Developing skills to keep abreast of a changing world

Artificial intelligence, robotics and new technology are bringing sweeping change to the world and according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), one in two jobs is likely to be significantly affected by automation in the next decade. As a result, the list of skills that workers and citizens need to develop in order to adapt to the changes is constantly growing, as automation gradually replaces what is still considered the bedrock of any functioning economy: human capital.

Lifelong learning is instrumental in managing this transition and safeguarding human capital.

According to data from the European Commission, 10.8 percent of 25- to 64-year-olds in the European Union's 28 member-states participated in some form of education or training in 2016. In Greece, it was just 4 percent, against 29.6 percent in Sweden, 27.7 percent in Denmark,...