The European Union has announced a new initiative aimed at enhancing skills development and addressing labour shortages across its member states. The Technical Support Instrument (TSI) for 2024 will offer tailored technical expertise to EU countries to help them design and implement reforms in skills development. The initiative is part of the EU’s broader focus on the “European Year of Skills” for 2023 and aims to tackle challenges such as skills mismatches, an ageing workforce, and the need for green and digital skills. Member states can apply for support until October 31, 2023.
Addressing the Skills Gap
The TSI is a demand-driven programme that does not require co-financing from member states. It aims to cover any phase of the reform process, from preparation and design to development and implementation. The instrument is accessible to both national and regional/local authorities within the EU.
The flagship aims to respond to the key challenges that the European Union is facing such as persistent skills mismatches, labour shortages and insufficient skills of the workforce for the green and digital transition.
Five Work Packages
The initiative identifies five work packages tailored to each member state’s needs:
- Design and implement reforms for green and digital economies.
- Improve the inclusiveness and quality of education and training systems.
- Support the modernisation of tertiary education with a focus on STEM.
- Develop methods to monitor labour and skills shortages.
- Design policies to address labour and skills shortages regionally.
Support Measures
Depending on the needs of the requesting member state, the TSI can provide a wide range of support measures. These include stakeholder mapping, analysis of workforce training needs, and pilot testing for the implementation of strategies and action plans.
Next Steps
Member states interested in applying for support under the TSI 2024 flagship on skills are invited to contact DG Reform at reform.b4@ec.europa.eu. Applications for technical support can be submitted via the Commission’s IT portal, accessible to both national coordinating authorities and beneficiary authorities.
For more information, visit the DG Reform website.
Source: https://year-of-skills.europa.eu
