WAPES European Regional Conference Concluded

The two-day European regional conference of the World Association of Public Employment Services – WAPES concluded today in Sarajevo.

The conference, titled “Upskilling in Public Employment Services – Challenges and Opportunities in a Transforming Labour Market,” brought together more than 100 participants from 30 different countries and over 50 labour market institutions. The conference was hosted by the Labour and Employment Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On the first day of the conference, three panel discussions were held. The focus of the first day was on labour market information, workforce development innovations, labour mobility, and cross-border cooperation. Participants discussed skills analytics, digitalisation, models for integrating foreign workers into domestic labour markets, and the role of public employment services in responding to labour market transformations.

The second day of the conference focused particularly on the future of public employment services, the development of counselling competencies, and the digital transformation of labour market institutions. The programme opened with the presentation of WAPES research on future skills needs for counsellors in public employment services. This was followed by panel discussions on excellence in counselling, partnerships, and the role of artificial intelligence in employment and career guidance processes. Speakers from European public employment services, international organisations, and the private sector shared innovative practices and models for modernising services tailored to the needs of users and the labour market of the future.

Following the conference, a meeting of the members of the WAPES European region was held.

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