Opinion on the Union of Skills

Social rights

Background


The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has issued an opinion on the European Commission’s communications regarding the Union of Skills, the Action Plan on Basic Skills, and the STEM Education Strategic Plan. This opinion responds to the Commission’s proposals to address Europe’s persistent skills gaps, labour shortages, and the need for inclusive, high-quality education and training systems. The EESC underscores the strategic importance of a skilled workforce for Europe’s competitiveness, social cohesion, and sustainable development. It also highlights the need for systemic reforms, inclusive governance, and targeted investment to ensure the success of the Union of Skills initiative.

 

Key points


In this opinion the EESC:

  • underscores the strategic importance of a high-quality, inclusive education and a skilled workforce for Europe’s competitiveness, social cohesion, and sustainable development. Addressing current challenges - such as persistent skills gaps and mismatches, labour shortages, and attracting teachers and trainers - requires bold, systemic reforms and investment in inclusive, high-quality education and training systems;

  • stresses that the success of the Union of skills depends on effective and cooperative governance, adequate financing, and inclusive representation of social partners, national authorities and other stakeholders, including civil society organisations, teachers and learners;

  • considers that Europe’s productivity and innovation gaps demand a higher level of ambition in developing world-class talent in STEM and AI. Fostering inclusiveness and addressing gender stereotypes in accessing professions and education and training are important;

  • calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure increased public investment and better use of EU funds to strengthen education systems at all levels;

  • calls for improving the quality, inclusiveness, attractiveness, effectiveness and accessibility of vocational education and training (IVET and CVET) and adult learning; advocates for a better provision of basic skills and key competences for all, and for a more inclusive access to quality and effective upskilling and reskilling;

  • calls to make Europe more attractive to global talent;

  • asks for tailored support for SMEs and for women and disadvantaged individuals;

  • urges the Commission to propose separate EU agendas for teachers and trainers, to propose effective actions to Member States to boost the attractiveness of these professions;

  • calls to address governance fragmentation in education and training policies and suggests the simplification of the EEA governance by establishing a High-Level Advisory Committee for Education;

  • asks that recommendations on education and skills be fully integrated into the European Semester process.

 

Additional information

EESC section: Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC)

Opinion type: Referral from the European Commission

Rapporteurs: Tatjana BABRAUSKIENĖ, Mariya MINCHEVA, Justyna Kalina OCHĘDZAN

Advisors: Robert PLUMMER (Group I), Agnes ROMAN (Group II), Andrei FRANK (Group III)

Reference: SOC/837–EESC-2025-01308-00-01-AS-TRA

Date of adoption by section: 27/6/2025

 

Contact 

Sabrina BORG and Ana DUMITRACHE

Email: soc@eesc.europa.eu