European Classification of Skills/Competences, Qualifications and Occupations

In May 2024, ESCO will release its major version v1.2, an event aligned with the European Year of Skills. This update comes after extensive consultations with ESCO stakeholders and EU Member States and following the most recent ESCO Member States Working Group held on the opening day of the consultation during which all MSWG representatives were briefed on the next steps and necessary actions. ESCO v1.2 includes new occupations, skills, and knowledge concepts, alongside modifications to existing ones. The European Commission calls for feedback and comments on these proposed changes by October 20, 2023. Have your say!

In June 2023, ESCO MSWG - Focus meeting took place, with a primary focus on skills contextualisation. During this session, the ESCO Secretariat engaged in discussions about assessing existing and potential approaches using artificial intelligence. Moreover, the meeting featured two best practices presentations. These discussions and presentations further enriched ESCO's efforts in enhancing skills understanding and integration, reflecting its commitment to advancing skill development and recognition.

We are thrilled to introduce updates to the ESCO Portal, aimed at enhancing your user experience. In the download section, you can now download multiple packages, simplifying access to ESCO data and allowing users to download multiple language packs at the same time. In addition, we have added practical filters to the Publications and News sections, making it easier to find the information or documents you need. These improvements are part of our ongoing commitment to provide a user-friendly and efficient ESCO portal experience. Explore these new features and stay tuned for more updates.

Be part of our ESCO Testimonial campaign and share your success story! Whether you represent a private or a public organisation, if you've integrated ESCO into your services, we want to hear from you! Our campaign covers a wide spectrum of topics, from green initiatives to digital skills, matching, data analysis and other, showcasing the versatility of ESCO in different contexts. By participating, you not only present your organisation but also help others by sharing practical insights and recommendations. If you're using ESCO in your services, we encourage you to get in touch with us, and together, we can create a testimonial that showcases and explains how ESCO has benefited you, addresses any obstacles you've encountered, and provides recommendations for other stakeholders.

Get ready for the European Employment & Social Rights Forum 2023, happening on November 16 and 17, 2023, both online and in Brussels (the Egg). This event will bring together EU institution representatives, national policymakers, business leaders, social partners, academia, and civil society to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the world of work.

ESCO was involved in the "Developing Skills for a Sustainable and Resilient Education and Industry" online event, which took place as part of EU Green Week 2023 - Partner Events. Organized in collaboration with ERASMUS project partners, and hosted by EWF. The event's central theme revolved around the promotion of green skills within the context of facilitating the manufacturing industry's transition towards sustainability. ESCO, in particular, took center stage during the event by presenting Green Skills labelling, contributing to the broader conversation on sustainable education and industry practices.

ESCO participated in the Empower webinar week, an event hosted by the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU). The engaging webinar, titled "QA and AI for the Future of Microcredentials," provided ESCO with a valuable platform to showcase its innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) within the project and its tools. ESCO highlighted its analytical approach, leveraging statistical analysis, data science, and machine learning to enhance classification maintenance, expand ESCO and make it more accessible to a wide range of users.

In the context of the D-Reskill@U Erasmus + Project, and their learning, teaching and training event, ESCO took part in European Year of Skills Masterclass. The aim was to understand the role of ESCO, semantic standards for learning, and a standardised expression of verifiable knowledge and skills in developing innovative products and services. ESCO therefore presented its latest work on exploring artificial intelligence innovations.

This report discusses the growing interest in green jobs and their importance in the context of the EU's green transition. It emphasizes the need to reskill and upskill workers for a socially just transition. The concept of green jobs is not new, but various definitions and classifications have been proposed over the years, leading to analytical differences that hinder comparability. This report therefore gives an overview of ESCO Green skills labeling.

The European Network of Public Employment Services (PES Network) has released an opinion paper in support of the European Year of Skills 2023. This paper, adopted in June 2023, highlights successful approaches, challenges, and recommendations related to the Year of Skills' objectives. PES Network stresses the need for closer alignment between education and employment sectors, better data exchanges, and agile skills profiling. They emphasize the role of the European Classification of Skills, Competences, Qualifications, and Occupations (ESCO) as a reference framework for refining and validating classification systems in support of green and digital transitions.

This paper explores the demand for language skills in European job vacancies in 2021. English proficiency offers distinct advantages in certain occupations, with 22% of vacancies explicitly requiring English across EU countries and the UK. The analysis draws from job vacancy data, focusing on skills demanded, geographical location, and occupation type. ESCO is instrumental in identifying language requirements within the job postings.

This report is one of Cedefop’s key contributions to the 2023 European Year of Skills. It broadens understanding of what has changed in EU labour markets in the past decade and uses Cedefop’s 2023 skills forecast, sectoral foresight and big data-powered analysis to track ongoing and future trends. The report blends different types of evidence to foster better understanding of the labour market and skills impacts of the twin transition and current and future labour markets tensions.