On 26 January, the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) will hold the online event ‘Green and digital transition. The role of regions and cities’. This is the second of a series of three events, leading up to a high-level event that will take place in 2021.

© European Commission

The twin transitions towards a more digital and greener economy require vocational education and training (VET) to adapt to ensure that VET learners have the right skills. This event will focus on the role of regions and cities in ensuring that apprenticeships are up to speed with these transitions. It will also explore how regional and local authorities are supporting apprenticeships in providing the green and digital skills that will be increasingly in demand in the coming years.

This event is tied to the objectives of the renewed European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA), in particular EAfA’s priority to mobilise local and regional authorities as catalysts for apprenticeships within the local business environment.

The event will be chaired by Norbert Schöbel, Team leader at the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, and moderated by Sandra Parthie of the German Economic Institute.

The following guests will participate in the discussion:

Green transition panel

• Anne Karjalainen, Chair of the Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture, Member of Kerava Municipal Council, CoR Rapporteur on ‘A strong social Europe for just transitions’
• Francesco Pisanu, Head of the Office for Evaluation of Educational Policies, Department of Education and Culture, Autonomous Province of Trento
• Rikardo Lamadrid, Director of Technology and Advanced Learning, Basque Government Regional Education Minister
• Mari Jose Barriola, Head of the Unit for Biosciences and Sustainability, TKNIKA – Basque VET Applied Research Center, Basque Government

Digital transition panel

• Gillian Coughlan, Member of the CoR, Cork County Council, CoR Rapporteur on the ‘Digital Education Action Plan 2021–2027. Resetting education and training for the digital age’
• Ralph Burghart, Mayor for Education, Youth, Social Affairs, Culture and Sport in the City of Chemnitz, Germany
• Päivi Korhonen, Director of Communication and Marketing at OMNIA, The Joint Authority of Education in the Espoo Region, Finland

The event is organised in close cooperation with the European Association of Regional and Local Authorities for Lifelong Learning, the German delegation at the CoR, and the Basque Government.

How to participate

Register now for the online event