The automotive industry, an important source of economic prosperity, employment, and innovation in the EU, is undergoing a major transformation as a result of market trends, international competition, technological innovation and regulatory changes. This transformation creates new opportunities but, at the same time, represents major challenges for the industry, its employees and the territories in which the sector operates.

Today, CLEPA, CEEMET and EMF launch the European Commission funded project “European Automotive Skills Council”, created with the aim to identify national observatories for skills and jobs in the automotive sector in view of setting up a European Automotive Skills Council.

The three partners will work together to identify the national observatories, and find ways to help them to network more effectively. They will do this using their networks of national federations, gathering information and building on the analysis done in the feasibility study to set up sector councils on jobs and skills at EU level.

Throughout the 12-month project, the three organisations will inform all stakeholders, in particular the national sectoral observatories and discuss the feasibility of setting up a European skills sector council, with the aim of firstly, mobilising the actors, secondly fostering their co-operation in the field of skills, training and labour market expertise and thirdly disseminating best practises.

This project has an important transnational dimension. For the European automotive industry, solutions are increasingly found in transnational cooperation as companies create partnerships within the EU and internationally. Transnational projects in education and training in the automotive industry are important in maintaining the competitiveness of the European industry.

The European Commission “DG Employment and Social Affairs” entrusted this project to CLEPA, CEEMET and EMF as they bring together automotive stakeholders who do not usually find opportunity to collaborate in the normal course of business with other actors concerned with research and key learning issues, promoting the transfer of knowledge between industry and universities; between large manufacturers and their suppliers; and between social partners.

The added value and innovativeness of this approach lies in investigating and preparing the possible establishment of a European sector council in the Automotive Sector, i.e. a network of national observatories on employment and skills. The network will help the exchange of information and good practices on quantitative and qualitative labour market-and skills needs developments.

The European Commission, CLEPA, CEEMET and EMF see this as a unique opportunity to bring together representatives from the education and training systems with those from the labour market to discuss skills evolution and the issues of skills mismatch on the labour market from a pan-European perspective.

For more information, please contact Mrs. Amalia Di Stefano, CLEPA Director
European Affairs and Communications, +32 2 743 91 35, a.distefano@clepa.be