Often an ageing population is referred to as a challenge to our societies, the demographic challenge. The challenge is often formulated like this; How will the working part of the population afford to pay for the increasing number of retired that live longer? Instead of considering the ageing population as a challenge one should view the fact that we live longer and stay healthier longer as a competitive advantage.

So what changes in our societies can we foresee?

The working lives need to allow for more flexibility. Lifelong learning will be a reality where employees can upgrade their skills, change jobs and go from an employment to own businesses and back again. The infrastructure such as schools, financial support for students, labour laws etc. need to be adjusted to a working life that most likely within ten years will have a retirement age at 70.

In the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) we are addressing this challenge and opportunity with a society of longer and healthier lives. In one of our flagships, the Baltic Sea Labour Forum (BSLF) a platform is prepared, BSLF for Sustainable Working Life. Another initiative in the same direction is the seed money project, BSR SMART LIFE focusing on lifelong learning and linking the competitive advantage with a well-educated older work force to the smart specialisation strategy.

The preparation of this new platform, part of BSLF and the additional initiative on lifelong learning have been going on for a year and a half. Now the main actors would like to invite you, a wider group of stakeholders, to present the results achieved so far, to give your feedback and input for the establishment of the platform.

We also invite you to take part in further development and if so declare your interest to be part of the platform and the transnational collaboration in order to address this important societal challenge. At the same time this is an opportunity to strengthen the competitiveness of our Baltic Sea Region.

Welcome to Stockholm on 31 August, to learn more about a new initiative within the Baltic Sea Region!

Please view attachments for more information and programme.

Please CLICK HERE to register for the seminar.

Attachments:

BSRSmart Life invitation.pdf		520 kB
BSRSmart Life programme.pdf		529 kB