Commissioners Schmit, Breton and Kyriakides host Pact for Skills roundtable with executives and representatives from the health ecosystem

This afternoon, Commissioners Schmit, Breton and Kyriakides will host a high-level roundtable on the Pact for Skills with the health ecosystem. 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 information on EU funding options. The health sector has been identified as an important industrial ecosystem to partner up with under the Pact due to the severe consequences of the pandemic on health systems and, the strong engagement of health stakeholders and industrial players, as well as the great potential of digital technologies for the sector. Upskilling (improving existing skills) and reskilling (training in new skills) of healthcare workers are important drivers for the recovery from the pandemic and for the long-term effectiveness and resilience of the sector. The use of digital skills in assisting and facilitating the transformation of health systems and patient safety is of particular interest.