Skills High-Level Board calls for agile partnerships to boost adult learning across Europe

The Board's conclusions highlight that skills shortages are affecting almost every sector of the economy and are holding back productivity, innovation and growth. While businesses are struggling to recruit people with the skills they need, education and training systems are under growing pressure to respond more quickly to technological and economic change.

High-impact ecosystems to address skills shortages

The European Skills High-Level Board calls for the establishment of skills partnerships for adult reskilling (SPARKs): agile regional and sectoral partnerships ecosystems to boost adult learning, innovation and applied research.

SPARKs should bring together the organisations involved in developing and using skills. They are intended to strengthen cooperation between education and training providers, businesses and public authorities so that learning opportunities better reflect labour market needs.

Relevant stakeholders active in SPARKs include:

• businesses
• education and training providers, including teachers
• trade unions and employer organisations
• research and innovation institutions
• regional and local authorities
• business support services and other relevant partners.

The proposed partnerships are not a new model. Successful examples already exist across EU countries, regions and sectors. The challenge now is to scale up these initiatives and connect them more effectively.

What this means for education and training

The Board's conclusions send a clear message: education and training systems need to become more flexible, responsive and closely connected to labour market realities.

As technology and economic conditions evolve rapidly, education and training providers are being asked to adapt more quickly and to support increasingly diverse learners throughout their lives, particularly adults who need to update their skills, retrain or change careers.

The Board has called for a learner-centred framework that supports people throughout their working lives and makes it easier for adults to gain new skills, change careers or update existing competences.

To make this possible, the Board identifies four priority areas for action:

• More agile education and training providers: adapting policy and funding frameworks so that providers can work more flexibly with businesses and offer learning opportunities in workplaces and community settings.
• Wider use of micro-credentials: expanding short, flexible learning opportunities and ensuring they are recognised and adequately funded.
• Earlier anticipation of skills needs: involving employers and workers' representatives in identifying future organisational changes and the new learning needs they create.
• Stronger public employment services: investing in modern guidance, job-matching and training services that help individuals and employers navigate changing labour markets.

For education and training providers, this means developing more flexible learning pathways, strengthening cooperation with employers and making lifelong learning easier to access for adults at every stage of their careers.

Next steps

The work of the European High-Level Skills Board will inform the European Commission’s future policy developments for the European Semester, advancing the Union of Skills initiative, in synergy with the European Education Area strategic framework.

About the European Skills High-Level Board

The European Skills High-Level Board has an advisory role, bringing together businesses, education and training providers, and social partners to provide guidance on skills development for workers in Europe.

The Board is chaired by Ms Ylva Johansson in her function as a Special Adviser reporting to Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu.