The European year of skills 2023: skills for now and in the future?

Abstract

Lifelong education and learning has remained one of the highest prioritised topics for countries, political bodies, and enterprises for several decades while also representing a dynamic and vibrant research field and community. Within the context of lifelong education and learning policy, practice, and research, the notion of ‘skills’ has emerged as a crucial approach and theme that has gathered significant attention in Europe and beyond. The emphasis on skills has been particularly pronounced within the European Union (EU) since the Lisbon Strategy (Commission of the European Communities, 2000). The EU’s focus on skills development has been reinforced by the Europe 2020 aim and a general, more robust push on skills was observed in the European Social Pillars encompassing skills indicators and benchmarks (European Commission, 2018). Building on the aforementioned statements, it is noteworthy that on 7 March 2023, a political agreement was reached by the European Parliament and Member States on the European Year of Skills 2023 (European Commission, 2023). The political agreement was signalled by President Ursula von der Leyen in the 2022 State of the Union address highlighting the need for the EU to promote and invest in continuous upskilling and reskilling of all working-age adults (European Commission, 2022a). We welcome the renewed policy promotion and investment in lifelong education and learning, with its focus on skills and skills development, as evidenced by this European Year of Skills 2023. The hope is that this renewed interest will extend beyond the European Year of Skills in 2023 and constructively address global challenges such as skills gaps, staff shortages, and talent migration. We, however, also advocate for lifelong education and learning to be integrated. Further, to be permanent components of any proactive policy aimed at development, value creation, and adaptation to changes on all levels, rather than being done reactively over a short period in response to changes resulting in narrow solutions. Consequently, it is essential to ensure that skills and skills development opportunities are approached in an expansive way and that ‘skills’ are more than a matter of immediate job and enterprise productivity improvement alone. In this way, skills in the context of lifelong education and learning research should be seen as a question of the whole person and their career over the long term, as well as addressing societal inequality and disadvantage. This editorial examines the four primary policy levers outlined in the political agreement on the European Year of Skills 2023, drawing on existing research in the field of lifelong education and learning. The proposal for a European Year of Skills 2023, like the political agreement and the site dedicated to disseminating objectives, background, and skills development opportunities in an EU context, underlines the known explanations and logics for why lifelong education and learning is once again on the top of the EU agenda (European Commission, 2022b). For instance, the green and digital transitions as well as demographic changes resulting in labour mismatches, skills gaps, and shortage of staff highlight the need for solutions to meet the demands of the labour market (ibid.). The strategic areas for the European Year of Skills 2023 are particularly focused on