Recent findings from the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (2024) reveal a worrying trend: literacy and numeracy skills among adults have stagnated or declined across most OECD countries over the past decade. These challenges are particularly pronounced among adults with lower education levels, highlighting an urgent need for targeted interventions. In their joint statement, EAEA and The European Basic Skills Network call for stronger governance, increased investment, and innovative approaches to address these challenges.
The Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways (2016) highlights the support needed for the approximately 58 million adults with low basic skills in the EU. This Recommendation encouraged member states to invest in tailored learning opportunities to acquire literacy, numeracy, basic digital skills, and other technical skills, enabling adults to progress toward a qualification. The three-step personalised support promoted by the Recommendation includes skills assessment, flexible learning opportunities, and validation and recognition of skills, supplemented with outreach, guidance, and other support measures. The evaluation taking stock of the actions taken in response to the Council Recommendation (2023) concluded moderate positive trends in relevant indicators and affirmed the continued relevance of the Recommendations’ objectives.
The European Commission’s European Growth Model aims to harness the synergetic opportunities of the dual green and digital transition while progressing toward a climate-neutral continent by 2050, as outlined in the European Green Deal. However, adults with low basic skills face significant challenges in maintaining active participation in the labor market, social, and democratic life amidst these transitions. The greening of economies and digitalization of services are transforming existing jobs and creating new ones, while long-standing low-skill jobs are being terminated due to automation or the phasing out of environmentally harmful roles. Additionally, access to public services, participation in social and community life, and practicing democratic rights increasingly depend on digital skills and media literacy. Achieving sustainable development goals also demands awareness of environmental impacts and behavioral changes from all citizens.
Fairness and solidarity are key objectives and principles of the European Green Deal, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the European Pillar of Social Rights. In line with the headline target of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, 60% of all adults should participate in training every year by 2030 (current state of play: 39.5% in 2022, 18.4% among low-qualified adults), and at least 80% of those aged 16-74 should have basic digital skills, a precondition for inclusion and participation in the labor market and society in a digitally transformed Europe.
Challenges of Upskilling Policies in the context of the Twin transition
- Raising Awareness and Motivation to Learn: Policies should effectively improve the quality of individuals’ lives, lifting them from poverty and ensuring family-sustaining jobs.
- Comprehensive Approach: Responding to multiple and diverse needs, integrating policies, support means and funding opportunities.
- Skills beyond the classic basic skills: indispensable skills for the twin transition typically involve more than literacy, numeracy, and digital skills. They include transversal skills like communication, cooperation, problem-solving, and other relevant skills in the learners’ context. Policies should address learning skills and acknowledge both sustainability skills for everyday life and job-related green skills.
- Funding: Ensuring funding not only for participation in training but also for contributing to living costs.
Actions in the European Skills Agenda supporting efficient upskilling policies:
- Relevant competence frameworks for identifying skills: DigComp for digital, GreenComp for sustainable competences, LifeComp for media, financial, environmental, and health literacies.
- The European approach on microcredentials: microcredentials provide tools for recognizing skills acquired in informal and non-formal settings.
- Initiative on the Individual Learning Account: Council Recommendation offers a flexible funding solution for upskilling pathways including guidance, tailored learning and validation.
- Pact for Skills: supports cooperation of public and private organisations at all levels and various contexts to promote upskilling and reskilling in the green and digital transitions.
- Recommendations on Digital Education and Training: Council recommendations on the key enabling factors for successful digital education and training and on improving the provision of digital skills in education and training.
Examples of Good Practices
- Digital Inclusion Tools
The Basic Skills Network, part of the Nordic Network of Adult Learning (NVL), addresses digital inclusion challenges and offers both policy recommendations for collaborative and co-creative solutions and practical tools. The digital toolkit is an inclusive mapping tool that highlights blind spots and individual pain points regarding learning digital skills, helping practitioners identify barriers of inclusion.
Funded by the Recovery and Resilience Fund, this nationwide program creates flexible learning opportunities for employees with special attention to low-skilled adults while supporting the green transition in companies.
- Erasmus+ Project ‘Back2Basics’
This project trains teachers in key digital skills to facilitate their learners’ access to the labor market. It offers a modularised training course, and a handbook on teaching digital and media literacy.
Implemented by the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SIAE), this program developed a curriculum for financial literacy focusing on young and older adults. It offers three new 100-hour financial literacy courses in a modular format, allowing the creation of shorter informal programs for different adult needs.
As the twin transitions continue to reshape societies and economies across Europe, addressing the skills gap has never been more critical. The EBSN Conference on Upskilling and Reskilling for the Twin Transition, held in 2024, highlighted innovative strategies and practices to support individuals and organizations in adapting to the demands of the digital and green transformation. The conference underscored the importance of fostering inclusive and effective upskilling policies that integrate transversal skills with foundational literacy, numeracy, and digital competencies.
The European Basic Skills Network (EBSN) actively contributes to this mission through its comprehensive learning initiatives. The EBSN Capacity Building Series supports policymakers and practitioners in designing impactful upskilling strategies by sharing best practices, policy recommendations, and tools for effective implementation. Meanwhile, the EBSN Professional Development Series offers blended online courses tailored to educators and training professionals, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to drive change in their communities. These resources provide scalable, adaptable solutions that align with national frameworks and can be accredited as micro-credentials.
By leveraging these platforms, policymakers, practitioners, and educators can work collaboratively to build a more inclusive, resilient, and skilled workforce capable of thriving amidst the twin transitions. Together, we can ensure that no one is left behind on the journey toward a greener, more digital, and equitable Europe.