News from the EU
Investing in People: Skills and Human Capital at the Core of Europe’s Social Agenda
A “New Social Human Capital model’ was presented at the 2026 European Employment and Social Rights Forum which took place earlier this month in Brussels. Policymakers, social partners, businesses, academics and civil society gathered to discuss Europe’s ability to navigate profound technological, demographic and economic shifts by strengthening its human capital together in tandem with social solidarity, so competitiveness and cohesion advance in step. Discussions emphasised that digitalisation, industrial transformation and ageing populations are reshaping work and social protection, requiring a renewed focus on lifelong learning, highquality jobs and inclusive skills development.
A central moment of the Forum was the intervention of Ylva Johansson, newly appointed Chair of the European Skills HighLevel Board who presented the vision for the “New Social Human Capital model”. Johansson stressed that adult participation in lifelong learning must rise from below 40 percent to 60 percent by 2030, calling for stronger basic skills, better alignment between education and labour market needs, and deeper investment in adult learning. She also highlighted the need to develop new skills and at the same time give better recognition to the competencies already present within Europe’s workforce.
As Board Chair, Johansson aims to drive the Union of Skills agenda, strengthen cooperation among employers, educators and social partners, and guide the development of evidencebased policies informed by the forthcoming European Skills Intelligence Observatory.
Ensuring that every citizen has the opportunity to learn, adapt and thrive through sustained investment in people to sustain competitiveness, cohesion and social resilience is the key message from the EU.
ETF GLAD Thematic Group highlights innovative collaboration models in the EU’s candidate countries
The new GLAD Thematic Group pilot initiative, launched in 2025 to strengthen collaboration and knowledge-sharing in the areas of vocational education, training, and lifelong learning, has led to the production of a paper capturing innovative collaboration models in the EU’s candidate countries. The soon to be published report, titled “Institutional Arrangements and Partnerships in Skills Governance for EU Candidate Countries within the Accession Framework,” it has been produced as a result of regular exchanges of group members to further support institutional arrangements and stronger partnerships and as learning and advisory input to wider EU discussions and developments on the topic.
View and read the about the exchanges in the following blogs on OpenSpace.
GLAD Webinar Spotlights Adult Learning Reforms: Armenia and Moldova Share Ambitious Strategies
Report: "Innovative models for collaboration and strategic partnerships development"
Report: meeting of the thematic sub-group of the GLAD Network "Fostering partnerships"
Latest from Academia
A recent systematic review of lifelong learning research highlights how policies, institutional structures, and system design play a crucial role in shaping opportunities for learners of all ages. By analysing 55 studies published between 2000 and 2022, the review shows that governance arrangements—ranging from regulatory frameworks and curricula to EUlevel lifelong learning processes—strongly influence access, equity, and participation in learning throughout life. It also highlights that while policy documents and conceptual frameworks are extensive, empirical evidence on how governance functions in practice remains limited, pointing to the need for more integrated and systemfocused research to support effective lifelong learning pathways.
Thwe, W.P. and Kmn, A. (2023) ‘Lifelong Learning in the Educational Setting: Systematic Literature Review’, AsiaPacific Education Research. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00738-w.
Lifelong Learning in the Educational Setting: A Systematic Literature Review
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40299-023-00738-w.pdf
Best wishes from the ETF GLAD team!
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