On the occasion of the European Week of Regions and Cities, the Four Motors for Europe invited to a joint event in the Representation of the State of Baden-Württemberg to the EU in Brussels.
The transformation of the automotive industry is a key topic of Baden-Württemberg’s Presidency of the Four Motors for Europe. In line with the European Year of Skills, the joint event in Brussels was dedicated to the effects of this transformation on skills, on education and training. “Supporting the re- and upskilling of employees is one, if not the, decisive factor for the success of the transformation”, as State Secretary Florian Hassler put it in his welcome speech.
At the event, experts from the partner regions and representatives of the European Commission exchanged views on possible approaches, good practice examples and necessary framework conditions. The panel, moderated by Michaela Palašová (Head of the Brussels Representation Office, Region of Trnava, and Co-Lead of the working group "Regional Implementation", Automotive Skills Alliance), not only gathered the different regional perspectives, but also the different views of industry, clusters and regional administrations:
- from Baden-Württemberg: Eléonore Diarra, Global Expert HR Processes & Policies, Robert Bosch GmbH,
- from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Mathieu Saraiva, EU Representation, French Automobile & Mobility Network (FAMN),
- from Catalonia: Riansares López, Senior Consultant & Chair of the Automotive, Transport and Mobility Sector Group (EEN), Catalonia Trade & Investment Agency (ACCIÓ),
- from Lombardy: Folco Ciulli, Region of Lombardy, EU Delegation, Industrial-Environment Policy Advisor
- from the European Commission: Felix Rohn, Policy Officer, Unit "Skills Agenda", Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (EMPL).
All experts agreed that the question of skills is crucial for successfully managing the transformation and that massive efforts by all stakeholders will be needed in the coming years. In addition, the participants emphasized that cooperation and the use of synergies at all levels are key for success: Cooperation between all actors in the field of education and training (companies, training centers, universities, trade unions and administration), cooperation between companies (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) to join forces in the education and training of their employees and thus to save resources, and finally cooperation across borders to learn from each other.
In this regard, the cooperation within the Four Motors for Europe network once more proves to be very valuable, also in this important field.
