Commissioners Schmit and Breton host Pact for Skills roundtable with executives and representatives from the construction sector

This morning, Commissioners Schmit and Breton chaired a high-level roundtable on the Pact for Skills with the construction sector. This is part of a series of sectoral roundtables to foster stakeholder involvement under the Pact for Skills. Announced under the European Skills Agenda in July, the Pact was launched on 10 November. The objective of the Pact is to mobilise all relevant actors – industrial, social, regional and education partners – to assist people in developing the right skill-set for a sustainable, social and resilient recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Partnerships established under the Pact will benefit from Commission support such as a partnership platform and advice on EU funding options. The construction sector has been identified as an important industrial ecosystem to partner up with under the Pact due to the severe consequences of the pandemic, the strong engagement from the industrial players as well as its progress under the current Blueprint of Sectoral Cooperation on Skills initiative. Upskilling (improving existing skills) and reskilling (training in new skills) are important drivers for the recovery from the pandemic and for the long-term restructuring of the sector. The meeting showed a strong engagement for all parties to work together to ensure the reskilling and upskilling of workers in the construction sector.