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EU Actions & Initiatives

​The European Skills Agenda

The European Skills Agenda is a five-year plan to help individuals and businesses develop more and better skills and to put them to use, by:
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  • strengthening sustainable competitiveness
  • ensuring social fairness, putting into practice the first principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights: access to education, training and lifelong learning for everybody, everywhere in the EU
  • building resilience to react to crises, based on the lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic

​The future of Europe is a climate-neutral environment with important digital transformations. These are changing the way we work, learn, take part in society and lead our daily lives.

It is therefore urgent to seize these opportunities and we need to help citizens develop the right skills.
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The Covid 19 pandemic has accelerated this need, as millions of people in the EU have lost their jobs or suffered a significant loss of income. Many will need to acquire new skills and move on to new jobs in a different sector of the economy. Others will need to improve skills to keep their jobs in a new work environment. For young people, entering the labor market could be very challenging.

​The new European Skills Agenda builds upon the ten actions of the Commission’s 2016 Skills Agenda and It also links to the European Digital Strategy, the Industrial and Small and Medium Enterprise Strategy, the Recovery Plan for Europe and the actions to support for youth employment
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The European Skills Agenda includes 12 actions organised around four building blocks: 
  • A call to join forces in a collective action:
    • Action 1: A Pact for Skills
  • Actions to ensure that people have the right skills for jobs:
    • Action 2: Strengthening skills intelligence
    • Action 3: EU support for strategic national upskilling action
    • Action 4: Proposal for a Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET 
    • Action 5: Rolling out the European Universities Initiative and upskilling scientists
    • Action 6: Skills to support the twin transitions
    • Action 7: Increasing STEM graduates and fostering entrepreneurial and transversal skills
    • Action 8: Skills for life
  • Tools and initiatives to support people in their lifelong learning pathways:
    • Action 9: Initiative on individual learning accounts
    • Action 10: A European approach to micro-credentials
    • Action 11: New Europass platform
  • A framework to unlock investments in skills:
    • Action 12: Improving the enabling framework to unlock Member States’ and private investments in skills
The European Year of Skiils 2023
in October 2022, the Commission adopted a Proposal for a Decision to make 2023 the European Year of Skills (see on the side).

The Commission proposed to give fresh impetus to lifelong learning by:
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  • Promoting increased, and more effective and inclusive investment in training and upskilling to harness the full potential of the European workforce, and to support people in changing from one job to another.
  • Making sure that skills are relevant for labour market needs, by also cooperating with social partners and companies.
  • Matching people's aspirations and skill sets with opportunities on the job market, especially for the green and digital transition and the economic recovery. A special focus will be given to activate more people for the labour market, in particular women and young people, especially those not in education, employment or training.
  • Attracting people from third countries with the skills needed by the EU, including by strengthening learning opportunities and mobility and facilitating the recognition of qualifications.

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On 12 April 2023, the Council and the European Parliament agreed on a compromise text (see on the side), which the two EU legislative authorities have to confirm by a vote.
Commission initiatives

The Digital Economy and Society Index shows that 4 out of 10 adults and every third person who works in Europe lack basic digital skills. In addition, already in 2021, 28 occupations ranging from construction and healthcare to engineering and IT had shortages, showing a growing demand for both high and low-skilled workers.

There is also low representation of women in tech-related professions and studies, with only 1 in 6 IT specialists and 1 in 3 STEM graduates being women.
To encourage lifelong learning, Member States have endorsed the EU 2030 social targets that at least 60% of adults should participate in training every year, already presenting their national contribution to meeting this target.
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This is also important to reach the employment rate target of at least 78% by 2030. The 2030 Digital Compass sets the EU target that by 2030, at least 80% of all adults should have at least basic digital skills, and there should be 20 million employed ICT specialists in the EU, while more women should be encouraged to take up such jobs.

​To achieve these objectives, the Commission will promote a number of initiatives, including the possibility of EU funding. Awareness raising events and campaigns will be organized across the EU to support mutual learning of partners in upgrading and reskilling.

The proposed Year also aims to help further develop skills intelligence tools and promote tools and instruments for greater transparency and easier recognition of qualifications, including qualifications awarded outside the EU.

To ensure coordination of relevant activities at national level, the Commission invites Member States to appoint a national coordinator for the European Year of Skills.
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​Objectives for 2025:
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  • Participation of adults aged 25-64 in learning 50%
  • Participation of low-qualified adults 25-64 in learning 30%
  • Share of unemployed adults aged 25-64 with a recent learning experience 20%
  • Share of adults aged 16-74 having at least basic digital skills 70%
Funding

A massive investment in skills is needed. In addition to money from enterprise and governments, the EU is prioritising investing in people and their skills in our budget. The Recovery Plan for Europe proposed by the Commission in May 2020 will also focus on skills related activities.

Which EU funds foreseen ressources for skills for 2021-2027?
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  • European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) €61.5 billion
  • Erasmus €16.2 billion
  • InvestEU €4.9 billion
  • European Globalisation Adjustment Fund €1.1 billion
  • European Solidarity Corps €0.8 billion
  • Digital Europe €0.5 billion

​Individual Learning Accounts

In order to concretise this will, on 16 June 2022, the EU Council adopted a Recommendation to Member States on Individual Learning Accounts, based on a Commission's proposal of 10 December 2021, The Recommendation asks Member States to create individual account for professional training.

This initiative was necessary because past initiatives have proven insufficient to 
substantially increase adults’ participation in training and close support gaps in access to training. While the situation varies between Member States, all face similar challenges, as reflected in the European Semester analysis and country-specific recommendations.
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​Furthermore, the gap between the EU's ambitious digital, energy, environment and health targets and existing human skills is truly enormous and needs to be closed.

The analysis from the Impact Assessment shows that there are two broad problem drivers:

  1. individuals receive insufficient financial support for training, including to overcome barriers to devoting time for training, and 
  2. there is insufficient motivation to take up training.

The consequences of the problem are manifold, ranging from a higher risk of unemployment and lower wages and lower job satisfaction for the individual, to reduced productivity in companies, in particular SMEs, and consequently lower GDP and less resilience in the economy as a whole. 
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Unless resolute action is taken, adult learning participation is expected to reach only around 49% by 2030, thus falling well short of the 60% target. This is why the Commission is proposing a fresh approach to supporting up- and reskilling in the EU, in line with the Skills Agenda, which places individuals in the driving seat, and equips them with the support and tools they need to engage regularly in learning.
Now, thanks to this Recommendation, signed by all 27 Member States, they are authorized to use their own resources and European funds to create individual endowments for continuous training.

In particular:
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  • Member States are recommended to take steps to ensure the adequate and sustainable funding of the individual learning accounts, taking account of national circumstances and other measures already in place, with particular attention to SMEs.24.
  • Member States are encouraged to facilitate the combination of various public and private funding sources in order to contribute to the individual training entitlements, including as an outcome of collective bargaining.
  • Member States are recommended to ensure sustainable funding for the enabling framework and the outreach and awareness-raising activities referred to in this Recommendation.
  • Member States are invited to make maximum and most efficient use of Union funds and instruments, in particular the European Social Fund Plus, the European Regional Development Fund, the Just Transition Fund, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Technical Support Instrument, in order to:
    • (a) set up national individual learning accounts, embedded in an enabling framework, including by developing a single national digital portal for the individual learning accounts and related recognised services, and creating national registries of recognised training;
    • (b) provide additional individual training entitlements to the accounts of individuals most in need of upskilling and reskilling, reflecting national circumstances and Union priorities including for the green and digital transitions;
    • (c) set up and provide career guidance and validation opportunities;
    • (d) organise outreach and awareness-raising activities.

Union support

The EU supports the implementation of this Recommendation, using the expertise of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), the European Training Foundation (ETF), the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (with Eurofound) and the European Labour Authority (ELA), by:
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  1. facilitating mutual learning among the Member States to support the design and delivery of appropriate measures for the implementation of this Recommendation;
  2. expanding the knowledge base on individual learning accounts and related issues and developing relevant guidance material;
  3. exploring, in close cooperation with the Member States, further developments in the Europass platform, in particular to ensure interoperability with the single national digital portals for individual learning accounts, and making visible the learning, career guidance and validation opportunities for which the various national individual training entitlements can be used.

​Check all 20 Chapters and the work in progress.
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