EU skills board proposes local reskilling partnerships to close labor shortages
The European Skills High-Level Board's first set of conclusions calls for Skills Partnerships for Adult Reskilling, or SPARKs, to link training providers, employers and public bodies where skills gaps are most acute.
The European Skills High-Level Board has proposed the creation of Skills Partnerships for Adult Reskilling, known as SPARKs, in its first set of conclusions, published in July 2026 and announced by the European Commission through its European Education Area service.
The conclusions aim to strengthen upskilling, reskilling, innovation and applied research across Europe by bringing them closer to the places where skills gaps actually exist, according to the Commission’s announcement. The board found that shortages of skilled workers affect almost every sector of the economy, holding back productivity, innovation and growth, while companies struggle to recruit people with the skills they need and education and training systems face pressure to respond faster to technological and economic change.
SPARKs are defined as an ecosystem of agile regional and sectoral partnerships promoting adult learning, innovation and applied research. Their purpose, the board said, is to bring together the institutions that develop and use skills and to deepen cooperation among education and training providers, businesses and public authorities so that learning opportunities reflect labor market demand.
The board stressed that the model is not new. Successful examples already exist in EU member states, regions and sectors, and the challenge is to spread them more widely and connect them more effectively.
The conclusions also carry a broader message that education and training systems must become more flexible, more responsive and more closely tied to labor market realities. The board called for a learner-centred framework supporting people across their whole working life, making it easier for adults to acquire new skills, change careers and refresh their competences. Education and training providers are asked to develop flexible learning pathways, work more closely with employers and improve adult access to lifelong learning.
The board is an advisory body bringing together companies, education and training providers and social partners. Its chair is Ylva Johansson, serving as a special adviser reporting to Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu. According to the Commission, the results of the board’s work will feed into future policy development linked to the European Semester and will be used to advance the Union of Skills initiative in connection with the strategic framework of the European Education Area.