REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the European Year of Skills
Date: 2025-10-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Subjects: adult education, continuing vocational training, cooperation in the field of education, education policy, labour force, labour market, promotion of the European idea, skilled worker, updating of skills, vocational education

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 2.10.2025  COM(2025) 583 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the European Year of Skills {SWD(2025) 283 final}  
 
 
1. Introduction 

The European Year of Skills (the ‘Year’) was announced by the President of the European Commission in 
her 2022 State of the Union Address as a response to the critical labour and skills shortages in Europe: ‘The 
lack  of  staff  is  a  challenge  for  Europe's  companies.  We  must  invest  much  more  in  training  and  further 
education. This is why I am proposing to make 2023 the European Year of Skills.’ 

Nearly three quarters (74%) of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lack skilled workers (1) and the 
Commission has identified 42 occupations that are experiencing such shortages across various sectors of 
the economy (2). It is estimated that 90% of jobs will demand digital skills (3). However, over one third of 
the labour force lacks the necessary digital skills required for most jobs. These shortages are combined with 
a  widening  gap  in  training,  as  only  39.5%  of  adults  participate  in  training  annually (4).  Despite  these 
challenges, there are opportunities, with substantial job growth anticipated in green and digital sectors, with 
3.5  million  new  jobs  expected (5). There  is  also  significant  untapped  potential  among  underrepresented 
groups,  such  as  women,  young  people  not  in  employment,  education,  or  training  (NEETs),  low-skilled 
workers, older workers and persons with disabilities. 

This report provides an overview of the implementation and results of the Year, in line with Article 7 of 
Decision  (EU)  2023/936  (the  EYS  Decision). This  report is  accompanied  by  a  staff  working  document 
(SWD), which details the implementation, results and future actions of the Year. 

2. Policy outcomes and emerging ideas  

The overall objective of the Year was to promote a mindset of upskilling and reskilling. To achieve this, 
the Year aimed to promote investment, increase the relevance of skills through cooperation, match people 
with opportunities, and attract talent. 

The Year comprised a comprehensive year-long policy discussion with stakeholders on the role of skills 
and skills policies. The debate showed that European countries are facing very similar challenges due 
to rapid technological change, demographic ageing and a shrinking EU workforce, combined with the need 
for resilient industrial ecosystems and supply chains. There is broad consensus that these trends amplify the 
need for a better skilled workforce in Europe, capable of responding to the rapid shifts in skills needs. 

2.1 Skills for Europe’s competitiveness 

The year-long conversation highlighted that skills are a strategic asset for Europe’s productivity and an 
essential cross-cutting enabler that underpins competitiveness across all economic sectors, including 
for  the  green  and  digital  transitions,  as  reflected  in  the  Competitiveness  Compass  for  the  EU (6).  This 
message was consistently repeated during the Year, generating momentum to integrate skills into a wide 
range  of  policies  in  over  190  new  initiatives (7),  delivered  through  strong  cooperation  across  EU 
institutions. 

(1) Eurobarometer  
(2) Action plan  
(3) Digital literacy 
(4) Policy context - Education and training - Eurostat 
(5) COM/2023/652 
(6) COM(2025) 30 
(7) EU legislative and non-legislative actions, calls for proposals, events, projects and publications. 

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The Year brought skills to the forefront of the EU’s political agenda. Skills featured in all but one of 
the tabled initiatives in the 2024 Commission work programme (8) and the Political Guidelines for the 2024-
2029 Commission mandate. 

The transversal character of skills was reaffirmed at ministerial level, with the Competitiveness Council 
adopting conclusions on ‘a competitive European industry driving our green, digital and resilient future’ 
and ‘a single market for the benefit of all’ in May 2024.  

During  the  Year,  stakeholders  highlighted  the  urgent  need  to  boost  skills  for  the  green  and  digital 
transitions. The Commission presented the Green Deal Industrial Plan and adopted the Net-Zero Industry 
Act, providing for the launch of net-zero industry academies to upskill and reskill workers in strategic 
technologies such as batteries, solar energy, hydrogen, raw materials and wind energy. Each academy aims 
to upskill and reskill 100 000 workers within three years of its launch.   

The announcement of the Year paved the way for the adoption of a Digital Education and Skills Package 
in  April  2023.  It  included  proposals  for  Council  Recommendations  on  the  key  enabling  factors  for 
successful  education  and  training  and  on  improving  the  provision  of  digital  skills  and  competences  in 
education and training, adopted by the Council in November 2023. Digital skills academies were set up as 
part  of  the  Year  to  improve  the  coordination  of  training  provision  in  cybersecurity,  high  performance 
computing and semiconductors. 

Closely linked to the EU industrial strategy, the Pact for Skills has helped to upskill and reskill workers 
across Europe in response to the growing needs of industries. The Pact grew to 20 large-scale partnerships 
across 14 industrial ecosystems. Since 2022, it has helped train 3.5 million people, with pledges to upskill 
and reskill 25 million by 2030.  

Several other initiatives boosted sector-specific skills. The revision of the directives on renewable energy 
and  energy  efficiency  has  expanded  support  for  certified  clean  energy  skills.  The  BUILD  UP  Skills 
initiative upskilled professionals to improve the energy efficiency of buildings in 15 Member States. To 
increase  the  number  of  ICT  specialists,  the  Digital  Europe  Programme  is  funding  specialised  training. 
EU4Health programme provides training for health workers focused on digital skills. ComPAct supports 
the EU public administrations to become more skilled. Skills was a key focus area for the 44 EU sectoral 
social dialogue committees who implemented actions, issued statements or discussed the wider sectoral 
needs for skills development in response to evolving industry landscapes.  

Central to addressing labour and skills gaps in strategic sectors, as well as driving the green and digital 
transitions, vocational education and training (VET) received a boost through Erasmus+ calls in 2023 
and 2024. These calls were focused on VET attractiveness, increased apprentice mobility, worker reskilling, 
women in GreenTech, micro-credentials and labour market registries.  

2.2 Investing in skills 

A  common  view  emerged  during  the Year  that  skills  are  a  key  determinant  of  growth,  empowering 
individuals and increasing businesses’ productivity. The EU is investing over EUR 150 billion in education 

(8) Compared to under half in 2022 and 2023. 

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and skills (9).  EU investment in skills is projected to boost employment and gross domestic product 
(GDP). A 0.1 percentage point increase in skills investment for young workers will potentially raise overall 
employment  by  0.25%  and  increase  GDP  by  about  0.18%  in  the  long  run,  exceeding  the  initial 
investment (10).  

The Year triggered reflection on how funding is invested in skills, and it was recognised that skills should 
be seen as an investment rather than a cost. Strategies to maximise the impact of skills investments 
were  central  to  these  discussions.  To  better  understand  the  role  that  skills  investment  plays  in  driving 
productivity, it was agreed that improved cost-based measurement of its impact is needed (11). Attention 
was also given to improving access to funding, particularly for SMEs. In May 2023, a flash Eurobarometer 
revealed  that  SMEs  are  significantly  affected  by  skills  shortages,  highlighting  the  need  for  targeted 
support. Following this, in September 2023 the SME Relief Package was adopted.  

It was also confirmed that EU funding acts as a catalyst, attracting other sources of funding and facilitating 
the  testing  of  new,  innovative  approaches  in  financing  skills  development,  including  public-private 
partnerships. Throughout  the  Year,  public-private  partnerships  such  as  the  Pact  for  Skills,  Blueprint 
Alliances, Centres of Vocational Excellence, and Skills Academies, continued to promote joint investment 
in upskilling.  Some 15 new Centres of Vocational Excellence were launched in 2024 and the European 
Alliance  for  Apprenticeships  experienced  significant  growth,  with  over  450  pledges,  40  national 
commitments, and 2.5 million apprenticeship offers. 

2.3 Joint action for skills 

The debate throughout the Year exposed the complexity of skills governance, and the need for  effective 
coordination and cooperation across industrial, labour market, education and other policy domains.  

The Year fostered cooperation at different levels (12). National coordinators played a key role at national 
level promoting whole-of-government approaches to skills governance. New or improved governance 
and stakeholder bodies were created in several countries (13). The Year facilitated closer collaboration 
between countries, with, for example, Greece and Cyprus (14) signing a Memorandum of Understanding. 
The Joint Statement of EYS National Coordinators serves as a powerful testament to the commitment of 
national coordinators to continue working closely on skills, ensuring the momentum generated by the Year 
is sustained and built upon in the future. 

The  Year  also  highlighted  the  central  role  of  social  dialogue  in  skills  development  and  in  supporting 
workers  and  companies  to  navigate  the  twin  green  and  digital  transitions  (15).  Initiated  by  the  Spanish 
Presidency, the Barcelona Tripartite Joint Statement was signed by the Presidencies of the Council of the 
EU (16), the Commission, and EU social partners (17) on 19 October 2023 promoting tripartite partnership 

(9) Under  the  European  Social  Fund +,  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility,  Erasmus+, InvestEU, Just  Transition 
Fund, European Regional Development Fund, Digital Europe and other funds – see SWD. 
(10) ESDE review 
(11) A guide outlines a framework for a satellite account on education and training expenditure. 
(12) 76% of post-EYS survey respondents agreed the Year forged cooperation. 
(13) Denmark, Ireland, Spain, France, Cyprus, Malta, Austria, Poland, Slovakia and Finland. 
(14) Greek Public Employment Service and Cypriot Human Resource Development Authority. 
(15) Opinion 
(16) Belgium, Spain, Sweden. 
(17) ETUC, Business Europe, SGI Europe and SMEUnited. 

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in implementing the Year and enabling broader skills development. Tripartite partnership was also at the 
heart of the Year’s implementation in many countries (18). 

During conversations with social partners and other stakeholders, it was stressed that action was needed to 
tackle the broader drivers of labour and skills shortages, such as poor working conditions in certain 
sectors, poor human resource management (19) or lack of affordable early childhood care. Following the 
Val Duchesse Social Partners Summit, the Commission presented an action plan to address labour and 
skills shortages in March 2024, prepared in consultation with the EU social partners. The Commission also 
made a proposal for a Directive on improving and enforcing working conditions for trainees and a proposal 
to revise the 2014 Council Recommendation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships to address issues of 
quality and inclusiveness. 

Stakeholders  were  vocal  on  the  need  to  better  anticipate  skills  needs  and  underlined  that  local  and 
sectoral approaches, as well as strong stakeholder cooperation, are crucial to ensure that skills intelligence 
is relevant and actionable. The Commission launched the Europass job and skills trend tool during the Year 
and  published a  new  version  of the  European  Classification  of  Skills,  Competences,  Qualifications  and 
Occupations and the European Cybersecurity Skills Framework. ResearchComp, the European Competence 
Framework for Researchers, was launched in July 2023. Several countries worked on skills intelligence 
during the Year (20).  

The  Commission,  in  collaboration  with  the  Committee  of  Regions,  placed  a  strong  emphasis  on  local 
approaches to skills development (21). In January 2023, the Communication on Harnessing Talent in 
Europe’s Regions was adopted. To help regions attract, train, and retain talent, the Commission further 
launched the Talent Booster Mechanism and its Harnessing Talent Platform. 

The  Year  attracted  global  interest,  highlighting  shared  challenges  and  the  need  for  international 
cooperation. The European Commission has assumed a prominent role in advancing education and skills in 
the  EU's  external  relations.  These  areas  are  key  investment  priorities  in  the    EU's  Global  Gateway 
investment.  The  Year  was  featured  at  high-level  events  like  COP28  and  inspired  the  Association  of 
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to launch a Year of Skills in 2025. The Trade and Technology Council 
Talent for Growth Task Force encouraged collaboration between the EU and the US on skills for economic 
growth; it presented a joint final statement. Several international organisations like the International Labour 
Organization  (ILO),  the  Organisation  for  Economic  Co-operation  and  Development  (OECD),  United 
Nations  Educational,  Scientific  and  Cultural  Organization  (UNESCO),  and  WorldSkills  were  actively 
involved during the Year. 

2.4 Empowering individuals 

Empowering individuals through promoting a mindset of upskilling and reskilling was at the heart of the 
Year, enabling everyone to reach their full potential in the labour market and society.  

(18) Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, 
Slovenia, Norway and Ukraine. 
(19) ESDE review 
(20) Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Spain, France, Croatia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia. 
(21) Resolution  

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Some  14  Member  States (22)  started  using  EU  funding  to  develop  and  implement  individual  learning 
accounts. ILAs can help to make the right to training a reality in practice.  

VET  emerged  as  another  central  topic.  Stakeholders  consistently  emphasised  the  need  to  increase  its 
attractiveness, quality and recognition. 

Throughout the Year, stakeholders were vocal about empowerment increasing motivation and improving 
access to quality training in workplaces and beyond. Beyond job-specific skills, equipping individuals 
with digital, transversal and life skills such as resilience, critical thinking, financial, media and democracy 
literacy were considered important. This is particularly relevant due to the geopolitical and climate trends, 
the  rise  of AI-generated  content  and  information  manipulation.  The  Council  approved  conclusions  on 
financial literacy in May 2024. The urgency of investing in basic skills was highlighted (23). 

During the Year, a recurring point was that no one should be left behind, therefore tailor-made solutions 
and guidance are needed to support individuals. The Year’s discussions revealed gaps in the provision of 
guidance services, although they also highlighted good practices in several countries (24).  

Women, NEETs, persons with disabilities, and people from disadvantaged backgrounds were specifically 
targeted in various initiatives. These included: i) the Commission’s call for proposals for social innovations 
for the upskilling of vulnerable young people; ii) the ‘Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve’ (ALMA) initiative, 
which helps over 800 vulnerable young NEETs reintegrate into the job market or find education and training 
opportunities; and iii) youth-led projects under the Youth4OutermostRegions scheme.  

In a context where increasing productivity is pivotal to the EU’s future, all skills should be valued in labour 
markets. The Year put skills-based approaches to recruitment and staff development (also referred to as 
‘skills-first’) in the spotlight as an enabler for employers to tap into a broader talent pool and for people to 
fulfil their potential. These approaches can be complemented by opportunities for skills validation, making 
non-formal and informal learning visible.  

Stakeholders recognised the value of digital and micro-credentials in supporting these efforts and helping 
individuals in their careers more broadly. The March 2024 evaluations of the  European Qualifications 
Framework  Recommendation  and  the  Europass  Decision  (25)  confirmed  that  the  initiatives  increase 
transparency and shared understanding of, and trust in, qualifications and skills.  

2.5 Attracting talent 

The Year’s debate also recalled that the EU’s competitiveness will be influenced by its capacity to attract 
global  talent  and  it  sparked  conversations  on  how  to:  i)  facilitate  the  recognition  of  qualifications  and 
validation  of  skills  gained  abroad;  ii)  reduce  the  overregulation  of  professions  at  national  level  and 
administrative burdens; iii) create suitable conditions enabling recruitment and retention of talent from third 

(22) France and Lithuania focused on further improving ILA schemes. Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Greece, Spain, 
Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia are developing them. 
(23) PISA 2022 warned about a decline in basic skills. 
(24) Belgium (Flanders), Spain, France, Croatia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia and Ukraine. 
(25) Decision (EU) 2018/646 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018 on a common 
framework for the provision of better services for skills and qualifications (Europass). 

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countries in shortage occupations; and iv) strengthen partnerships with third countries to create mutually 
beneficial labour mobility opportunities and establish legal pathways. 

To make the EU more attractive to talent from abroad, and to simplify mobility within it, in November 2023 
the  Commission  adopted  the  Skills  and  Talent  Mobility  Package  comprising  an  overarching 
Communication on Skills and Talent Mobility with a proposal for a Regulation establishing an EU Talent 
Pool, and a Commission Recommendation on recognition of qualifications of third-country nationals. These 
paved  the  way  for  the  adoption  of  a  Council  Recommendation  on  ‘“Europe  on  the  Move”  on  learning 
mobility opportunities for everyone on 13 May 2024. Talent Partnerships with Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, 
Pakistan and Bangladesh were also strengthened to boost mutually beneficial international mobility  and 
skills development between the EU and partner countries. 

3. Implementation 

The Year was a conversation that took many forms – a communication campaign, thousands of events, and 
many wide-ranging engagement opportunities for stakeholders and citizens across Europe (26). 

3.1 Governance 

The Year was an interinstitutional effort at EU level by the Commission and its agencies, the European 
Parliament, the Council of the EU, the Committee of the Regions, and the European Economic and Social 
Committee (EESC).  

Directorate-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) led its implementation in close 
cooperation with other Commission departments. 

The Year was implemented in a decentralised and collaborative manner. A total of 38 countries, including 
all EU Member States, appointed a national coordinator. National coordinators played a key role. 

3.2 Resources 

The allocated resources were used for the communication campaign (EUR 6.75 million), organisation of 
flagship  events,  meetings  with  national  coordinators  and  experts  (EUR  0.935  million),  and  on  relevant 
studies (EUR 0.106 million). 

3.3 Communication campaign 

The Commission organised a communication campaign at EU level, targeting employers (primarily SMEs), 
professionals, jobseekers, NEETs, policymakers, stakeholders and training providers. 

The  comprehensive  communication  material  that  was  made  available  to  all  EU  Member  States  in  their 
respective languages included a visual identity, an interinstitutional website, and a communication toolkit, 
offering  ready-to-use  promotional  materials,  presentations,  and  social  media  assets.  The  hashtag 
#EuropeanYearOfSkills was promoted and used over 14 000 times (27). 

(26) The proposal for the EYS Decision set the number of events as a key performance indicator (KPI). Further KPIs 
were defined in the Year’s communication strategy. 
(27) 14 200 mentions from 9 May 2023 to 8 May 2024. 

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Stakeholders were key multipliers. Their nearly 7 000 posts received 61 million views, indicating that the 
Year sparked public debate.  

To promote upskilling and reskilling journeys, the ‘Real People, Real Skills’ project featured 200 individual 
stories from 30 countries, along with a video. 

Real People Real Skills video 

Communication efforts, carried out on different levels, brought the following results: 

Viewers reached with TV advertisement in five countries (28) 

Combined  paid  advertisement  reach  on  social  media,  including 
Facebook  (58  million),  Instagram  (10.2  million)  and  LinkedIn 
(860 000)   

Page views on the campaign website  

Campaign video views on YouTube   

in millions 

41  

69  

3.6  

69  

(28) Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Italy and Romania identified as having the highest communication needs. 

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Video views on the gaming platform Twitch   

21.4  

Readers reached through 64 national media partnerships   

10.1  

People reached by 32 paid social media influencers   

 3.01 

People exposed to outdoor ads in Brussels incl. airport   

4  

3.4 Events 

Citizens’ survey results 

Throughout the Year, there were over 2 100 events in 42 countries, including all EU Member States. These 
demonstrated the amount of engagement undertaken to promote skills in a variety of contexts. These were 
organised by EU institutions, agencies, networks, national authorities, stakeholders and citizens. 

The Year's activities were centred on six flagship events, each with a focus on key audiences and objectives. 
These included: 

• 
• 
• 
• 

• 

• 

the European Year of Skills Festival on 9 May 2023 with 7 300 views; 
the ‘Making Skills Count’ Conference on 8-9 June 2023 with 1 300 participants; 
the Vocational Skills Week from 23-27 October 2023 with 500 national and regional events; 
the  European  Employment  and  Social  Rights  Forum  on  16-17 November 2023  with  2 200 
participants; 
the ‘Meet the Champions of Excellence’ event, co-organised with the EESC on 23 February 2024 
with 800 participants; and 
‘The European Year of Skills – What Comes Next?’ on 30 April 2024 with 1 400 participants. 

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A  series  of  five  expert  meetings  took  place  involving  strategic  discussions  on  skills  financing,  skills 
intelligence, skills-first approaches, skills at the regional level (co-organised with the Committee of the 
Regions), and exploring the future of a skilled Europe through a foresight exercise (29). 

The  importance  of  skills  across  all  economic  sectors  was  highlighted  in,  among  others,  the  2023-2024 
editions of the EU Green Week, European Sustainable Energy Week, EU Code Week, European Migration 
Forum, European Week for Regions and Cities, European Youth Event, European Youth Week, as well as 
in a conference on skills development through reforms. 

These  efforts  were  strengthened  by  other  EU  institutions  and  agencies.  The  European  Parliament 
collaborated  with  five  EU  agencies  in  hosting  the  event  ‘Skills,  skills,  skills!’  on  20 September 2023. 
Cedefop organised 14 events and participated in more than 270 skills-related events, while the European 
Training Foundation organised 144 events.  Commission Representations and Delegations organised 
over  270  events,  meetings  with  relevant  stakeholders,  and  communication  activities  under  the  Year’s 
banner. 

4. Future action on skills 

As Mario Draghi sets out in his report on The Future of European Competitiveness, there is a crucial need 
to continue investing in the skills of the people in Europe, both to help them prosper and to ensure the 
competitiveness of the European economy on the global scale.  

These key issues emerged from the Year’s discussions, which will feed into future actions on skills: 

On 18 July 2024, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the Political Guidelines for the 
2024-2029 Commission mandate to the European Parliament. She stressed that: 

(29) Details in the SWD. 

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On 5 March 2025, the Commission adopted the Union of Skills – a new overarching vision combining 
education, training and employment policies, at the heart of Europe’s competitiveness. It aims to empower 
our people to build solid skills foundations and engage in lifelong upskilling and reskilling for a fulfilling 
life. This  will  enhance  companies’  competitiveness  by  helping  them  find  the  talent  they  need  to  create 
sustainable  growth  and  quality  jobs. Another  objective  is  to  make  skills  and  qualifications  transparent, 
trusted and recognised across the EU, independently of where they were acquired. 

5. Conclusion 

The Year was successful in promoting a mindset of upskilling and reskilling across Europe (30) and at 
national  and  regional  levels (31).  More  Europeans  are  aware  of  skills  policies (32)  and  are  willing  to 
train (33). 

The year-long conversation on skills strongly confirmed the importance of embracing a culture of lifelong 
learning and transforming skills systems. This requires a strategic vision, backed by long-term political 
commitment,  solid  whole-of-government  approaches,  strong  stakeholder  engagement  and  adequate 
funding. 

While stakeholders acknowledge that the Year is a significant starting point, there is a resounding call for 
sustained momentum, recognising the need for a permanent shift in mindset. 

Looking ahead, the Commission will build on the outcomes of the Year to advance the implementation of 
initiatives that aim to close skills gaps and embrace a new era of continuous upskilling and reskilling, with 
a  view  to  establishing  a  Union  of  Skills  that  supports  the  EU’s  competitiveness  and  preparedness. The 
Commission  will  work closely  with  Member  States, partner  countries,  social  partners,  civil  society  and 
other stakeholders. While the Year may have ended, work to further promote skills development, strengthen 
Europe’s labour market resilience and help people lead prosperous and fulfilling lives will continue. 

(30) June 2024 stakeholder survey (747 respondents): 84% agreed. 
(31) June 2024 National Coordinators’ survey (33 respondents): 31 agreed. 
(32) June 2024 stakeholder survey: ‘91% of respondents believed the Year raised awareness about skills development.’ 
December 2023 citizens survey: ‘53% are aware of EU skills policies, compared to 26% before the Year’. 
(33) December 2023 citizens survey:  ‘64% of those  exposed to the campaign were  more willing to take a training 
course’. 

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