Activities of Nikolaos CHOUNTIS related to 2017/2002(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
A new skills agenda for Europe (debate) EL
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on a new skills agenda for Europe PDF (419 KB) DOC (98 KB)
Amendments (35)
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas skills have a strategic importance for growth, innovation and social cohesion and the complexity of jobs is increasing across all sectors and occupations and there is inflation in relative skills demand, even for low-skilled jobs;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas many low-skilledall jobs now require greater literacy, numeracy and other basic skills and even low-skilled jobs within the service sector increasingly include more demanding non-routine tasks (EC, 2016b);
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. Whereas education is necessary to deepen critical thinking, expose people to great works of art and in particular great works of the past, and to enlighten the mind and the soul, it is not simply a means to serve the labour market;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas, education is necessary to deepen critical thinking, expose people to great works of the past, and to enlighten the mind and the soul, it is not simply a means to serve the labour market;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas, currently, almost 23 % of the population aged 20-64 have a low level of education (pre-primary, primary or lower secondary education); whereas low- qualifieddue to modern advancements in all sectors of economies there is less of a demand for traditional industries which previously gave employment opportunity to low- qualified workers, whereas these people now have fewer employment opportunities and are also more vulnerable to being in insecure jobs and, in part due to failures of Member States and the EU to legislate against job insecurity and zero and low hours contracts, and as a result are twice as likely as highly qualified people to experience long-term unemployment (EC, 2016a);
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas, at EU level, NEETs (not in employment, education or training) are considered to be one of the most problematic groups in the context ofvulnerable groups and as a result suffer the most in relation to youth unemployment; whereas women are 1.4 times more likely to become NEET than men on average, further highlighting issues of gender discrimination and equality from a young age;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas according to the latest PIAAC study by the OECD, about 70 million Europeans lack basic skills such as reading, writing and numeracy, which represents an obstacle to those people finding a decentgood job, and living standardttaining a decent living standard, and achieving personal happiness;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas, nowadays, our education systems are facing a significant challenge as a result of the digital transformation, which is impacting teaching and learning processes; whereas, these challenges also present new opportunities for both teachers and students, and their needs and opinions should be at the fore when it comes to shaping the future of the education process;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
K a. whereas there is a need to incorporate new digital transformations into education systems, but this must be done symbiotically with the subjects that are already taught, in order to continue to help people become critical, confident and independent;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
L a. whereas analytical and critical thinking are incredibly important in the modern age and they need to be encouraged at all stages of the education system and throughout life in general; whereas, in more recent years analytical and critical thinking have been denigrated and replaced by "group think";
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L b (new)
Recital L b (new)
L b. whereas submissively adapting education to the labour market, commercialising it and degrading traditional and classical studies bears no relation with the actual role of education, which is to shape free and independent personalities;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomNotes the Commission communication entitled ‘A New Skills Agenda for Europe – Working together to strengthen human capital, employability and competitiveness’ adopted in June 2016;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Acknowledges that education and training are Member State competences and that the EU can only support, coordinate or supplement actions of the Member States;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Agrees with the focus on the need to upgrade thecomplement the existing European education and training systems which currently give people a strong holistic education and skillset, with some of the new skills that are needed in line with the fast changing economic and societal environment; notes that, while skills needs are dynamic, the main focus of the skills package is the immediate needs of the labour marketshould be twofold, the personal and professional needs of each individual based on their own unique circumstances; highlights in this respect the importance of a pan-European skills needs forecasting tool and lifelong learning with a view to adapting to new situations inensure that people become critical, confident and independent, while also equipping them with lifelong skills, in particular modern skills which have the labour marketility to help them personally and professionally;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Member States to include leadership, management, entrepreneurial and financial education, employment and social rights education, quality of working conditions education, business start-up advice and communication technologies in their education programmes, and to prioritise the further development of vocational training and education (VET) programmes, including enhancing European craftsmanship;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Member States to include leadership, management, entrepreneurial and financial education, business start-up advice and communication technologies in their education programmes, and to prioritise the further development of vocational training and education (VET) programmes, including enhancing European craftsmanship, warns that any updates to educations structures should in no way denigrate traditional classical studies which help to shape free personalities, critical thinkers, and a broad intelligence, and are needed now more than ever in the face of the rise of fake news and falsified facts;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Encourages Member States to go beyond promoting the ‘right occupational skills’ and to also have an equitable focus on those aspects of education that are more work-based and more practical, and that foster an entrepreneurial mind-set and creativity, allows well as traditional education structures which have for many of years sought to facilitate people to think critically and to fully participate in the democratic process and social life;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Encourages Member States to better match the skills with the jobs in the labour market and in particular to put in place dual systems18 which help people to be flexible inalance their education paths and later in the labour marketon the job training; _________________ 18 A dual education system combines apprenticeships in a company with vocational education at a vocational school in one course.
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls on Member States and the EU to ban the practice of unpaid or low paid internships and unpaid labour activation schemes which have the effect of depressing wages and reducing the value of people in the labour market, personally, socially, and economically, in particular young people;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Is concerned about the fact that, austerity policies in some Member States as well as the persisting social and economic divergences between Member States, provoke involuntary migration that further exacerbates the effects of the brain-drain;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Insists that education is not only a key factor in enhancing employability, but also in personal development, combating social exclusion and therefore believes that investing in skills and competences is crucial to tackling the high unemployment rate, especially among NEETs; recalls that a genuine estimation of future skills needs is paramount in this respect;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Is deeply concerned about the fact that between 2010 and 2014 investment in education and training fell by 2.5 % in the EU as a whole1a; stresses that in order education to fulfil its role in tackling unemployment, social exclusion and poverty, properly resourced public education systems are essential; _________________ 1a Education and Training Monitor 2016
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the need to strive for a more flexible and individual approach to career development and lifelong education and training across one’s personal career path, and recognises the role that both public and private parties can play in providing this, while recognising that guidance and counselling which address individual needs and focus on the evaluation and expansion of individual skills must be a core element of education and skills policies from an early stage;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the need to strive for a more flexible and individual approach to career development and lifelong education and training across one’s personal career path, and recognises the role that both public and private parties can play in providing this, while recognising that guidance and counselling which address individual and social needs and focus on the evaluation and expansion of individual skills must be a core element of education and skills policies from an early stage;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that skills development must be a shared responsibility between education providers and employers; however, insists that the industry/employers should be involved in providing and training people with the necessary skills in order for businesses to be competitive and at the same time boost people’s self-confidenceeducation systems should not be subjugated to serve the demands of employers and industry;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. notes apprenticeships, traineeships and specific skills training are considered to be the most effective types of training in terms of preventing young people from returning to NEET status; notes that it has been highlighted that having a dual system of vocational and academic education and training reduces the NEET group by enabling more young people to be retained in education/training and helping to make them more employable and more likely to progress more smoothly into employment/a career, macro-economic analysis reports that a combination of a dual education and training system and active labour market policies get the best results; however, regrets that in spite of this evidence some Member States have introduced apprenticeship fees;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Asks for concrete measures to be put in place in order to facilitate the transition of young people from education to work by ensuring quality internships and apprenticeships, giving young people the possibility of putting their talents into practice and have a set of rights and equal access to social protection; also calls for non-exploitative contracts;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Believes that, in order to anticipate future skills needs, social partners, and education and training, providers must be strongly involved at all levels, in particular in designing, implementing and evaluating vocational qualification programmes, which provide an effective transition from formal education to work-based learning;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Feels that commodification of the education system has led to credentialism and educational inflation which in its own way has resulted in a lack of recognition of non-formal and informal education;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Stresses the need to include elements of entrepreneurial learning at all levels of education, since instilling entrepreneurial spirit among the young at an early stage is an effective way of combating youth unemployment;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Urges active dialogue and cooperation between the university community and the world of work aimed atsociety at large in order to developing educational programmes which equip young people with the requisite skills and competences, for personal and professional advancement;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. The importance of traditional education and training Deplores the commodification of education, in particular the submissive adaptation of education to the labour market; Deplores that there has been continuing attacks waged on the arts and humanities and the idea of a liberal education in general; Believes that newly needed skillsets and educational training should work in tandem with traditional educational methods which have for many years striven to create critical, analytical, and independent people; Sees as extremely worrying the rise in anti-intellectualism and the descent to nihilism in the modern world; believes that education and training systems which have at their heart traditional arts and humanities are the best way to combat this and to protect human dignity and enlightenment;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Reiterates the importance of vocational education and training (VET) for enhancinghelping people reach their full potential personally and professionally, sees this as a way of training that enhances employability and clearings the pathway to professional qualifications for young people; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that VET is made more relevant and is tailored to labour market needfirst and foremost to the needs of individuals by making them an integral part of the education system, and to guarantee high qualification standards and quality assurance in this regard;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29 a. Stresses that in order for any up skilling to take place the adequate resources, both financial and human, should be forthcoming; emphasises that adequate paid training days, which do not interfere with teachers holidays, or free time, should be provided to do so;
Amendment 450 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls on the Commission in addition toand the Member States to look at the possibility of developing a pan-European skill needs forecasting tool, which would make it possible to estimate future skill needs and adapt them better to the jobs available on the labour market;