Nicolas Schmit

PRESS RELEASE - Commissioner Schmit's visit enhances cooperation on human capital development and skills

EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, visited today the European Training Foundation (ETF) in Turin, Italy, for the first time to discuss the Agency's work on human capital development and skills. The visit offered great platform for exchange on topics like labour migration, recognition of qualifications and advancement of vocational education and training. Furthermore, as per the mandate of ETF as an EU Agency working on the external dimension of human capital development, its role to support the enlargement process, notably for Ukraine, was highlighted.  

Commissioner Schmit expressed his satisfaction with the visit, stating, "I am pleased to have had the opportunity to visit the European Training Foundation and engage in fruitful discussions with its staff that showcased the capacity of the agency as an international knowledge hub. We should use more its outstanding expertise. This visit also reaffirms the European Commission's commitment to investing in skills development and promoting social fairness within the European Union and beyond, in line with the objectives of the European Year of Skills and the European Pillar of Social Rights."

Dr. Pilvi Torsti, Director of the ETF, expressed her gratitude for the Commissioner's visit, stating, "This visit has provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the longstanding presence of ETF in human capital development and skills reforms in countries outside the European Union. ETF is well placed to forge partnerships with international organisations through systematic participation at all levels of work from programming to evaluation. This way we can have valuable and scalable impact on partner countries. Centres of vocational excellence and the work ETF does through its international network plays an important role in this respect."

The visit included a knowledge sharing event on micro credentials, organized in collaboration with the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and the Inter-Agency Group on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (IAG-TVET).

Discussions focused on facilitating the recognition of qualifications from third countries, enhancing learning opportunities and mobility as well as the importance of skills for the digital and green transition. The visit concluded with a positive outlook for advancing the European Union's social and employment agenda, particularly in the recognition of qualifications from third countries.

Background: The European Training Foundation is the EU agency supporting countries surrounding the European Union to reform their education, training and labour market systems. It works with partner countries mostly in the context of the EU's enlargement and neighbourhood policies.

More: European Training Foundation

Info: Daria Santucci, Communication Specialist,   mediarelations@etf.europa.eu , +39 011 6302260