AGENDA (ENGLISH)

The COVID-19 crisis has hit Europe during a period of significant transitions, including technological and digital, environmental, economic, demographic and social change. ‘Building back better’ from the crisis will require new and more equitable approaches to these other challenges, as well.

A focus on skills will be key. As we learned from the 2008 global financial crisis, developing new, better and more widely available skills promotes and protects health. Building on existing EU and (sub-)national initiatives, such as the EU Skills Agenda, we can help people improve their (digital) health literacy, life skills and education and training for the 21^st century.

The conference will examine three aspects of skills for health, and attempt to answer the following questions:

• Changes to the world of work
  • What do these changes mean for health and wellbeing?
• The skills for good health and wellbeing
  • What skills are needed to live a healthy life?
• The skills for tomorrow’s health and care systems
  • As the roles of health and care professionals continue to evolve, what skills are needed in the modern health and social care sectors?

Welcome and Keynote remarks

9:30-10:15

Speakers

• Mojca Gabrijelčič Blenkuš, EuroHealthNet President
• Martin Dietrich, Deputy Director, German Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA)
• Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights
• Nino Berdzuli, Director of the Division of Country Health Programmes, WHO Europe

Session 1: Changes to the world of work

10:20- 11:00

• COVID-19 has accelerated changes in working practices, left many unemployed and exacerbated inequalities. Women have been particularly affected. What are the health impacts and what happens next?
• Digitalisation and automation are changing our jobs and labour markets. What does that mean for health?
• It’s time to transition to a green economy. How can we make that transition fair and just?

Speakers

• Maria Jepsen, Deputy Director, Eurofound
• Elizabeth Gosme, Director, COFACE – Families Europe
• Prof. Philippe Pochet, General Director, European Trade Union Institute

Session 2: The skills for good health and wellbeing

11:00-11:40

• More than 60 million Europeans lack adequate reading, writing and digital skills. Meanwhile 40% of employers recruit people with the right skills. How is this affecting Europe’s health and what can be done?
• To be able to obtain and understand health information and services, people need to be health literate. How can health literacy be boosted?
• What skills are needed in the transition to eHealth and Mhealth?

Speakers

• Kristine Sørensen, Founder of the Global Health Literacy Academy
• Bart Looman, Programme Manager, PHAROS, Dutch Centre of Expertise on Health Disparities

Session 3: The skills for tomorrow’s health and care systems.

11:40-12:20

• To reduce costs and address chronic diseases, health systems need to become health promoting. What skills are needed in the workforce?
• Health and care jobs are changing. How can ‘taskshifting’ work for everyone?

Speakers

• Jan de Maeseneer, Chair of the Expert Panel on Effective Ways of Investing in Health and Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Ghent University
• Prof. Katarzyna Czabanowska, Associate professor at the International Health Department, Maastricht University, and Past President of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER)
• Prof. Dr. Wolfram Herrmann, Professor of General Practice, Institute of General Practice, Charité – Berlin University of Medicine

Concluding remarks

12:20-12:45

Speakers

• Katarina Ivanković-Knežević, Director for Social Affairs, Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL), European Commission
• Caroline Costongs, Director, EuroHealthNet