Time for a chat with Malin Mendes, the ETF's Governing Board Member from Sweden
Malin, tell us about how you came to be a member of the ETF governing board?
I am a big believer in education and training as an extremely powerful tool for transforming societies and people's possibilities to a meaningful working life as well as personal life and life as an active citizen. After many years working in the field of vocational education and training at the Ministry of Education and Research in Sweden, and regarding my special interest for the ETF and its mission, I think I was a natural choice when Sweden appointed a new member of the governing board in 2018.
What would you say are the most pressing issues in the field of human capital development in the EU’s neighbouring regions for 2023?
As in the EU Member States I believe that the overarching challenge in the neighbouring regions is to ensure vocational education and training systems are adaptive and responsive to changing needs of the society and the labour market. Part of this is also to attract young and less young people to the VET programmes on offer. Supporting the green transition through the provision of the right skills to achieve this change is essential in 2023 and the years ahead.
As well as economic development, how important do you think skills development is for strengthening social and democratic processes?
Absolutely essential. Having skills that lead to a job gives independence and the possibility to create a good life for oneself. VET also needs to promote democratic values and contribute to social cohesion as well as provide learners with skills to critically analyse information and prevent the spread of non-factual information and news through a good factual base and the promotion of critical thinking.
What good practice examples on skills development from Sweden do you think are particularly relevant for ETF partner countries?
I always like to spread the word on our Higher Vocational Education (HVE) system. It is a demand-driven, post-secondary high quality education form that involves working life representatives through the whole process of designing training programmes, managing them throughout their lifespan and follow up on quality and performance. The shorter courses and longer programmes constantly adapt to changing labour market demands, and courses and programmes geared towards new and emerging skills evolve rapidly. Our widely available upper secondary level VET programmes in municipal adult education should also be mentioned. We see clearly that the number of young people in initial vocational education and training will not be sufficient to meet the labour market needs for VET skills and therefore the availability of upskilling and reskilling for adults is key too.
To what extent will the Swedish Presidency of the European Union, from January to June 2023, focus on education and skills development?
The European Year of Skills is taking place in 2023, and the Presidency intends to link up with this and one of its focus areas, matching skills to labour market needs. The Presidency will highlight how education can contribute to transition and upskilling, and will initiate a discussion on the conditions necessary for both individuals and businesses to be able to obtain the skills they need for the green transition.
In addition, the Presidency will move the work on the European Education Area forward, for example regarding mutual recognition of qualifications. The Presidency also plans to begin considering both Council recommendations announced by the Commission on digitalisation in the area of education.
More information on the Swedish Presidency programme can be found here: https://swedish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/