Ghent, Belgium—
Modelled after the House of Skills project in Amsterdam, the project aims to increase sustainable employment for local residents. The City of Ghent, Belgium, has conducted two pilots to test if the House of Skills project can be successfully implemented in the local context.
This case is an example of how to build a local ecosystem around lifelong learning.
The objective of the project is to increase sustainable employment of the working age population of the city, and especially those with middle and lower education levels, in the context of rapidly changing labour markets, jobs and careers.
The project focuses on how to develop future-oriented skills and enhance upskilling and reskilling opportunities. In addition, it aims to change the behaviour of workers so that they can more actively think of their own career paths and realise that lifelong learning is essential. The two pilot projects in Ghent focus specifically on developing skills and supporting career transitions for employees in shrinking sectors who need further training to adapt to the rapid changes of the work environment. They do so by providing courses and alternative career trajectories that are likely to lead to more stable employment in the (near) future. The project is delivered in cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders including:
Private companies such as Volvo Cars and Europa bank
The public employment service VDAB and
The career guidance organisation KOPA.
In addition, a stakeholder group has been created which includes sectoral training funds, the employers’ federation Febelfin, representatives from the Flemish government, and career guidance experts from RiseSmart, labour market experts from Agoria and education representation via the municipal department of education.
A key success factor of the programme, which could also be transferred to other places, is building a local ecosystem around lifelong learning that includes a broad range of stakeholders. Some challenges might exist in creating awareness about the necessity of life-long learning and support throughout people’s working life in response to megatrends and to the evolution of skills requirements in many jobs.
OECD (2022), "Future-proofing adult learning systems in cities and regions: A policy manual for local governments", OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Papers, No. 2022/03, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/11fa26cc-en
