Stakeholders from managing authorities or involved in financial instruments under the European Social Fund (ESF/ESF+) attended the fi-compass event ‘Supporting education and learning with financial instruments’ on 19 October 2022, organised by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The event provided an overview of the support made available to students, and learners at large, across the EU, and the potential role of the ESF+ and of InvestEU in the education and learning area.
Brigitte Fellahi-Brognaux, Head of Unit at DG EMPL, opened the conference underlining the ambition of the Commission to see even more resources dedicated to financial instruments: ‘Today, we increasingly see skills mismatch in many economic sectors. Therefore, focusing on skills is crucial to fill the gap in the labour market. The European Commission set an ambitious target by 2030: 60% adults participating in training every year. Among other tools, financial instruments can contribute to reach such target’.
Examples of relevant ESF-backed financial instruments from a number of Member States were presented, showing encouraging results on how education and skills are indispensable to improve equality and inclusion.
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The audio in the video files is in original language of the speakers. The English interpretation is available as audio files.
| Title | Speakers | ||
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Financial instruments under the ESF: State of play as of end 2021 | Andrea Da Pozzo, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission |
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Social investment and skills policy window – InvestEU | Evdokia Agalianou, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission |
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Financial instruments for education and learning: Main takeaways | Eugenio Saba, European Investment Bank |
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Financing education and learning – considerations from practitioners | Marco Ratti, Intesa Sanpaolo |
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FI funded by ESF – Further Studies Made Affordable (FSMA & FSMA+) | Jonathan Vassallo, Ministry for the Economy, European Funds and Lands, Malta |
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EFSI and InvestEU support for education and learning | Laoura Ntziourou, Mandate Management, European Investment Fund |
The fi-compass manual ‘Financial instruments for education and learning’ explores the scope of support that managing authorities can provide in the fields of education and learning. In the current challenge of taking further the education level of EU’s youth, as well as against the need to re-skill and up-skill the European’s workforce, ESF+ managing authorities can play a pivotal role. This report analyses the supply and demand sides of higher education and lifelong learning across Europe, highlights examples of financial instruments in the field (at both EU and local levels) and provides suggestions to managing authorities.
