The Europe Agency supports the Berlin Senate Department for Labour, Social Services, Gender Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination (SenASGIVA) in activities in the European context. This includes, among other things, the organisation of events on various topics and to raise the profile of Berlin’s employment, education and training policy at a European and international level.

The current contract is concerned, on the one hand, with the preparation, implementation and follow-up of events–such as international expert discussions, meetings and conferences—using a range of different event formats and methods. Documentation for most events is available (in both German and English) at: www.berlin.de/sen/arbeit/.

The support provided to the Senate Department for Labour, Social Services, Gender Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination will however also focus on sharing experiences and on cooperation in the area of employment, labour market and education and training policy. This focus will also include overarching aspects and interfaces relating to policy-making areas (e.g. diversity, integration, equality) as well as research on the effectiveness of policy-making measures, including their evaluation, relating to the labour market, education and training. Networking in the context of Berlin’s town twinning arrangements, the EUROCITIES network and other forums and partnerships will have a key role to play in this.

2022

On September 2022 the conference: "Empowering Young People through Decent Work and VET – The European Year of Youth 2022 in times of transformation and crisis" took place.

On the occasion of the European Year of Youth 2022, the Senate Department for Integration, Labour and Social Services organised a European conference. The title of the conference was: Empowering Young People through Decent Work and VET – The European Year of Youth 2022 in times of transformation and crisis.

The focus of the conference was on the question of how young people can be supported in the transition to vocational training and good work. The role played by the major crises and transformation processes of our time - the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine and its consequences, as well as digital and demographic change - was given special consideration.

In the conference, young people reported on their current professional situation and their expectations for their professional future. They and speakers from trade unions, business partners, companies, civil society organisations as well as politics and administration, discussed what support young people need for a successful entry into working life, how decent work and vocational education and training (VET) can be designed, how training companies and young people can best find each other and how the large and important task of integrating young refugees into the labour market can succeed.

European, national and urban perspectives were important. Policy frameworks and approaches, scientific contributions and experience reports were discussed. In addition, the European Union's reinforced Youth Guarantee as well as approaches and examples of good practice from Berlin and other European cities were discussed and exchanged to promote mutual learning.

Due to the continued need for infection control measures, the conference was held in a hybrid event format. A limited number of places were available for on-site participation in the VKU Forum, while the remaining participants were able to actively participate in the exchange online via the conference website.

2021

In 2021, the Europe Agency has organised the following event on behalf of the Senate Department for Integration, Labour and Social Affairs and in cooperation with EUROCITIES:

15 - 17 November 2021: EUROCITIES Social Affairs Forum.

Cities for inclusive recovery after the pandemic: How can cities use social innovation to secure fair, green and digital jobs?

The Senate Department for Integration, Labour and Social Services hosted the three-day Social Affairs Forum (SAF) meeting of the EUROCITIES cities network from 15 - 17 November 2021. The English-language, digital event was broadcast from the Einstein Center Digital Future. Almost 200 participants from 22 countries addressed central questions on strengthening and shaping social innovations in cities.

EUROCITIES is the largest European city network, with currently 204 cities from 39 countries. Its aim is to identify the needs of cities, point out their potential and thus strengthen their role within the complex structure of the EU institutions. Berlin has been a member of EUROCITIES since the mid-1990s.

During the Forum, participants discussed in ten workshops how the digital transformation and new digital jobs can be shaped in a sustainable and just way. Further challenges such as climate change, child poverty and social participation were highlighted using good practice examples from various European cities. The main focus was on social cohesion in European cities.

The entire event with virtual tours through the Einstein Center Digital Future, the Humboldt Forum and the future locations Berlin TXL and Siemensstadt² as well as the 14-minute welcome video and the video of a virtual exhibition of Berlin projects are available on the SenIAS YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/SenIASBerlin/.