Crossborder Permanent Table
On 4 October 2024, I contributed to the inaugural meeting of the SKILLS Crossborder Permanent Table (CBPT) at Fiera del Levante in Bari, Italy.
The meeting established the table’s governance and operational framework, appointed its Chairperson and explored priorities for its first Action Plan. It brought together nominated members and institutional representatives from the SKILLS partnership in Italy, Albania and Montenegro.
As Expert in Policy Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Communication and Monitoring & Evaluation, my contribution focused on presenting the participatory framework and facilitating discussions on priorities, roles and responsibilities.
Introducing the 4Helix approach
I presented the 4Helix model, bringing together academia, industry, public institutions and civil society as the guiding framework for the table’s work.
The presentation emphasised how cooperation among these groups can help connect education, training and career systems with the needs of the blue economy. It provided a basis for considering how members could contribute their expertise while representing their wider stakeholder communities.
Establishing working arrangements
I also introduced the planned meeting arrangements and the operational procedures supporting the CBPT.
The framework provided for meetings every six months in a hybrid format, aligned where possible with important SKILLS project events. The discussion covered agenda preparation, the conduct of meetings, reporting, documentation and the table’s tasks.
These arrangements were intended to support continuity between meetings and give members a clear structure for contributing to the project.
Facilitating priorities and responsibilities
I facilitated the discussion on the initial Action Plan’s main areas of focus:
Harmonising education, training and professional systems across the project territories.
Addressing cross-border challenges in upskilling, reskilling and labour mobility.
Developing a cross-border framework to support skills development across the South Adriatic.
I also facilitated discussion of the responsibilities of members and deputy members, including their contribution to dialogue, decision-making and cooperation among the four stakeholder groups.
Taking the table’s work forward
Prof. Danilo Nikolić, from the Faculty of Maritime Studies, University of Montenegro, was elected Chairperson by acclamation. Project Coordinator Dr Mirko Đurović summarised the meeting’s decisions and outlined follow-up communication to develop the Action Plan.
My facilitation supported the transition from establishing the table to defining how it would work: connecting stakeholder representation with clear procedures and shared priorities for blue-economy skills development.
Photo: From left: Mirko Đurović, Radoje Laušević, Antonio Agrosi and Claudio Polignano at the SKILLS Crossborder Permanent Table meeting, Bari, Italy, 4 October 2024.
