Strengthening the skilled crafts

According to a joint statement made by the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts, and by the Confartigianato Imprese (Italy) and CMA France associations, support for small and medium-sized enterprises at both national and European Union level is currently more important than ever before. The occasion was a meeting in Rome.

The statement explains how, post pandemic, restarting the economy in Europe is being hampered by the war in Ukraine and is coinciding with the transformation of the entire economy – evident in particular in digitalisation and the environmental transition. Only with strong skilled craft businesses and with qualified tradesman and tradeswomen will societies be able to cope with the environmental challenges. The associations are therefore calling for unnecessary bureaucratic red tape to be avoided.

As the key factor in ensuring the supply of skilled workers, vocational education and training needs to be strengthened. According to their own information, the three associations represent more than three million businesses and companies in the skilled crafts.