Forem is the Walloon public service employment and vocational training. It is intended for job seekers, workers and businesses.

Forem’s actions are guided by a management contract which takes into account both the realities of the labor market and the policy of the authorities.

Forem facilitates the adaptation and integration of job seekers and workers on the labour market with advise and support in their job search and skills development. It also offers professional support to companies by providing human resources and recruitment consulting.

Forem participates in private and public partnerships in order to expand and diversify its services.

Forem has a coordinating role of the labour market, i.e. it follows its evolution in order to disseminate information about it and to determine how best to stimulate it.

Website: www.leforem.be (FR)

Uddannelsesnævnet is a joint secretariat for the Trade Committies in the commercial and clerical trades.

Uddannelsesnævnet is a self-governed institution, founded in 1979 by Danish Labour Market Organisation, among which are "The Danish Chamber of Commerce", The Union of commercial and clerical employees in Denmark.

On behalf of the labour markets organisations in the commercial and clerical trades, Uddannelsesnævnet develop the content, structure and duration of the initial VET and continuing VET programmes in Denmark.

Website(s):www.uddannelsesnaevnet.dk (DA)

Comisión Paritaria Sectorial de Comercio

The Joint Sectoral Committee on Trade is a bipartisan body created within the Tripartite Foundation for Training in Employment and constituted under sectoral collective bargaining between the social partners representative of the retail sector at national level, from both trade unions and businesses.

Its scope representation is made of the businesses and workers in the Trade sector across the board, and in each of its subsectors.

It conducts its activities in the realm of vocational training for employment, managing the various initiatives in Spain are carried out in order to strengthen the professionalism of workers and increase the competitiveness of companies.

Among its functiong, the following are prominent:

• Establish guidance and priority criteria for the training offer in the Commerce sector;
• Participate and collaborate in the realisation of sector studies.

The national interprofessional agreement of 12th May 2013 on vocational training has enabled the social partners to affirm their willingness to enter into a jobs, skills and qualifications forecast dynamic to assist the training policies of professional branches. The law of 4th May 2004 takes this agreement and mandates for the creation of a forecast observatory for each branch.

These observatories may delegate to the OPCA - Joint Commission for Collective Training - part or the whole of their missions.

The Forecast Observatory for Trade of OPCA FORCO aims at the national / territorial levels:

• Carry out an inventory (economic, social, jobs, qualifications, training offer ...)
• Monitor the changing professions, qualifications and skills, while detecting emerging professions,
• Contribute to the adaptation of the supply of training to skills needs, promoting the adjustment of supply certification,
• Assist employees in building a career path (information on training tools ...).

Website: www.forco.org (FR)

INTERGROS is the OPCA (Joint Commission for Collective Training) for wholesale and international trade. Consisting of 39,000 companies, it employs approximately 471,000 employees working in three families of activity: Interindustry goods, non-food consumer goods and food consumer goods.

Activities:

INTERGROS simplifies training and facilitates employment. The 172 million EUR collected in 2011 were used to finance the recruitment and training of nearly 5000 youth on work placement contracts and training 150,000 employees to foster adaptation to their changing business . INTERGROS relies for such activities on a local network consisting of seven interregional delegations.

Mission:

• Relay employment and training policy in the wholesale and international trade sectors:
• Facilitate employment and training projects in companies offering services tailored to their needs and simplifying the administrative and financial procedures, through its training offers: 'Turnkey Training’ and 'Negotiated Training’
• Secure the careers of employees and job seekers insertion promoting professionalism, skills development, validation of prior learning, access to certification, the return to employment through OPE (Operational Preparation for Employment) and the portable “DIF”, by deploying a training tool for the development of key skills and, finally, by acting towards access to employment and training of disabled people.

Governance:

INTERGROS is administered by a Joint Board of Directors and a Joint Office.
The Board sets the policy guidelines for the OPCA and controls its results. The Office ensures its implementation.

Website: www.intergros.com (FR)

The Croatian Employers' Association (CEA) was established in 1993 as a voluntary, non- profit and independent employers' association that represents, promotes and advocates for the interests of its members. The CEA was created by a group of respective Croatian entrepreneurs who recognized the potential of joint action and the importance of the employers’ association in tripartite relations.
Founded on the principles of voluntary membership and democracy in representation of all their members’ interest, the Association promotes ideas of entrepreneurial spirit, rights and freedom.

Since 1994 the CEA has been the only employers' representative within the national Social-Economic Council, the highest tripartite social body for social dialogue in Croatia. The Council was established in order to determine, defend and promote the economic and social rights of entrepreneurs and workers, to maintain harmonised economic, social and development policy, to encourage collective bargaining as well as the application of Collective Agreements but also its harmonisation with the economic, social and development policy.
Pursuant to the Labour Act from 1996, the CEA as voluntary, independent and legitimate employers’ association, was given the legitimate right to negotiate in the process of collective bargaining and to sign Collective Agreements on behalf of employers.

The CEA is a strong and independent voice of employers and entrepreneurs. Its regional offices in Rijeka, Osijek and Split make a powerful entrepreneurial network in all Croatian counties.
29 branch associations of CEA advocate for specific economic interests of different sectors.

Since 2012, CEA has been the headquarter centre/representative of the UN's initiative Global Compact for Croatia, thus promoting the principle of corporate social responsibility among its members.

Website: www.hup.hr

CTUC is a representative trade union which organizes workers in the commerce sector and other service industries related with the commerce sector. CTUC mission is to participate in a social dialogue on European and Croatian level to improve quality of employment and working conditions in sector.

CTUC, with it's social partner, promotes the commerce sector and quality employment possibilities in the sector by providing expertise and analyses of existing and necessary competencies on the basis of current conditions and future needs for skilled workforce on the labour market.

CTUC is active in the process of the modernisation of vocational education in Croatia, especially through participation in the activities of the Sector Council for Economy, Commerce and Business Administration. CTUC participated in developing the Sector Profile for Commerce as a tool for qualification planning, the qualification development process and in improving and raising the quality of the VET system.

Website: www.sth.hr (HR)

Kenniscentrum Handel is the Centre of Expertise on vocational education, training and the labour market for the trade sector.

Under mandate from the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Kenniscentrum Handel performs a number of statutory tasks for the intermediate vocational education system in the Netherlands. KCH performs these tasks for the trade sector and for manufacturers, suppliers and traders in the Fashion, Interior, Carpets and Textile industry (known as the MITT sector).

Establishing qualifications for professions in Trade and MITT
One of the legal functions that KCH undertakes is establishing qualifications (diploma requirements) for professions in the Trade and MITT industry. The basis for a qualification file is an occupational profile. This is a description of the professional practice of a fully qualified professional. Social partners are responsible for compiling an occupational profile and ensuring that the profile is up-to-date. The Centre of Expertise develops a qualification file based on an occupational profile. This is done jointly with representatives of the education sector, the business community, employers and employees. The qualification files in which the requirements for a starting professional practitioner have been established are assessed by an independent body who is authorised by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The board of the Centre of Expertise - which has representatives from both education and business sectors - provides their advice about the qualification files. These files are officially approved by the Ministry once they have been published in the Dutch Government Gazette. For following publication, these files can be used by the schools.

Quality assurance of professional work placement in the intermediate vocational education system
Professional work placement (Dutch: stage) is one of the most essential elements in the Dutch intermediate vocational education system. During work placement students learn how to practice their chosen professions. For this purpose, KCH has recruited companies that can contribute to the practical education of these students. KCH assesses these companies and offers them support in various ways to supervise the work placement student on the work floor.

Website: www.kch.nl (NL)

The National Agency for Qualification and Vocational Education and Training (ANQEP) is a public body under the joint supervision of the Ministry of Economy and Employment and the Ministry of Education and Science in articulation with the Ministry of Solidarity and Social Security. As a central service involved in indirect State administration, ANQEP has administrative and financial autonomy and pedagogical independence to pursue its official activity.

ANQEP’s mission is to coordinate the implementation of policies regarding the education and vocational training of young people and adults, as well as to ensure the development and management of the National System for the Recognition, Validation and Certification of Competences.

The Sectorial Councils for Qualification are one of the structures of the National Qualifications System. They are working groups with technical and advisory competences, created by ANQEP to participate in the updating and development of the National Catalogue of Qualifications. At the moment, there are 16 Sectorial Councils for Qualification covering different areas.

Website: www.anqep.gov.pt (PT)

The Vocational Training Center for the Trade and Services Sector (CECOA) was created by a protocol signed in 1986 between the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (public body depending on the Ministry of Economics and Employment and responsible for the implementation of the national policies in terms of employment and VET) and the Confederation of Trade and Services of Portugal (social partner representing the trade and services sector).
The aim of CECOA is to promote educational activities and vocational training, including the apprenticeship in the trade sector. CECOA has its head-office in Lisbon and 2 other branches in Oporto and Coimbra. CECOA is an entity recognised under the national system of quality evaluation and accreditation of VET Providers and since 2005 CECOA´s Quality Management System is recognised under ISO 9001:2008.

CECOA is member of the national network of centres dedicated to guidance, validation, assessment and certification of skills and competences of Adults and of the Knowledge Resources Center national network.

Website: www.cecoa.pt (PT, EN)