Last Wednesday, as part of the European Education Area initiative, the European Commission presented the Union of Skills strategy, a broad package of measures that aims to support skills development and better outcomes in education and professional lives of people. Initiatives under this strategy aim to build skills for quality jobs, upskill and reskill the workforce, help the free movement of workers, and attract, retain and develop the workforce.

Need for skills development and better employment and life outcomes for all

The initiative rightly highlights that persons with disabilities face additional barriers in developing their skills, leading to untapped potential within the EU labour force. Skills gaps start early, often within early childhood education and care (ECEC). For many, particularly persons with disabilities, a lack of access to quality ECEC, inclusive education, training, and lifelong learning opportunities limits their ability to fully participate in the labour market and be included in the society. Ensuring early and continuous skills development must be a priority in the design and implementation of the Union of Skills initiatives.

Addressing workforce shortages and skills gaps in social services

Europe is facing critical skills gaps and labour shortages in many key sectors, including social care and support. Care workers are among the 42 occupations with EU-wide shortages and social services struggle to attract and retain staff. With its potential to create 8 million jobs across social care and healthcare, the Union of Skills must prioritise targeted solutions, ensuring the social care workforce is effectively supported.

Action Plan on Basic Skills

The European Commission has already adopted an Action Plan on Basic Skills.

It aims to address the declining levels of basic skills in EU Member States, ensuring that all learners, including those with disabilities, acquire sufficient basic skills. To achieve this, it outlines short- and medium-term actions to enhance basic skills in reading, mathematics, science, digital literacy, and citizenship, promoting skills development from early childhood to adult learning:

• A Basic Skills Support Scheme aims to address basic skills gaps earlier and faster. It will also focus on early identification, regular monitoring, individual basic skills assessments, and tailored interventions, especially during key educational transitions, including to vocational education and training (VET) programmes. It will also support teacher development, focusing on pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and establish specialist roles like school mediators and home-school liaison officers to enhance collaboration among schools, learners, parents, and the community.
• Guidelines for curriculum development in early childhood education and care, which will support the acquisition of basic skills early on to facilitate early detection and intervention in case of developmental delays.
• An EU Teachers and Trainers Agenda, focusing on better working conditions, training, and career prospects, including in early childhood education and care.
• Piloting AI-driven personalised learning pathways for basic skills development, building on 2026 Erasmus+ policy experimentations, to support learners.

The European Commission also adopted the STEM Education Strategic Plan in response to the declining proficiency in certain STEM skills.

Other initiatives as part of the Union of Skills include:

• A 2030 Roadmap on the future of digital education and skills to promote equal access to digital education for all.
• A European Strategy for vocational education and training so that VET becomes an equally valued learning pathway as higher education.
• A Skills Guarantee pilot for workers with a specific focus on sectors currently under restructuring.
• A Skills Portability Initiative to support the free movement of workers.
• A European VET diploma/label pilot to facilitate the mobility of VET learners and workers.
• An EU Talent Pool, an EU-wide platform facilitating international recruitment of third country jobseekers residing outside the EU.

Additional activities include:

• An initiative to increase accessibility of higher education to a wider range of learners and ages.
• An assessment, as part of the review of the General Block Exemption Regulation, of the need to update state aid rules applicable to training, in order to provide better incentives - including for the social economy to invest in upskilling and reskilling of workers and for a just transition.
• A strengthened and streamlined Pact for Skills to support strategic sectors in their upskilling and reskilling, including through the Large-Scale Partnerships.
• Support the implementation of Individual Learning Accounts and the use of micro-credentials as flexible learning solutions.
• Expansion of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships to reach 700 pledges by 2030, including people outside the labour market and apprenticeships for adults to upskill and reskill.
• A strengthened Erasmus+, with a particular focus on learners with fewer opportunities – including in VET, to make it more inclusive and accessible for all.

Conclusion: A step forward, but more work needed

The Union of Skills marks a step toward strengthening Europe's workforce and the development of skills, but it must ensure inclusive early and lifelong skills development for all, including persons with disabilities. Prioritising investment in inclusive ECEC, inclusive and quality education, supporting critical workforce sectors like social care and support, and creating strong links between education and employment will be key to its success. As the Union of Skills evolves, continued engagement with social services, social economy actors, education providers, and disability rights advocates will be essential to ensure no one is left behind in Europe’s skills revolution.

EASPD stands ready to support the European Commission in the refinement and implementation of the Union of Skills with the knowledge and expertise stemming from its members.