OECD Skills Strategy: Recommendations for Improving Skills in Luxembourg

The study was presented by the OECD on 23 February in the presence of Claude Meisch, Minister of Education, Children and Youth, Minister for Higher Education and Research, and Georges Engel, Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy. Representatives of the European Commission, the Luxembourg government and the social partners also attended the event.

Launched on 9 June 2021, the study is part of Skillsdësch, an initiative that has brought together partners (Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth, Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy, companies and trade unions) since autumn 2020 to analyse skills needs, identify the most promising professional fields, define a training action plan and implement it. The study was carried out using a participatory approach, based on a series of meetings (bilateral interviews, conferences and focus groups) involving 160 stakeholders from the Luxembourg ecosystem.

The Skillsdësch and the OECD study share the objective of closing skills gaps through a long-term strategic approach to continuing vocational education and training.

The professional and personal success of individuals and the balanced development of society depend on the acquisition and updating of skills in a constantly changing environment.

According to OECD research, Luxembourg has a relatively high performance in many areas in terms of skills. For example, the level of tertiary education of young adults is among the highest in the OECD. However, the Grand Duchy faces many skills challenges, such as frequent talent shortages, low participation of the most disadvantaged in adult education, or a lack of reliable data on skills needs.

As a result of the various findings, the OECD has made a number of recommendations tailored to Luxembourg's specific situation, some of which are in line with measures already planned. The recommendations, which the government intends to examine closely, evaluate and translate into concrete action over the next few years, are grouped into four thematic areas:

• The creation of labour-market-relevant continuing vocational training;
• Measures to promote lifelong learning and upskilling/reskilling;
• Attracting and retaining talent;
• Governance of data skills.

Minister Claude Meisch underlined that "Luxembourg, like many other European countries, needs qualified people to ensure its long-term growth and to succeed in the energy, ecological and digital transitions. Through its recommendations, the OECD study points to avenues to be explored in the short and medium term, in cooperation with the social partners. These recommendations will be very useful to us in the coming years as we develop measures in terms of continuing education, incentives for training and improved guidance".

For his part, Minister Georges Engel stressed the importance of a national skills strategy. It is clear that the skills of job seekers do not always match the requirements of employers. We therefore need to develop strategies that will enable us to better prepare job seekers for the demands of today's labour market. The study presented today will certainly provide us with concrete avenues to follow."

Press release by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth and the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy