Background

The Social Partners in the Commerce sector – UNI Europa Commerce and Eurocommerce – have been promoting a network of relevant stakeholders with interest in Vocational Education and Training in the commerce and retail sectors already since 2010.

The world of commerce and retail is changing and facing new challenges in terms of new technologies, globalisation, green business, health and safety issues, trade liberalisation, labour legislation and emerging markets. Ensuring the competitiveness of the European commerce sector while enhancing the quality of jobs is certainly an objective worth investing in: skills and competencies of the sector’s workforce constitute a significant factor to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector, which employs almost 30 million people and serves as a principal entry point to the European labour market for many people.

During this feasabitliy phase, the need to constitute a Sector Skills Council emerged.

A second phase led to the setting up and creation of the European Sector Skills Council for Commerce, as well as the definition of an ICT infrastructure and relative tools, in order to facilitate exchange among stakeholders and reinforce the role and presence of the Council. This Service Portal is part of such endeavour.

The European Sector Skills Council for Commerce is the second ESC, closely following in the steps and enhancing the experience of the EU Textile, Clothing, Leather and Footwear Skills Council.