1 Annemarie Muntz – Eurociett President Eurociett is the only association representing TAW at large (brings together 26 national federations) and in its diversity (uniting six of the largest multinational staffing companies as well as tens of thousands of SMEs) Investing in HR and skills through training is widely recognised as one of the key engines for economic growth, competitiveness and social cohesion Developing new skills is a top priority for the future in terms of: –Employment policy: By 2020, 85 million jobs will be available within the EU to replace workers who retire or leave the labour market + 20 million new jobs are to be created –Economic policy: Economic cycles are becoming shorter and stronger + the sectors that create jobs are changing quicker and quicker Life long learning is also key to facilitate transitions and secure pathways in the labour market in order to allow for an optimal match between the supply and demand of work (one pillar of Flexicurity policy)

2 Annemarie Muntz – Eurociett President (2) As recognised in the Eurociett/UNI Europa 2007 joint declaration on Flexicurity, the TAW sector can play a key role as a “transitions broker” by: –Creating pathways between unemployment and employment –Facilitating the transition between education and work –Promoting conversion between different types of work contracts Facilitating transitions: the facts –The TAW industry employs in Europe 3.5 million workers on a daily basis (full time equivalent) but more than 10 million in total on a yearly basis –On average, more than half of the agency workers were previously unemployed and 1/3 of the TAW assignments lead to a permanent contract (stepping stone function) –More than 600,000 agency workers are trained on a yearly basis for a total investment of €525 million (figures for FR, BE, NL, ES & IT only)

Annemarie Muntz – Eurociett President (3) Training being key to secure transitions in the labour market, this joint project is a first step to: –Inventory and promote best practices in terms of training initiatives that take place within the TAW sector –Assess how the specificity of the triangular employment relationship should be taken into account with regard to training –Review the role sectoral social partners can play in facilitating access to training for agency workers –Identify obstacles to the development of training programmes for agency workers Next step is to take on board the TAW sector when developing EU and national policies on vocational training (e.g. “New Skills for New Jobs” initiative) and make it easier for the sector to develop its contribution to training investments You are mostly welcomed to take part in the discussions and provide your own insights into the debate!