REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL EVALUATION of the Council Recommendation of 19 December 2016 on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for adults
Date: 2023-07-17
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Subjects: adult education, continuing education, continuing vocational training, education policy, labour market, professional qualifications, recognition of vocational training qualifications, updating of skills

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 17.7.2023  COM(2023) 439 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL EVALUATION of the Council Recommendation of 19 December 2016 on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for adults  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE COUNCIL 

EVALUATION of the Council 
Recommendation of 19 December 
2016 on Upskilling Pathways: New 
opportunities for adults 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
1. INTRODUCTION 

The  accelerating  digital  and  green  transitions  mean  that  the  skills  acquired 
during initial education and training are no longer sufficient to meet the evolving 
demands of the labour market, and adults need to develop their skills throughout 
their lives. Moreover, demographic trends leading to a shrinking workforce  are expected 
to accelerate in the coming decade, increasing the pressure to use the full potential of the 
skills  of  everyone  on  the  labour  market.  This  is  why  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights 
Action Plan sets the target that at least 60% of adults should participate in training every 
year by 2030. EU leaders welcomed this ambitious target at the 2021 Porto Social Summit 
and Member States have translated them into national targets1.  

The  European  Skills  Agenda  provides  for  a  strategy  to  help  individuals  and  businesses 
develop  more  and  better  skills.  It  delivers  on  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  and 
notably its first principle spelling out the right  to quality and inclusive education, training 
and  lifelong  learning  and  inter-links  with  other  policy  initiatives  that  support  the  lifelong 
learning approach. Basic skills – literacy, numeracy and digital – are the foundation 
for full participation in society and the labour market. However, far too many adults 
in the EU do not possess a functional level of these skills2 and they risk getting stuck in a 
“low skills-poor jobs trap”3. This calls for policy action to support basic skills acquisition. 

The  objective  of  the  Council  Recommendation  on  Upskilling  Pathways4  is  to 
respond to this risk and provide adults with a low level of skills, knowledge or competence, 
for  instance  adults  with  a  qualification  below  the  secondary  level,  with  opportunities  to 
develop basic skills and/or acquire a wider set of skills, relevant for active participation in 
society and the labour market.   

The  mismatch  between  labour  market  demands  and  the  supply  of  skilled  labour  also 
motivated the decision on the European Year of Skills which emphasises the need to upskill 
and  reskill  people  as  well  as  activate  more  for  the  labour  market.5  In  her  State  of  the 
European Union address announcing the proposal, President von der Leyen highlighted that 
“we  need  everyone  on  board”  as  Europe  lacks  not  only  high-end  professionals  but  also 
“truck drivers, waiters and airport workers”.6 The recent Green Deal Industrial Plan7, further 

1  Cf. IP_22_3782 
2 The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan includes an EU target of at least 80% of people aged 16-74 
having basic digital skills by 2030.   According to Eurostat Digital Skills Indicator, in 2021, only 54% of 
individuals aged 16-74 in EU27 had at least basic digital skills. To ensure that this objective will be met, the 
Commission  set  up  the  Digital  Compass  to  translate  the  EUʼs  digital  ambitions  for  2030  into  concrete 
targets. Europe’s Digital Decade: digital targets for 2030 (europa.eu) 
3 Cf. Burdett and Smith (2002), The low skill trap, European Economic Review. 
4  EUR-Lex - 32016H1224(01) - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu) 
5 Decision of the European Parliament and the Council on a European Year of Skills 2023. 
6 State of the Union address 2022. 

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emphasises  the  need  to  address  today’s  wide-spread  skills  shortages  that  hold  back  the 
EU’s investment and growth.  

To  reach  the  objectives  of  the  Recommendation,  Member  States  were  invited  to  provide 
adults  with  a  low  level  of  skills  with  personalised  support  via  an  integrated  pathway 
consisting of three steps. 

1)  Skills  assessment  –  identifying  the  existing  skills  of  adults  and  any 
gaps in the skills set that need to be filled. 

2)  Provision  of  a  tailored  and  flexible  learning  offer  –  providing  a 
learning offer which fills the specific skills gaps identified through the skills 
assessment.  

3)  Validation  and  recognition  –  assessing  and  certifying  the  skills 
acquired and encouraging their certification towards a formal qualification 

Member  States  were  recommended  to  identify  priority  target  groups,  ensure  effective 
coordination and partnership among stakeholders, and implement outreach, guidance and 
support measures to make potential beneficiaries aware of the existing opportunities and 
guide them through all steps of the process. The Recommendation asks the Commission to 
report to the Council on the implementation in Member States and at EU level. This report 
draws on the evaluation staff working document8. 

2. MAIN EVALUATION FINDINGS 

This chapter presents the extent to which the Recommendation is effective, efficient and 
coherent,  provides  EU  added  value  and  remains  relevant  to  tackle  present  needs, 
bearing in mind that a Council Recommendation is of a non-binding nature. 

7 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and 
Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  Regions,  A  Green  Deal  Industrial  Plan  for  the  Net-Zero  Age, 
COM(2023) 62 final 

8 See SWD(2023) 460 final. The SWD was supported by an external study by Ecorys and 3S, Study supporting 
the  evaluation  of  the  Council  Recommendation  of  19  December  2016  on  Upskilling  Pathways:  New 
Opportunities for Adults. 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                                                                                                                                                     
Effectiveness 

The  available  evidence  paints  a  picture  of  overall  moderate  effectiveness  of  the 
Recommendation.  

Relevant  indicators  show  moderate  positive  trends  and  implementation  has  been 
uneven across the Member States with measures often lacking scale and coordination. 
Whilst  some  stakeholders  view  the  Recommendation  as  a  catalyst  for  renewed  focus 
on support for adults to acquire basic skills9 and consider the three step-approach as 
a useful reference point, the evaluation finds improvements in implementing the three 
steps of the Recommendation in only 14 Member States.10    

Skills assessment opportunities are now wide-spread across Member States, but 
require  further  staff  professionalisation  and  a  non-stigmatising  social 
perception.  This  means  that  skills  assessment can  be  communicated  in  a  more  positive 
and  motivating  way  by  emphasising  existing  skills  to  build  upon.  Several  Member  States 
have taken steps to improve the provision of tailored and flexible learning offers to low-
skilled adults11, but challenges remain due to insufficient funding – often only EU project-
based funding as opposed to domestic structural funding  – to support  the diverse  target 
groups  and  barriers  to  access  and  take-up.  Similarly,  skills  validation  and  recognition 
have  improved  in  some  Member  States,  but  often  with  limited  integration  in  the 
education and training system and low awareness and take-up among adults.12   

The share of low qualified adults13 aged 25-64 decreased from 23.4% in 2016 (56.1 
million)  to  20.7%  in  202114  (48.7  million).  However,  external  factors  other  than  this 
Recommendation, notably demographic changes, may have contributed to these trends.15 

National implementation measures identify a large number of priority target groups16, 
but  stakeholders  report  that  challenges  remain  in  effectively  reaching  them.17 

9  For  instance,  according  to  the  position  paper  by  the  European  Association  for  the  Education  of  Adults 
(EAEA),“Upskilling Pathways has prompted national strategies to focus on basic skills and validation of 
skills acquired through non-formal and informal learning, moving the attention of learning programmes on 
learners with low(er) basic skills”. 

10 BE, BG, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, EL, HR, IT, LV, MT, PL and SK. This mapping of policy measures is based 

on the external study supporting the evaluation. See Section 3.1 of the evaluation SWD for details.  

11 BE, BG, DK, EE, MT and PL. For further analysis of the barriers to access and take-up, also see the impact 
assessment accompanying the Commission proposal on individual learning accounts, SWD(2021) 369 final. 
12 BE, BG, CY, DE, EL, IT, LV and SK as per the supporting study. These conclusions are in line with the 2020 
evaluation  of  the  2012  Council  Recommendation  on  the  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning, 
SWD(2020) 121 final.   

13 Adults with low level of educational attainment (i.e. ISCED levels 0-2). 
14 See Eurostat: online data code EDAT_LFSE_03 and EDAT_LFS_9901. 
15  Larger  and  older  cohorts  are  increasingly  outside  of  the  relevant  age  bracket  (25-64  years)  and  younger 
cohorts  becoming  part  of  this  age  bracket,  though  smaller  in  number,  tend  to  have  higher  educational 
attainments. 

16  The  situation  across  Member  States  is  varied,  and  the  group  of  low-skilled  adults  may  be  comprised  of 
different subgroups (such as - but not limited to - employed, unemployed, economically inactive, migrants, 
disadvantaged groups, persons in rural areas) depending on national circumstances. 

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Stakeholders also report that the impact of digitalisation has greatly increased the target 
group  of  the  Recommendation.  Nowadays,  with  the 
increasing  move  to  digital 
environments,  all  individuals  need  at  least  basic  digital  skills.    Additionally,  they  also 
highlighted the specific responsibility of public support for adult’s basic skills development, 
emphasising that such skills are often taken for granted by employers18. 

Career guidance by the public employment services is widely available, but suffers 
from low levels of awareness, may be perceived as intimidating19, and is not always 
available to low-skilled who are not unemployed.20   

local  actors 

Member  States  have  delivered  implementation  measures  in  cooperation  with 
relevant  stakeholders,  in  particular  public  employment  services,  social  partners,  NGOs 
and 
libraries21.  However,  sometimes  roles  and 
responsibilities are not clear enough and coordination is not effective, for instance 
between  the  ministries  of  education  and  labour,  and  between  national  and  regional 
authorities22.  

including  public 

A joined-up strategic approach between all three steps  23 is crucial to ensure that 
adult learners feel supported and stay committed to their upskilling pathway, but it is not 
common24.  Some  stakeholders  note  that  to  assist  the  low-skilled  adults  furthest  away 
from  learning,  support  concerning  the  three  steps  should  be  integrated  with  social 
services and labour market programmes.25 

17 The position paper by “Literacy 100” underlines that “Education in adulthood can be a daunting prospect for 

adults who have low levels of personal resilience and self-esteem”. 

18  Cf.  position  paper  by  the  European  Basic  Skills  Network:  “To  build  individual  and  social  resilience  it  is 
imperative that all adults have access to quality provision of a dynamic set of skills. Basic Skills continue to 
be the core focus, but they need to be acquired in a context that acknowledges and develops Life Skills.”   
19 Cf. position paper by Eurodiaconia, which states that “our members stress, many times these services are seen 
as intimidating or untrustworthy by some people. To be accessible and inclusive, PES need to be provided 
in a safe space for everyone to feel protected from bias and any form of discrimination”. 

20  Cf.  position  paper  by  EAEA,  noting  that  “guidance  measures  are  not  sufficiently  available  everywhere; 

however, they would be in a central position to address target groups with low skills”. 

21 The position paper by “Public libraries 2030” points out that “public libraries play an important role in the 
non-formal education sector as they are  often the  first organisations providing assistance and support to 
vulnerable groups with low literacy skills”. 

22 Cf. e.g. the ILO position paper, emphasising the importance of “a whole-of-government approach to effective 

governance”. 

23  The  EAEA  position  paper  highlights  the  importance  of  embedding  the  measures  into  a  broader  strategic 
framework: “What emerges is that those countries that have integrated Upskilling Pathways into a broader 
lifelong  learning  strategy  are  most  likely  to  reach  the  target  groups  and  build  innovative  upskilling 
programmes, for instance Slovakia, Finland and Austria.” 

24 Positive examples concerning the integration of the three steps identified by the supporting study include PT, 

DK, SE (already at the start of the evaluation period) and –at a project level- PL.  

25 Cf. e.g. position papers by Eurodiaconia and “Literacy 100”. 

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Efficiency 

Whilst  stakeholders  consider  the  implementation  costs  as  proportionate26  to  the 
benefits, independently of the starting point of a Member  State, no strong conclusions 
on efficiency can be drawn since Member States have not systematically collected data 
on  the  costs  and  benefits  of  implementation  measures.  This  reflects  low  overall 
implementation costs in most Member States and comparatively large benefits in terms of 
direct upskilling measures, but also in the form of increased awareness and more attention 
to adults’ basic skills in the national debate.   

EU  funds  have  co-funded  many  of  the  implementation  measures  during  the  evaluation 
period,  in  particular,  the  European  Social  Fund  (ESF)27.  Efficiency  of  implementation  is 
perceived  to  vary  with  the  degree  of  presence  of  different  features:  i.e.  clear 
responsibilities  assigned  between  actors,  processes  in  place  to  select  quality  training 
providers and involvement of specifically trained staff and cooperation with employers, as 
well as monitoring and evaluation used to improve delivery. 

Coherence 

to  be 

internally 

level  consider  the 
Stakeholders  consulted  at  both  EU  and  national 
consistent  objectives, 
coherent,  with 
Recommendation 
recommendations and expected impacts. The measures proposed in the Recommendation 
are  perceived  to  provide  a  comprehensive  policy  framework  to  guide  implementation 
actions  at  national  level.  Stakeholders  also  report  a  high  level  of  coherence  between  the 
Recommendation  and  relevant  policies  and  strategies  at  national  and  regional  level. 
However,  insufficient  integration  of  the  three  steps  into  a  single  pathway  and  a 
lack  of  strategic  coordination  between  implementation  measures  and  other  parts  of  the 
adult learning system challenge the coherent implementation at national level. 

The Recommendation is also perceived to be coherent with and complementary to other 
relevant EU initiatives related to skills and employment.28  

Almost all stakeholders consulted at both EU and national level considered that there was 
good  policy  coherence  between  the  Recommendation  and  relevant  EU  funding 
mechanisms.29 

26 Several surveys have been conducted to collect evidence. This particular survey has been carried out among 
the national and regional institutions and organisations in charge at operational level of upskilling pathways 
and  organisations  involved  in  the  implementation  of  upskilling  pathways  (survey  of  coordinating  and 
implementing organisations). 

27 Other funds were also mentioned, such as: Erasmus+, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the 
Structural  Reform  Support  Programme  (SRSP)  (now  called  Technical  Support  Instrument  (TSI))  and  the 
EU Programme for Employment and Social  Innovation (EaSI), as well as the  more recent Just Transition 
Fund (JTF) and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). 

28  Notably  the  Council  Recommendations  on  the  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  (2012), 
establishing a Youth Guarantee (2013) and A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee (2020), the 
integration  of  the  long-term  unemployed  into  the  labour  market  (2016),  key  competences  for  lifelong 
learning (2018), micro-credentials (2022) and individual learning accounts (2022). 

5 

 
                                                           
EU added value 

Given that the Recommendation is non-binding, the EU added value materialised mostly 
in  the  form  of  increased  policy  attention  on  low  basic  skills  among  adults  in  several 
Member  States.  Moreover,  the  Recommendation  provided  a  common  framework  for 
national policy action, fostered stakeholder collaboration within and across Member 
States,  and/or  mobilised  funding  and  technical  support  for  policy  experimentation.  In 
some Member States, the Recommendation served as an inspiration for reforms of the 
adult  learning  system.30  In  others,  it  served  as  a  benchmark  against  which  to 
compare  the  existing  support  systems,  and  pilot  or  introduce  targeted  provisions 
concerning one of the three steps.  

Stakeholders  appreciated  the  Recommendation’s  role  in  fostering  knowledge  sharing 
across  Member  States31.  Technical  assistance  was  provided  via  the  Structural  Reform 
Support  Programme  (SRSP)  or  its  successor,  the  Technical  Support  Instrument  (TSI)32,  as 
well  as  indirectly  by  supporting  the  OECD  in  developing  national  skills  strategies  and 
diagnostic  reports  in  several  Member  States.33  Finally,  stakeholders  highlighted  that  the 
Recommendation helped to direct EU funds from the various funding streams towards 
basic skills development projects for diverse target groups.  

Relevance 

Stakeholders are nearly unanimous in their view that the Recommendation’s objectives 
are  still  relevant34,  which  is  reflected  also  in  the  recent  high-level  EU  targets. 
Similarly, stakeholders consider the  measures defined in the Recommendation to be 
still  relevant  to  meet  its  objectives:  they  highlighted  the  continued  need  for  supporting 
the  low-skilled  with  specifically  tailored  measures  and  the  continued  relevance  of  the 
Recommendation’s “system building” approach.   

Stakeholders  also  perceive  that  the  EU  level  attention  to  implementation  continues 
to  be  relevant35  as  it  has  made  a  difference  over  the  evaluation  period  by  increasing 
policy attention for adult basic skills development, and fostering national reform and policy 
experimentation. 

29 E.g. for the 2021-2027 programming period, the ESF+ has a budget of €99.3 billion. 
30 Including HR, EL and SK. 
31 Mutual learning took place via dedicated events, but also through the national coordinators for adult learning, 
the  adult  learning  working  group  and  –in  a  more  informal  and  “bottom  up”  manner-  via  the  European 
Platform  for  Adult  Learning  and  Education  (EPALE).  Cedefop  supported  Member  State  reforms  by 
producing comparative research on their upskilling systems, and by organising Policy learning fora on the 
Recommendation. 

32 To BE, HR, CY, HU, IT, NL, PT and ES. 
33 Including BE, IT, LV, LT, NL, PL, PT, SK, SI, ES; National Skills Strategies - OECD. 
34 87% of respondents to public consultation agreed to this statement.  
35 87% of respondents to the public consultation agreed that EU policy guidance is still required to a fairly large 
or very large extent. Cf. also the position paper by the World Employment Confederation Europe, which 
states that “EU guidance is required to a fairly large extent to promote the exchange of good practices and 
promote mutual learning and bench-learning”. 

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3. WAYS FORWARD TO STRENGTHEN IMPLEMENTATION 

Despite the progress made, significant implementation challenges still remain:  

  The first main challenge is uneven implementation progress among Member 
States, with large discrepancies in upskilling opportunities available for low-skilled 
adults.  

  The  second  main  challenge  is  the  often  still  small  scale  and  insufficient 
effective outreach36 of implementation measures taken by the Member States 
  The third main challenge is  the dominant role of project-based EU funding 

as opposed to structural domestic funding.  

  A  fourth  main  challenge  is  the  often  insufficient  integration  of  the  three 
steps  of  the  Recommendation  into  a  comprehensive  pathway,  reflecting  an 
insufficient  degree  of  strategic  coordination.  The  joined-up  approach  of  the 
Recommendation  is  often  not  reflected  in  Member  States’  implementation 
measures. This limits the scope for monitoring and evaluation, and the capacity to 
draw lessons from the evidence.   

As labour shortages and skills mismatches are increasing, the Commission considers that 
more  should  be  done  to  improve  the  implementation  of  the  Council  Recommendation  on 
Upskilling Pathways. This is necessary to provide everyone with opportunities on the labour 
market  and  in  society  and  avoid  the  “low  skills-poor  jobs  trap”.  This  is  equally 
necessary  to  fill  the  skills  gaps  on  the  labour  market  and  drive  forward  the  EU’s 
competitiveness  and  the  green  and  digital  transitions.  It  also  recognises  that  skills 
development  throughout  life  is  an  individual  right  as  spelled  out  in  the  Charter  of 
Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the European Pillar of Social Rights37 
and translated into its Action Plan38.   

To  strengthen  implementation,  Member  States,  supported  by  the  Commission,  should  be 
invited to: 

  Strengthen  strategic  cooperation  at  national  level  to  create  integrated 
upskilling  pathways  and  open  up  learning  communities,  including  by 
developing  and  reviewing  whole-of-government  national  skills  strategies  in  close 
partnership  with  social  partners,  public  employment  services  and  other  relevant 
stakeholders. 

36  Understood  here  in  terms  of  the  share  of  adults  in  need  of  basic  skills  development  who  receive  support. 
Effective  outreach  may  be  insufficient  either  because  of  low  formal  coverage  of/eligibility  for  support 
measures, or because of low awareness and take-up. 

37 European Pillar of Social Rights. 
38 The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan 

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  Encourage collective action and a broad partnership approach on basic skills 
among private and public stakeholders, including through the Pact for Skills39, with a 
focus on the workplace as a learning environment. 

  Better  define  the  beneficiaries  of  upskilling  to  reflect  trends  such  as 
digitalisation and greening of the economy, making sure no one is left behind, while 
adapting the support measures accordingly and tailoring them to specific needs on 
an individual basis. 

  Broaden communicative outreach notably to the “hardest to reach”  whilst 
avoiding  stigmatisation  through  an  emphasis  on  future  upskilling  benefits  as 
opposed to current skills deficits. 

  Use  the  significant  EU  resources  under  the  national  Recovery  and  Resilience 
Plans40 and the European Social Fund Plus programmes to drive investment in 
skills,  infrastructure  and  domestic  reforms  and  sustain  them  through  domestic 
funding in the medium to long-term to lead to structural improvements. 

  Use  the  implementation  of  the  Council  Recommendation  on  individual 
learning accounts41 to scale up the provision of non-stigmatising tailored, flexible 
and quality training opportunities, and facilitate their user-friendly integration with 
skills assessment, validation and career guidance supported by  adequate domestic 
funding.  
  Use  the 

implementation  of  the  Council  Recommendation  on  micro-
credentials42  to  increase  transparency  and  recognition  of  the  outcomes  of  short 
training courses. 

39  Homepage of Pact for skills (europa.eu) 
40 Recovery and Resilience Facility (europa.eu) 
41 The Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on individual learning accounts outlines how Member States 
can combine financial and non-financial support in an effective way to empower all adults to develop their skills 
throughout working life, and progress towards the Porto adult learning targets. 
42  The  Council  Recommendation  of  16  June  2022  on  a  European  approach  to  micro-credentials  for  lifelong 
learning  and  employability  defines  a  common  definition  of  and  a  standard  format  for  describing  the 
outcomes  of  short  courses,  in  order  to  increase  transparency  and  facilitate  the  communication  of  skills 
acquired during training throughout the working life. 

8