Future-Proofing Skills: Building Stronger Up- and Reskilling Ecosystems in Europe

The recent Draghi report on Europe’s competitiveness highlights significant skill gaps across member states and underscores the urgent need for a more future-proof and competitive European labour force, particularly in key sectors: The twin transition not only leads to the emergence of new professions in the green and digital sectors, but also increasingly requires interdisciplinary skillsets, breaking down silos of traditional education and training courses. The aim of fostering ecosystems for up- and reskilling is therefore high on the EU agenda. While the Pact for Skills has laid the groundwork for industry collaboration, further action is expected under the second pillar of the Union of Skills. As the EU shapes its vision for skills development, it can draw valuable lessons from national approaches.
 
This event explored Switzerland’s up- and reskilling system in the broader European context, showcasing its high adult learning participation rates, strong private sector involvement, and emerging work on micro-credentials.
 
Panel discussions compared Swiss and Danish experiences and featured inputs by the institutions, focusing on building effective ecosystems, aligning education of the workforce with industry demands, and ensuring cohesion in European up- and reskilling systems.
 
A particular focus was on how to create ecosystems that deliver future-proof and demand-oriented up- and reskilling pathways, and how countries can design impactful transformations of their up- and reskilling systems, while avoiding fragmentation of the European education landscape.
 
Full programme: here

Summary: here

Presentation of Bernhard Grämiger (Director of the Swiss Federation of Adult Learning): here