Almost a quarter of EU nationals think that their education and training did not provide them with the skills needed to succeed in the EU labor market and that available jobs simply do not match their qualifications, Eurobarometer says. The survey also reveals that about 6 percent of respondents admitted that they had tried to work or study in another member state but their qualifications had not been recognized by a prospective employer or educational institution. EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, and Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassilou, said that the objective of the Commission was to make it possible for everyone to have their qualifications recognized across the EU. As the Commissioner put it, “qualifications must be recognized in a fair, transparent, and comparable way so that they enhance possibilities of EU citizens in the labor market”.
The results of the Eurobarometer reflect also an independent online consultation of the Commission with training and education experts. The consultation revealed that there was a strong support for action to simplify EU measures for recognizing skills and qualifications. Respondents suggested that qualifications should be easier to use and more coherent as well as focus on the needs of employers, workers, and students. The Commission admitted that the ongoing execution of the current initiatives on qualifications, education, and jobs has been rather slow in member states. The Commission said that there remain to be many hurdles to education and working mobility, and the existing projects and options are not very flexible in adapting to development in digital learning and “internationalization” (student mobility between EU and non-EU countries, joint degrees awarded by universities in different countries). The Eurobarometer interviewed 28,000 people coming from different social, demographic, and income groups. The research was carried out all 28 member states between 26 April and 11 May.
