This PES Network Seminar focused on skills assessment, validation and recognition, as well as on micro-credentials, thus making a concrete contribution to the 2023 European Year of Skills.

The event complemented and further developed the existing knowledge base in the field by exploring and discussing PES experiences and practices in:

• Skills assessment, including guidance and counselling, (self-)assessment procedures and tools, using Artificial Intelligence for matching – presentations from Le Forem (Belgium) and Pôle emploi (France);
• Skills validation and recognition, including PES cooperation with other institutions and partners – presentations from Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany) and UWV (the Netherlands);
• Micro-credentials, for example, to support employability by ensuring that information and advice on identifying and selecting micro-credentials is incorporated and validated into lifelong learning guidance services – presentations from Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden) and Hrvatski Zavod za Zapošljavanje (Croatia).

The Seminar brought together representatives of 22 PES and the European Commission.