European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience
European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience sets out policy priorities and actions aimed at increasing the employability of citizens and providing skills for the workplace by further promoting the green and digital transition. In realizing the potential of a future recovery plan for Europe, the new European Skills Agenda builds on the first principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights, which concerns the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning.
»Everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market«.
Principle 1 of the European Pillar of Social Rights
Knowledge and skills in a green and digital Europe
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people in the EU have lost their jobs or experienced significant income losses. In addition, the pandemic has widened a pre-existing gap in digital skills and shown that digital skills are essential in many aspects of our lives. Due to the green and digital transition, demographic changes and changes in the labor market, many will have to acquire new skills for new jobs in different sectors or improve existing knowledge.
Now, more than ever, the EU needs a paradigm-shift on skills. One that delivers a bold skills agenda for jobs to drive the twin transitions and ensure recovery from the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and in order to:
- strengthen sustainable competitiveness,
- ensure social fairness,
- build our resilience.
Ambitious objectives for up and reskilling to be achieved within the next 5 years are:
- Pact for Skills
- Strengthening skills intelligence
- EU support for strategic national upskilling action
- Future-proof vocational education and training (VET)
- Rolling out the European Universities initiative and upskilling scientists
- Skills to support the green and digital transitions
- Increasing STEM graduates, fostering entrepreneurial and transversal skills
- Skills for life
- Initiative on individual learning accounts
- A European approach to micro-credentials
- New Europass platform
- Improving the enabling framework to unlock investment