On 13 and 14 October the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) with the support of the DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion will organise four online workshops and info sessions in the framework of the #EURegionsWeek, the biggest annual Brussels-based event dedicated to cohesion policy.

The four events will focus on opportunities for regions and cities to support the labour market in the transition towards a more digital & greener Europe, as well as boosting social innovation.

1/ European Local Job Forum: working together to support the labour market

13 Oct, 14.30-16.00 CET - Workshop

The workshop will consist of two sessions. It will first focus on skills, mobility and trends and tackle how regions and cities can stay ahead of the game. In the second part it will discuss on current opportunities and challenges of EU funding and the local labour market.

Actually, to support the labour market in regions and cities, the European Committee of the Regions together with European Commission's DG EMPL will launch a series of recurring events entitled "European Local Job Fairs Fora".

This workshop will be the occasion to present the upcoming "European Local Job Fora" and discuss with the audience ideas for the future of the events .

2/ Competence Centres for social innovation: what is there for regions and cities

October 13, 2021 at 9.30 CEST - Info-session

The session will showcase the "National Competence Centres for social innovation" and their relevance for regions and cities.

In 2020, the European Commission launched a call to set up national structures that will act as competence centres for social innovation. This call resulted in the selection of six consortia, each covering 4 to 6 Member States on average, and consisting of a wealth of organisations - public and private. 

Starting with a short presentation of the competence centre project and its main objectives, the Commission will moderate an exchange of views between 3 to 4 members of the consortia, each contributing, in their own way, to bringing the local and/or regional perspective to the project. 

3/ Regions providing skills and jobs for a green society 

October 13, 2021 at 16.30 CEST - Workshop

The workshop will explore how regions and regional stakeholders can contribute to the objectives of the Green Deal by providing the skills and employment needed in the renewable energy sector.

The pandemic has drastically changed Europe's social and economic fabric: this round-table will thus explore what does this mean for citizens, companies, local authorities, and regions. What kind of skills are needed to benefit from it. And what tools and ideas exist to support people and facilitate the transition towards a more sustainable economy.

The round-table will start with an introduction to Effective Active Support to Employment (EASE) by DG EMPL. It will be followed by a presentation on the Platform of Vocational Excellence Water, a joint initiative of VET schools and Water industry professionals in Europe to educate VET students to become flexible, digitally skilled and sustainability-oriented water sector professionals. The third round of discussion will be dedicated to e-Learning for energy managers.

4/ What can cities and regions do for up and reskilling with the Pact for Skills? 

14 Oct, 14.30-16.00 CET - Side-event

The Committee of the Regions together with the European Commission's DG EMPL will hold an interactive on-line event where regional and local speakers will showcase the benefits regions and cities can have by joining forces and financial resources. As such committing together to up and reskilling actions and gaining European-level visibility by becoming members of the Pact for Skills.