Building a Skilled Workforce for Strategic Autonomy: Advancing Circular Economy Preparedness

Key points

The EESC:

• underlines that circular economy skills and activities, including recycling, reuse, repair and resource efficiency, are essential to Europe’s competitiveness, raw-material security, resilience and strategic autonomy;
• calls for circular economy values and skills to be embedded at all levels of education and training, supported by a European Circular Economy Competence Framework, a Circular Economy Skills Passport and stronger use of Erasmus+, enabling all stakeholders to participate in and implement this industrial transition;
• recommends involving circular economy institutions and social partners more closely in training, career guidance and job-to-job transitions, while strengthening dialogue between employers and workers;
• calls for modular, ready-to-use curricula and simpler financing mechanisms that also reach SMEs, rural areas and disadvantaged learners;
• calls for circular skills to be prioritised under the next multiannual financial framework, particularly through the European Social Fund+ and the European Competitiveness Fund;
• considers repair, reuse and refurbishment activities in the social economy as important pathways to circular economy skills and employment;
• proposes a Circular Economy Skillset Database to map available skills and training opportunities and identify shortages.