with contributions from Sweden, ETF partner countries and Michael Ward, Directorate for Education and Skills from the OECD.
• Innovative practices in the field of employment, skills and public employment services data management for vulnerable groups will be the topic for discussion in the second group.

A full report of the event will be shortly available on the ETF website.