In the context of the Pact for Skills in which, the Commission invites public and private organisations to join forces and take concrete action to upskill and reskill people in Europe To support a fair and resilient recovery and deliver on the ambitions of the green and digital transitions and of the EU Industrial and SME Strategies, the health sector has been identified as a priority partnership, As an example, the digitalisation of the healthcare ecosystem, in particular the EU Health Data Space (EHDS), with promoting the skilling and upskilling of the healthcare professionals is an important priority for the European Commission.
In this regard, the EFN participated to the webinar “The use of validation of non-formal and informal learning for upskilling and reskilling”, which aimed to set the scene on the different EU initiatives to boost upskilling and reskilling.
The EU has a long history of promoting validation of non-formal and informal learning, also for upskilling and reskilling. Key initiatives include the Council Recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning, the European Skills Agenda, the 2016 Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways.
The objective of the Council Recommendation adopted in 2016 is to provide adults with lower level of skills, knowledge or competence, for instance adults with a qualification below the upper secondary level, with opportunities to develop basic skills and/or acquire a wider set of skills, relevant for active participation in society and the labour market.
Moreover, in the last 3 years, guidelines have been developed in order to define the procedures and the principles to develop the validation process.
Upskilling and reskilling our healthcare professionals, especially nurses, is key to create a robust and resilient healthcare ecosystem and to be better prepared for facing future healthcare crisis and challenges. In this regard, the EFN is a key partner in the Bewell 4-years EU project, which aims to develop a green and digital skills’ strategy for the health ecosystem that can be implemented at a local, regional, national, and ultimately at the European level through the Pact for Skills, in the context of the Blueprint for sectoral cooperation on skills.
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