What to do with people who have competencies which society does not reward? And how can people, who do not have the right skills, get the acknowledgement they long for?
These are the questions Arnon Grunberg posed in his ‘Footnote’ of the Volkskrant of December 31, 2016. As I became Emeritus Professor of Education and Competence Studies on the 1st of January 2017, and my farewell address comprised a review of the competence field with a perspective for the future, I feel obliged to say a couple of words on this important issue. Grunberg touches upon the perennial problem of skills-mismatch. The answer to the questions is not easy, but lies in a combination of continuous competence development and active employment policy.
The European Union just had its European Skills Week to underline the importance of continous competence development as a major instrument to increase employability. But employability does not directly imply employment. Employment is also depending on job openings and selection processes. Active employment policy is therefore needed to warrant social inclusion.
Many factors influence the process of employment, such as the individual characteristics of people who do not have rewardable competencies yet, the state of the economy, the structural development of the labour market, and public social policy.
But above all, there should be ample learning opportunities and facilities for competence development trajectories which can lead to (sustained) employment and upward mobility. Not only for pupils and students in schools and universities, but also for the unemployed and working population.
