Regions at the heart of Europe’s skills agenda: EARLALL at the launch of RESET

On 8 October, Cedefop launched its Regional Skills Ecosystems Index (RESET) at the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels, during European Skills & VET Week 2026. The event, titled “Europe’s skills revolution starts in its regions”, presented for the first time a new skills intelligence tool covering 244 NUTS2 regions. RESET makes visible what national averages hide: two regions in the same country can face very different skills realities. Cedefop will make it freely available on its website.

EARLALL was glad to take part in the panel debate. We congratulated Cedefop and welcomed RESET, and we were happy to have followed it since its preparatory phase in 2025.

Stronger and more inclusive ecosystems

Our message was simple. Europe needs not only stronger regional skills ecosystems, but also more inclusive ones. The idea is not new: regional skills ecosystems have always been at the core of EARLALL’s work. What matters now is making them work, and making them useful for the people living in all territories, rural and outermost regions included. That is also what a tool like RESET should help regions to do, which is why it must be built with them and connected to the Pact for Skills and Smart Specialisation strategies rather than run alongside them. We also noted that the European Skills High Level Board, which calls for stronger regional and sectoral skills ecosystems (SPARKs), still has no regional representative.

We named five obstacles that hold ecosystems back:

• Fragmentation of skills policy across education, employment, economic development and cohesion.
• Limited capacity and short-term funding, while ecosystems run on trust that takes years to build.
• Different cultures among education, employment and business.
• Weak guidance and anticipation. Adults struggle to find their way through the training offer, and learners are lost at every transition.
• Too few exchanges between regions.

Each of these also affects inclusion. Smaller and rural regions, SMEs and adult learners are the ones most likely to be left without intermediaries, intelligence or guidance. An ecosystem is only strong if they have a seat at the table.

What works, from our network

Our members show the way. Baden-Württemberg’s Alliance for Lifelong Learning has given adults a recognisable point of entry through state-wide guidance and a digital campus. Brittany’s employment-training-inclusion committees let the region and local actors work from the same evidence. In the Basque Country, Tknika’s monitoring nodes bring technology trends into vocational curricula, and between 2018 and 2024 ICT jobs linked to vocational training grew by almost 64%, against about 7% for the whole labour market. Västra Götaland, Trento, Tuscany, Vestland, as well as our partner Fingal County, offer different structures with the same ingredients: a trusted intermediary, employers as real partners, guidance that keeps learners in the system, a link to regional economic priorities and a long enough horizon.

EARLALL’s Regional Skills Partnership for lifelong learning mobility, whose proposal has been approved, will build on this logic. It will offer training and capacity building on EU upskilling and reskilling tools and help partners fine-tune their skills strategies.

Lifelong learning as Europe’s infrastructure

Asked what we hope to see in five years, we said that lifelong learning should be treated not as an education policy but as proper infrastructure for Europe. That means an inclusive skills partnership in every region, rural and outermost ones included, with SMEs and adult learners at the table. It also means accessible career guidance for every adult, regional skills intelligence that quickly informs what training is offered, progress towards the EU target of 60% adult participation in learning each year, and stable multi-annual funding. RESET can be the yardstick if it captures governance and cooperation as well as outputs, shows learner journeys through transitions, and is used by regions in their own planning. Numbers matter, but so does the trust of the people in the ecosystem.

Evolution, not revolution

The event’s title spoke of a revolution. We would like to see a faster evolution: one in which people can follow the change and feel part of it. The revolution Europe needs is in how we cooperate across levels of government. For people, the future of work should not be something to fear. Humans are adaptable and curious, and every talent is needed.

9 October 2026 – The European Erasmus+ project PATHWAYS – Breaking the Cycle: Innovative Adult and Vocational Education for the Reintegration of People in Prison was officially launched during its first online partner meeting on 9 October 2026, bringing together organisations and regional stakeholders from across Europe to strengthen adult education for people in prison and those under criminal justice supervision.

The project aims to improve access to inclusive, flexible and high-quality learning opportunities by identifying effective practices, strengthening cooperation between education providers and prison authorities, and supporting the development of sustainable education and training pathways. By fostering knowledge exchange and professional development, PATHWAYS seeks to contribute to better educational continuity, improved employment prospects and successful reintegration into society.

Building stronger prison education systems through European cooperation

Prison education systems across Europe face a range of challenges, including fragmented provision, unequal access to learning opportunities and difficulties ensuring continuity of education. PATHWAYS addresses these challenges by bringing together partners from different European regions to share experiences, identify promising approaches and explore how successful practices can be adapted to different institutional and regional contexts.

Over its 36-month implementation period, the project will bring together research, peer learning, capacity building and practical implementation through five work packages:

• Project management and coordination
• Mapping prison education ecosystems: gathering information on existing systems, identifying needs and documenting effective practices across participating regions.
• Peer learning and capacity building: supporting the exchange of experiences and strengthening the competences of prison educators and other relevant stakeholders.
• Regional implementation plans and practical tools: translating project findings into actionable resources and approaches that can be applied in diverse prison education settings.
• Communication and knowledge transfer: sharing project results, fostering a European Community of Practice and promoting the long-term uptake of successful approaches.

From mapping needs to practical solutions

The project’s first meeting marked the beginning of this collaborative process. Partners introduced their organisations and roles, reviewed the project structure and discussed the coordination, communication and research activities that will guide the initial phase of implementation.

A key priority is the mapping of prison education systems and the collection of comparable information across participating regions. Through a dedicated data collection tool and local stakeholder workshops, partners will examine existing provision, identify challenges and gather insights to inform the development of practical solutions.

Supporting educators and creating lasting impact

At the heart of PATHWAYS is the recognition that education plays a vital role in personal development, social inclusion and successful reintegration. Equipping educators with practical tools, strengthening links between education providers and prison authorities, and improving access to relevant learning opportunities can help create more coherent and effective pathways for people in prison.

Expected results include a comparative European analysis of prison education, an online repository of effective practices, a practical toolkit for prison educators, regional implementation plans and policy recommendations. The project will also foster a European Community of Practice, enabling professionals and institutions to continue exchanging knowledge and experience.

By combining evidence-based approaches with regional cooperation and practical implementation, PATHWAYS aims to support prison education systems that are more inclusive, adaptable and sustainable.

Looking ahead

Following the launch meeting, partners will begin the initial mapping and data collection activities, refine the project’s communication and dissemination arrangements, and coordinate the next stages of implementation. Dedicated working meetings and local stakeholder workshops will help ensure that the project responds to the needs and realities of the participating regions.

Through this shared European effort, PATHWAYS seeks to turn knowledge and collaboration into meaningful improvements in prison education, helping ensure that learning opportunities remain accessible and that educational pathways can support people both during imprisonment and after release.

About PATHWAYS

PATHWAYS is a European Erasmus+ cooperation project focused on strengthening adult education for people in prison and those under criminal justice supervision. Through research, the exchange of effective practices, professional development, practical tools and regional cooperation, the project aims to improve the quality and continuity of prison education and support sustainable pathways towards education, employment and social reintegration.

More than 60 participants joined the SALAM -Sustainable AccessibIlity to the LAbour Market Interreg Europe webinar on migrant inclusion and labour market integration, co-organised and moderated by EARLALL, bringing together regional and local authorities, policy experts and Interreg Europe project representatives to exchange experiences and explore solutions for more inclusive labour markets.

Professor Francesca Torlone from the University of Florence opened the webinar by raising a key question: how can approaches and practices to migrant inclusion be successfully transferred and adapted to different regional contexts?

From integration to comprehensive inclusion

Erik Gløersen from the Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform highlighted the need to move beyond predefined target groups and address the overlapping barriers people face when accessing employment, including housing insecurity, caring responsibilities, transport, language and qualification recognition.

The discussion drew on the Policy Learning Platform policy brief Comprehensive local and regional inclusion strategies, which explores comprehensive approaches to inclusion. Gløersen also invited participants to the next webinar, Integrating third-country nationals into rural communities and labour markets, on 5 November 2026.

Regional experiences and practical solutions

SALAM partners from Tuscany, Catalonia, Romania, Centre-Val de Loire, Västra Götaland, Baden-Württemberg and the Municipality of Mark shared approaches to improving migrants’ access to employment and economic opportunities.

Tuscany presented its work on migrant entrepreneurship, highlighting coordinated support that continues beyond business start-up. Partners also discussed job matching and career guidance from day one, language learning alongside employment, and cooperation between public authorities, employers and third-sector organisations.

Baden-Württemberg and Tuscany shared approaches to skills development, bridging programmes and profession-specific language training to help migrants use their existing qualifications and access employment. Participants also discussed the risk of migrants entering precarious work despite their skills and experience, underlining the importance of combining targeted training with practical work opportunities.

The Good Practice gallery showcased examples of migrant entrepreneurship in Tuscany, job matching from day one in Mark, and integrated pathways involving social enterprises. Together, these approaches demonstrate how coordinated support can help address the different barriers migrants face.

Connecting European projects and policy learning

The webinar also connected SALAM’s regional exchange with wider European initiatives working on inclusion and socio-economic participation.

Dr Costanza Pallini, from the Department of Urban Planning and Sustainability (Direzione Urbanistica e Sostenibilità) at Regione Toscana, presented the HEROES Interreg Europe project, highlighting the role of affordable housing and complementary community services in social inclusion.

The WISE project  in which EARLALL is a partner, was represented by Elena Lanteri, Case Worker at IRC Italy, and Olga Chizhevskaya, EARLALL’s Project & Partnership Officer and WISE Communications Officer. WISE supports Ukrainian refugee women through holistic support centres that combine employment readiness, psychosocial support and individual case management.

Representatives from other Interreg Europe projects, including SIRM, atWork4NEETs and MILEstone,  also joined the exchange, bringing additional perspectives on employment, skills and social inclusion.

Continuing the exchange

The discussion and chat explored qualification recognition, precarious employment, profession-specific language training, housing and stakeholder coordination. These exchanges reinforced the importance of connecting employment measures with wider support systems and adapting solutions to regional needs.

Through its involvement in SALAM and other European cooperation initiatives, EARLALL supports regional learning and the exchange of practices that can inform more inclusive policies and strengthen migrants’ economic participation and financial independence.

Regional experiences and practical solutions

SALAM partners from Tuscany, Catalonia, Romania, Centre-Val de Loire, Västra Götaland, Baden-Württemberg and the Municipality of Mark shared approaches to improving migrants’ access to employment and economic opportunities.

Tuscany presented its work on migrant entrepreneurship, highlighting coordinated support that continues beyond business start-up. Partners also discussed job matching and career guidance from day one, language learning alongside employment, and cooperation between public authorities, employers and third-sector organisations.

Baden-Württemberg and Tuscany shared approaches to skills development, bridging programmes and profession-specific language training to help migrants use their existing qualifications and access employment. Participants also discussed the risk of migrants entering precarious work despite their skills and experience, underlining the importance of combining targeted training with practical work opportunities.

The Good Practice gallery showcased examples of migrant entrepreneurship in Tuscany, job matching from day one in Mark, and integrated pathways involving social enterprises. Together, these approaches demonstrate how coordinated support can help address the different barriers migrants face.

Find further information in the webinar presentation.

Connecting European projects and policy learning

The webinar also connected SALAM’s regional exchange with wider European initiatives working on inclusion and socio-economic participation.

Dr Costanza Pallini, from the Department of Urban Planning and Sustainability (Direzione Urbanistica e Sostenibilità) at Regione Toscana, presented the HEROES Interreg Europe project, highlighting the role of affordable housing and complementary community services in social inclusion.

The WISE project, in which EARLALL is a partner, was represented by Elena Lanteri, Case Worker at IRC Italy, and Olga Chizhevskaya, EARLALL’s Project & Partnership Officer and WISE Communications Officer. WISE supports Ukrainian refugee women through holistic support centres that combine employment readiness, psychosocial support and individual case management.

Representatives from other Interreg Europe projects, including  SIRM, atWork4NEETs and MILEstone, , also joined the exchange, bringing additional perspectives on employment, skills and social inclusion.

Continuing the exchange

The discussion and chat explored qualification recognition, precarious employment, profession-specific language training, housing and stakeholder coordination. These exchanges reinforced the importance of connecting employment measures with wider support systems and adapting solutions to regional needs.

Through its involvement in SALAM and other European cooperation initiatives, EARLALL supports regional learning and the exchange of practices that can inform more inclusive policies and strengthen migrants’ economic participation and financial independence.

Materials

• Webinar recording
• General presentation: SALAM Learning Journey and Good Practices
• Erik Gløersen’s presentation
• WISE presentation
• HEROES presentation

On 6 October 2026, the QUEEN-Quality apprenticeships for evolving labour needs partnership, an Interreg Europe project, came together for its fourth virtual meeting, marking the end of the project’s third semester. With one and a half years of cooperation behind them, partners took stock of the progress achieved so far and looked ahead to the next phase of peer learning, regional cooperation and policy improvement.

The meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the work carried out during the first part of the project and, importantly, to discuss how the knowledge and experiences generated through QUEEN can increasingly be translated into action within the participating regions.

Continuing the exchange of Good Practices

One of the central elements of the QUEEN project is the exchange of Good Practices between regions. During the meeting, partners reviewed the Good Practices identified so far and discussed the themes that have emerged across the partnership.

The practices identified by the partners cover a broad range of issues linked to work-based learning, skills and apprenticeships, including the effectiveness of regional systems

The next phase of the project will place particular emphasis on identifying and exploring practices that can help address areas where further learning is needed. These include topics such as skills mismatches and skills foresight, digitalisation, adult learning and inclusion, as well as other issues relevant to the development of effective work-based learning systems.

Partners will have the opportunity to explore these practices through a combination of online exchanges and study visits. The aim is not simply to identify successful approaches elsewhere, but to understand the context in which they have developed and consider how the lessons learned could be relevant to other regions.

This peer-learning process is closely connected to the project’s wider objective of policy improvement. Learning from other regions can provide new perspectives for partners as they work on strengthening their own policy instruments and approaches.

From peer learning to policy improvement

A further focus of the meeting was the next stage of the partners’ policy improvement work. Partners discussed a practical checklist and guidance designed to help regions structure this process and connect the different strands of learning taking place within QUEEN.

The partnership also looked at the experience of Tuscany as an example of how learning from the project can be connected to regional policy development. The example demonstrated how the policy improvement process can start from a specific challenge or opportunity and develop through engagement with relevant stakeholders, research and learning from experiences in other regions.

This is an important step as the project moves forward: the value of transnational cooperation ultimately lies in how the knowledge gained can support improvements in regional policies and practices.

Building capacity within regions

The meeting also provided an opportunity for partners to exchange experiences on the use of the QUEEN Capacity Building modules.

While the detailed experiences and outcomes of this work will be explored separately, the discussion highlighted the different ways in which partners are using the resources within their organisations and with regional stakeholders. Across the partnership, the activities are helping to create opportunities for reflection and discussion around topics such as work-based learning, stakeholder cooperation, mentoring, skills and the role of different actors within regional ecosystems.

The experiences also demonstrate the importance of adapting transnational project resources to the specific needs and priorities of each region. Rather than applying a single approach, partners are using the materials as a basis for discussion and further engagement with colleagues and stakeholders.

Looking ahead to Cork

The partners also continued preparations for the fourth QUEEN project meeting, which will take place in Cork on 4-5 November 2026.

The meeting will offer another opportunity for partners to learn from the host region, exchange experiences and further explore the development of work-based learning and apprenticeship systems. Study visits and discussions with regional stakeholders will contribute to the project’s ongoing peer-learning process.

The Cork meeting will also provide an important moment for partners to take stock of the work carried out during the first half of the project and consider how the different strands of cooperation can come together during the remaining project period.

Strengthening the European dimension of regional learning

As QUEEN enters its next semester, the partnership is moving from identifying and exploring experiences towards deepening the transfer of knowledge and translating learning into policy development.

The Good Practice exchanges, stakeholder engagement, Capacity Building activities and policy improvement work are interconnected elements of this process. Together, they provide regions with opportunities to learn from one another, test new ideas, strengthen their networks and consider how approaches developed elsewhere could respond to their own challenges.

For EARLALL and the QUEEN partnership, this continued exchange between regions is at the heart of European cooperation: bringing together

How can regions prepare people and skills systems for the green and digital transitions?

This was the challenge at the heart of SKYLA – Smart Specialisation Skills Ecosystems for the Twin Transition. Over the course of the project, partners from across Europe worked together to explore how regional skills ecosystems can become more responsive to changing economic, technological and societal needs.

The new SKYLA final video brings this journey together — from the challenges that brought partners together, through interregional learning and exchange, to the concrete actions and policy improvements that emerged from the project.

From learning to action

SKYLA was built around a simple idea: learning from other regions is most valuable when it can lead to action at home.

Through policy needs analysis, peer exchange, study visits and the transfer of Good Practices, partners explored approaches that could be adapted to their own regional contexts.

The video highlights how this learning translated into concrete examples of cooperation and policy development.

For example, Fingal and Sofia explored participatory feedback approaches, while partners from Poland and Lithuania exchanged experience around VET and apprenticeships. Learning from several SKYLA regions also contributed to work on apprenticeship promotion in Tuscany and the development of Fingal’s new Skills Strategy.

These examples show that interregional cooperation can go beyond sharing experiences. It can help regions adapt ideas, strengthen policies and put new approaches into practice.

Building stronger regional skills ecosystems

Policy improvements do not happen in isolation.

Throughout the project, SKYLA brought together different actors within regional ecosystems — including public authorities, education and training providers, businesses and young people.

By creating opportunities to learn from one another and work across institutional and geographical boundaries, the project helped partners develop a broader understanding of the skills challenges linked to the green and digital transitions.

The result is not one single solution, but a stronger capacity to identify needs, learn from others and adapt solutions to regional realities.

One project. Many regions. Shared learning.

The final SKYLA video also celebrates the people behind the project.

Behind every policy discussion, study visit, workshop and Good Practice exchange are people willing to share their experience, ask questions and look at familiar challenges from a different perspective.

This spirit of cooperation is at the heart of SKYLA.

The project demonstrates the value of interregional learning as a pathway to policy improvement — connecting regional experiences and turning them into knowledge that can be adapted and used elsewhere.

Looking ahead: the SKYLA legacy continues

As SKYLA comes to an end, its impact does not stop with the project. The relationships built, practices explored, lessons learned and policy improvements initiated provide a foundation for continued cooperation and the further development of regional skills ecosystems.

The next step in this journey will be the final SKYLA event, “Future Skills for the Twin Transition”, which will bring together the main results and lessons from the SKYLA policy learning process and explore what they mean for the future of skills ecosystems supporting Europe’s green and digital transformation.

The SKYLA journey may be coming to an end, but the conversation about future skills continues.

EARLALL has joined European organisations through the Erasmus+ Coalition in highlighting the importance of ensuring a strong Erasmus+ programme in the next EU long-term budget. As negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework progress, the Coalition is calling for Erasmus+ to receive at least €47.4 billion, irrespective of how the future EU budget is ultimately structured. This level of funding would provide the basis for maintaining the programme’s current level of activities and continuing to broaden its reach.

The discussion comes at an important moment for Erasmus+, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027. The €47.4 billion allocation is also being advocated within the European Parliament, ahead of its final position on the 2028–2034 programme. At the same time, the evolving scope and ambitions of Erasmus+ highlight the importance of ensuring that the programme is adequately resourced to meet future needs.

From EARLALL’s perspective, the strength of Erasmus+ lies not only in the scale of its investment, but also in its ability to reach people and regions across Europe. A future programme should continue to promote inclusion, cooperation and mobility while remaining responsive to the diverse realities of Europe’s regions.

A stronger regional dimension for Erasmus+

Regional and local authorities have an important role to play in the success of Erasmus+. They work closely with citizens, education and training providers, employers and local labour markets, and are therefore well placed to help translate European priorities into meaningful opportunities on the ground.

EARLALL’s position on the future of Erasmus+ highlights the value of involving regional and local authorities as strategic partners in the design, governance and implementation of the programme. Greater consideration of regional contexts can help ensure that Erasmus+ responds effectively to different skills needs and supports cooperation across diverse education and training ecosystems.

This territorial dimension is particularly relevant as regions address digitalisation, the green transition, demographic change and evolving labour-market needs. Regional cooperation can help connect education and training with these developments, while supporting lifelong learning opportunities for people at different stages of their lives.

Making Erasmus+ more inclusive and accessible

EARLALL also underlines the importance of ensuring that the opportunities offered by Erasmus+ remain accessible to a broad range of learners and organisations.

While the programme has become an important part of European cooperation in education, training and youth, some organisations and learners continue to face financial, administrative or capacity-related barriers to participation. This can be particularly relevant for smaller organisations, vocational education and training providers, adult learning organisations and learners with fewer opportunities.

The next generation of Erasmus+ could therefore benefit from continued efforts to simplify access, strengthen organisational capacity and take different regional contexts into account. Such measures would help ensure that European mobility and cooperation opportunities reach an even wider range of people and territories.

Erasmus+ also has an important contribution to make to Europe’s wider skills agenda. Through mobility and transnational cooperation, it enables learners and professionals to develop competences while allowing education and training organisations and regional authorities to exchange experience and respond to changing labour-market needs. Initiatives such as Centres of Vocational Excellence can further strengthen cooperation within regional skills ecosystems.

Investing in Erasmus+ means investing in Europe’s regions and people

EARLALL sees the future development of Erasmus+ as an opportunity to build on what has made the programme successful while adapting it to the changing needs of European citizens and regions.

Adequate resources will be essential to achieve this. The proposed €47.4 billion can be seen as an important minimum basis for maintaining the programme’s current activities, while its future ambitions may require continued consideration of its resources and scope.

At a time when Europe is seeking to strengthen skills, competitiveness, social inclusion and resilience, Erasmus+ remains an important instrument for bringing European cooperation closer to citizens and communities.

For EARLALL, a strong Erasmus+ contributes to stronger skills, more connected regions and a more resilient Europe.

As discussions on the next EU long-term budget continue, EARLALL will continue to support a well-resourced, inclusive and regionally responsive Erasmus+ programme that can contribute to lifelong learning and cooperation across Europe.

Read the full joint statement here.

On 2 October, EARLALL’s working groups met online to reflect on emerging priorities for the 2027 programme period and explore opportunities for stronger cooperation across the network.

Representatives from EARLALL’s different working groups came together to exchange perspectives, share developments and look ahead to the activities and opportunities that will shape the next programme period.

The meeting brought together discussions around lifelong guidance, intergenerational fairness, mobility and internationalisation, skills and labour markets, and youth policies. While each working group has its own focus, the meeting highlighted several shared challenges and opportunities for cooperation.

Looking ahead to a changing world of work and learning

Digitalisation and artificial intelligence are increasingly influencing education, guidance, skills development, employment and youth pathways.

The joint meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on how EARLALL and its members can continue responding to these developments, while ensuring that new opportunities remain inclusive and accessible.

Other common themes included intergenerational fairness, inclusive mobility, international cooperation, and making skills more visible, relevant and transferable in changing labour markets.

A closer look at the UK’s return to Erasmus+

A particular highlight of the meeting was the contribution of Richard Tallon from the United Kingdom, who joined the working groups to share insights on the UK’s return to the Erasmus+ programme.

His contribution provided an opportunity for EARLALL members to learn more about the UK’s renewed engagement with Erasmus+ and the opportunities this can create for cooperation between UK and European organisations.

With UK participation expected to bring new opportunities for mobility, partnerships and knowledge exchange from 2027 onwards, the discussion underlined the potential to strengthen links between regions and organisations across Europe and the UK.

Richard’s participation also reinforced the value of connecting regional networks and partners as new opportunities emerge within the Erasmus+ programme.

Switzerland and Erasmus+: an update from Movetia

The UK introduction was followed by an update from Movetia, Switzerland’s national agency for exchange and mobility, on the latest developments concerning Switzerland’s participation in Erasmus+.

The update provided EARLALL members with an overview of the progress towards Swiss participation and the potential opportunities this could create for international cooperation, mobility and partnerships.

Together with the discussion on the UK’s return to Erasmus+, the Swiss update highlighted the changing landscape of European cooperation and the importance of maintaining strong links between regions and organisations across Europe.

Strengthening cooperation across generations and sectors

Another important theme was the need to strengthen cooperation across generations and policy areas.

Issues such as demographic change, intergenerational fairness, the green transition and digital inclusion are closely connected and require approaches that bring different perspectives together.

The joint working group format provided a valuable space to identify these connections and consider where future collaboration can add value.

Inclusive mobility and skills for the future

Mobility, international cooperation and skills development also featured prominently in the discussions.

EARLALL will continue to explore how mobility opportunities can become more inclusive and how regions can strengthen international cooperation and learning.

At the same time, ensuring that skills remain visible, relevant and transferable will be increasingly important as labour markets continue to evolve.

From dialogue to action

The joint meeting reaffirmed the value of bringing EARLALL’s different areas of expertise together.

Across the discussions, a common ambition emerged: to strengthen cooperation, exchange knowledge and turn shared challenges into opportunities for joint learning and action.

In the coming months, the working groups will continue developing their priorities and activities for 2027, while looking for opportunities to work together across themes and regions.

EARLALL looks forward to continuing this collaborative work and to building new opportunities for its members and partners in the next programme period.

On 29 September, EARLALL held its 20th Academy session, bringing together members to explore how demographic change is reshaping labour markets and skills needs across Europe. The session combined an international perspective from El Iza Mohamedou, Head of the OECD Centre for Skills, with a regional perspective from Joacim Waara, Region Västra Götaland.

El Iza Mohamedou provided an OECD perspective on how demographic change is reshaping skills needs and labour markets, highlighting the growing importance of inclusive lifelong learning and policies that enable people to develop and adapt their skills throughout their working lives.

Bringing the regional perspective, Joacim Waara shared insights from Region Västra Götaland, illustrating how demographic trends, labour market transformation and changing skills needs are being experienced and addressed at regional level.
Together, the two perspectives provided a starting point for an exchange among EARLALL members on common challenges and regional experiences related to demographic change, skills and lifelong learning.

The discussion highlighted how many of these challenges are shared across EARLALL regions. The session once again demonstrated the value of the EARLALL Academy as a space for bringing together international perspectives and regional experiences, fostering peer learning and exchange among members on common challenges in skills and lifelong learning.

Under the Regional Skills Partnership on Lifelong Learning Mobility, EARLALL welcomed a representative of Support Group Network Deutschland e.V. from Baden-Württemberg to Brussels on 15-16 September 2026 for a learning mobility focused on the inclusion and integration of refugees and migrants.

The mobility provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and explore different approaches to refugee inclusion through participation in two European-level conferences addressing migration, integration and social innovation.

The first visit was to the SMART UA Final Event, “Creating pathways to inclusion: housing and employment for Ukrainian refugees in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia,” held in Brussels on 15 September 2026. The conference presented evidence and practices from Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, addressing housing and labour-market barriers, multi-stakeholder approaches to integration, the use of data for targeted support, and advocacy for improved access to fair housing and employment. The programme also brought the perspective of a Ukrainian refugee project participant into the discussion and concluded with reflections on next steps and personal commitments.

The mobility continued with the WISE Final Conference, where Mosab Tato, Co-founder and Managing Director of Support Group Network Deutschland e.V., contributed directly as a speaker in the Policy and Scale-up Panel. Bringing the perspective of a refugee-led organisation, he joined representatives from European institutions, academia, civil society and local social services to discuss how successful social innovation can move beyond individual projects and become embedded in sustainable policies, partnerships and services.

The discussion explored the roles of European funding, local and regional authorities, civil society and refugee-led organisations in scaling up effective approaches. Particular attention was given to sustainable funding, cooperation across levels of governance, knowledge transfer and the capacity of refugee-led organisations to build trust and reach communities that may be less connected to mainstream services.

By combining participation in two conferences with direct contribution to a European policy discussion, the mobility offered an opportunity for peer learning, networking and exchange between regional, European and refugee-led perspectives. It also demonstrated how mobility within the Regional Skills Partnership can connect EARLALL members and their regional stakeholders with relevant European initiatives and discussions, while bringing regional experience into the wider policy debate.

As Advisory and Communication Partner of the LeadEx Interreg Europe project, EARLALL joined partners for the 10th Coordination Meeting on 11 September 2026, supporting preparations for the next stage of interregional learning and coordinating communication activities for the closing of the project’s third semester.

The online meeting brought the LeadEx partnership back together after the summer break to review ongoing activities and prepare for the upcoming Study Visit to Montenegro, taking place from 5 to 8 October 2026 in Budva and Kotor..

Preparing for interregional learning in Montenegro

The upcoming Study Visit will focus on inclusion, diversity and innovation in education, bringing together LeadEx partners and education stakeholders for institutional visits, workshops, presentations and peer-learning activities.

The programme will take participants to a secondary vocational school in Budva, the Faculty of Maritime Studies and a maritime high school in Kotor, as well as the Academy of Knowledge. Discussions throughout the visit will address topics including digital education, quality assurance and inclusive education.

A central element will be the presentation of Good Practices from LeadEx partner regions. Each partner will bring an example related to inclusion, diversity and excellence in education, creating an opportunity to compare approaches and consider how successful practices could be transferred or adapted to different regional contexts.

EARLALL will also contribute directly to the programme in Montenegro with a session dedicated to European tools for inclusive excellence, connecting the experiences emerging from LeadEx with the wider European education and training landscape.

Continuing the LeadEx learning journey

The meeting also looked beyond Montenegro to the next stage of the project. Partners agreed that the following LeadEx Study Visit will be hosted by Denmark from 20 to 22 April 2027, allowing preparations for the next interregional exchange to begin well in advance.

For EARLALL, the months ahead will combine communication, knowledge sharing and advisory support, helping partners turn the lessons emerging from LeadEx into experiences that can be shared across regions and connected with wider European discussions.

Read more here https://www.interregeurope.eu/leadex/news-and-events/news

On 16 September 2026, EARLALL hosted and co-organised the Final Conference of the WISE project, “Scaling Up Holistic Support for Refugee and Migrant Women Across Europe”, at the Delegation of the Basque Country to the European Union in Brussels. The hybrid event welcomed practitioners, policymakers, researchers, refugee-led organisations, project partners and stakeholders from across Europe, both in person and online, to reflect on the project’s results and, importantly, discuss how the WISE approach can be adapted, replicated and scaled up beyond the project.

Led by the International Rescue Committee Italy and funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), WISE is implemented by a six-partner consortium comprising IRC Italy, EARLALL, Animus Association Foundation, Centro PENC, Laboratorio di Gruppoanalisi and SkillLab. The collaboration and expertise of partners across the consortium have been central to the implementation of WISE and were also key to shaping and delivering its Final Conference.

As the partner leading communication and scale-up activities, EARLALL has worked throughout WISE to increase the visibility of the project’s results, connect its experience with wider European networks and stakeholders, and create opportunities for exchange, knowledge transfer and replication.

Across the WISE partnership, stakeholder engagement has been an important part of the project’s implementation and outreach. Together, project partners mapped 268 public and civil society services, engaged 44 organisations, organised 8 co-design meetings and 46 Key Informant Interview meetings, and delivered 4 local dissemination workshops and 5 dissemination webinars, with the webinars reaching 74 stakeholders.

These efforts culminated in the WISE Final Conference, which gathered nearly 70 participants in person and online from across Europe.

Taking place as part of the European Skills and VET Week 2026, the conference provided an opportunity to reflect on the scale and impact achieved through WISE. More than 600 women and dependants were supported through the project; 51% received individual case management, 26% received one-to-one employment support and 60% participated in group activities. Among those receiving individual employment support, 55% completed their career goals and 42% used the project’s AI-powered skills-assessment tool. Mental health and psychosocial support was equally integral to the model: 75 women received individual psychological support in Italy, with 63% reporting that they were better able to recognise, express and cope with difficult emotions, according to data collected in June 2026.

Implemented in Italy and Bulgaria, WISE has piloted the Holistic Support Centre (HSC) model, bringing together individualised guidance, employment support, skills development, mental health and psychosocial services, cultural mediation and other forms of assistance within a gender-sensitive and trauma-informed framework.

The Final Conference provided an opportunity not only to reflect on the project’s results and lessons learned, but also to look ahead: how can holistic support models be sustained, adapted and replicated in different contexts across Europe?

Behind the results are individual integration journeys

Opening the conference, Noelia Cantero, Director of EARLALL and Communication and Scale-up Leader of WISE, reflected on why WISE has been particularly important for EARLALL.

She reminded participants that behind the project’s results and figures are individual stories of women rebuilding their lives, developing their skills and finding new pathways into education, employment and their communities. Every integration journey is also a lifelong learning journey, she stressed, highlighting the importance of carrying the lessons from WISE into wider European efforts to create more inclusive learning opportunities and labour markets.

The first conference session then turned to the results and experience of implementing WISE. Elisabetta Bianchin, WISE Project Coordinator and Programme Manager for Economic Wellbeing; Serena Leone, Senior Grants Manager; and Elena Lanteri, Integration Counsellor from IRC Italy, presented the impact of the HSC model and reflected on its core components for future adaptation and replication.

A central lesson emerging from WISE is that labour-market integration cannot be addressed in isolation. Women’s pathways towards employment and learning are closely connected with mental wellbeing, family responsibilities, language, previous professional experience and qualifications, access to services and the broader process of rebuilding their lives in a new country.

The WISE model responds to this complexity by bringing different forms of support together around the individual rather than treating each barrier separately.

From the model to practice: what does holistic support mean?

The Practical Panel, moderated by Olena Yakovets, Cultural Mediator at Centro PENC, moved the discussion from the overall project results to the day-to-day experience of delivering holistic support.

Maria Chiara Monti, President and Founder of Centro PENC; Alyona Tabunshchyk, Project Coordinator at Animus Association Foundation (AAF); Maria Tchomarova, Mental Health Expert at AAF; and Daria Rostirolla, Psychotherapist and Medical Anthropologist at Laboratorio di Gruppoanalisi, shared perspectives from the implementation of WISE in Italy and Bulgaria.

Their discussion explored how employment, mental health, trauma, gender and social integration intersect in the lives of refugee women, and why effective support needs to respond to these needs together.

The exchange also highlighted the importance of trust, safe spaces, cultural mediation, interdisciplinary cooperation, individualised support and strong local referral networks. Rather than offering a single pathway for every participant, holistic support requires services to respond to each woman’s circumstances, capacities and aspirations.

How can Europe scale up holistic support?

The second half of the conference shifted the focus from implementation to policy, sustainability and scale-up.

The Policy and Scale-up Panel brought together perspectives from European institutions, academia, refugee-led organisations, civil society and local social services.

Moderated by Elisabetta Bianchin, the discussion featured Aurélien Mornon Afonso, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL); Ivanna Khodos (Shkolnitskaya), Founder and Executive Director of R.I.W.E. – Refugees International Women Empowerment; Professor Teresa Sordé Martí from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and CERI-M; Mosab Tato, Co-founder and Managing Director of Support Group Network Deutschland e.V. from Baden-Württemberg region (EARLALL member); and Christophe Marthoz, Advisor to the Director for Partnerships and Special Projects at the CPAS de Schaerbeek.

The discussion centred on a question that reaches beyond WISE: what is needed for successful social innovation to move beyond individual projects and become embedded in sustainable policies, partnerships and services?

Panellists explored the role that European funding, local and regional authorities, civil society organisations and refugee-led organisations can play in this process. The exchange addressed the importance of sustainable funding, cooperation across different levels of governance, evidence and knowledge transfer, as well as the value of organisations rooted directly in refugee communities.

The discussion particularly highlighted the contribution of refugee-led organisations in building trust and reaching people who may not engage with larger organisations or mainstream public services, alongside the need for effective cooperation between community-based organisations, public authorities and larger service providers.

Connecting WISE with wider European cooperation

The discussions on replication and scale-up also reflected connections already built around WISE through the EARLALL network and other European initiatives.

Baden-Württemberg, an EARLALL member region, was connected with WISE through the SALAM Interreg Europe project, bringing additional experience and perspectives on the sustainability and scale-up of support for refugees and migrants.

WISE has also benefited from exchanges with Centre-Val de Loire, another EARLALL member region, which contributed to the fourth WISE stakeholder webinar on the replicability of gender-sensitive and holistic approaches to refugee women’s integration. The region shared its experience and contributed to the discussion on how approaches such as WISE could be adapted and replicated by different types of organisations and public actors.

These connections demonstrate how EARLALL’s network has helped extend WISE beyond the project partnership, creating opportunities for mutual learning between regions, practitioners and European initiatives and supporting the continued exchange and transfer of promising practices.

Continue engaging with WISE

Although the Final Conference marked the closing stage of the project, there are several ways for stakeholders to continue exploring its results and connecting with the wider European discussion.

Join the ESF+ Community of Practice on Migrant Integration. During the Policy and Scale-up Panel, European Commission highlighted the ESF+ Social Innovation+ initiative, coordinated by the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation, as an opportunity for stakeholders to continue exchanging knowledge and experience beyond individual projects. Through its Communities of Practice (CoPs), it brings together stakeholders for ongoing peer learning, knowledge exchange and live meetings around key areas of social innovation. Stakeholders interested in continuing these exchanges can join the relevant CoPs and participate in their activities.

Follow WISE as a European good practice. The exchange will also continue through SALAM Interreg Europe, where WISE will be presented as a good practice during the webinar “European Good Practices for Migrant Labour Inclusion”, creating another opportunity to share its experience with organisations and regions working on migrant labour-market inclusion.

Explore WISE results and resources.

Add yourself to the WISE Stakeholder Database here and stay part of the conversation on strengthening holistic support for refugee and migrant women across Europe.

Project Title: WISE – Supporting Ukrainian Refugee Women’s Socio-Economic Integration and Wellbeing 

Project number: ESF-SI-2024-UA-01-0032 – WISE

What can help Swiss vocational education and training engage more fully in European mobility and cooperation? A new study commissioned by Movetia identifies the barriers – and, importantly, the strategic levers that could help overcome them.

International cooperation has become increasingly important for vocational education and training (VET). As skills systems respond to the green and digital transitions, changing labour markets and the growing importance of transversal competences, cooperation across borders can provide valuable opportunities for mutual learning, innovation and professional development.

For Switzerland, this question is particularly timely. On 17 September, Movetia – Switzerland’s national agency for exchange and mobility and an EARLALL member – hosted the webinar “Strategic Levers for Swiss VET in Erasmus+”, presenting the findings of the new VETengage study conducted by the Swiss Observatory for Vocational Education and Training (OBS SFUVET). The study, led by Prof. Dr. Lukas Graf and Dr. Agata A. Lambrechts, examines why Swiss VET currently engages less extensively in European cooperation than several European counterparts and what could be done to strengthen that engagement.

The discussion comes at a significant moment. Switzerland is preparing for potential reassociation with Erasmus+, with the possibility of participation from 2027 onwards. At the same time, Swiss institutions currently have various, but more limited, possibilities to participate in Erasmus+ cooperation as institutions from a non-associated third country, supported where relevant through Swiss funding mechanisms administered by Movetia.

The VETengage study therefore asks a question that goes beyond programme participation: how can international cooperation become a more integrated part of Swiss VET?

Looking beyond a successful system

One of the study’s central messages is particularly relevant for the wider European VET community: the strength of a national VET system should not become a reason to look inward.

Switzerland has a well-established dual VET system, with strong links between education and the labour market. Yet the success and specificity of this model can also make international cooperation more difficult. Differences in the organisation of apprenticeships, institutional responsibilities and labour-market structures can make it harder to identify obvious European counterparts or demonstrate the immediate value of international mobility.

The study groups the challenges facing Swiss VET into three broad categories: contextual, demand-side and programme-related barriers.

Contextual barriers: when success can become isolation

The first set of challenges concerns the institutional and cultural environment in which Swiss VET operates.

The researchers point to a risk of complacency or inward-looking perspectives: when a VET system is widely recognised as successful, there can be fewer perceived reasons to search for solutions elsewhere. Yet international cooperation is not only about importing practices. It is also about comparing approaches, testing assumptions and identifying innovations that can complement existing strengths.

Structural differences create another challenge. Swiss dual apprenticeships do not always have direct equivalents in other European countries, while mobility can raise practical concerns for employers who rely on apprentices as part of their workforce. For SMEs and training companies in particular, releasing an apprentice or staff member for an international experience may entail real organisational and resource costs.

The study also highlights resource constraints and fragmentation, which can make it difficult for individual VET actors to develop and sustain international partnerships.

From “additional work” to strategic development

The second group of barriers relates to demand: the motivation, incentives and priorities of VET institutions, companies, teachers and learners.

A recurring issue is that internationalisation is not always embedded in an institution’s overall strategy. A teacher or VET professional may be interested in developing a mobility project, but without an institutional framework, international cooperation can be perceived as an additional responsibility rather than part of the organisation’s core mission.

The researchers also identify a potential mismatch between the benefits of mobility and the immediate needs of employers. International experiences can strengthen transversal competences, intercultural awareness, adaptability and other skills, but these benefits may be less immediately visible than occupation-specific technical competences.

For learners, meanwhile, hesitation and uncertainty can also influence participation. International mobility can offer significant learning experiences, but it requires students and apprentices to leave familiar environments and, in some cases, navigate practical and financial challenges.

These findings point towards an important shift in perspective: internationalisation needs to be connected more clearly to the concrete needs and priorities of VET institutions, learners and employers.

Erasmus+: opportunity, but also complexity

The third category concerns the programme environment itself.

Because Switzerland has not been associated with Erasmus+ since 2014, Swiss VET actors face additional complexity when participating in European cooperation. Swiss institutions can participate in selected Erasmus+ cooperation actions as partners from a non-associated third country, while Swiss funding mechanisms can support certain forms of participation. However, this can involve additional administrative processes and different funding arrangements compared with institutions from Erasmus+ programme countries.

Geography and partnership structures can also create friction. Finding European partners with sufficiently similar VET structures can be challenging, particularly for actors looking specifically for dual VET models.

For the researchers, however, these challenges should not be interpreted simply as reasons to wait for a future programme arrangement. Instead, they provide a case for building capacity now.

Ten strategic fields of action

The VETengage study moves beyond identifying barriers. Its central contribution is a set of ten strategic fields of action, bringing together 35 proposed levers based on empirical findings, document analysis, European VET research and interviews with relevant stakeholders.

Among the proposed approaches are:

1. Adapting mobility formats to reduce productivity losses – for example through reciprocal job-shadowing or job-swap models and blended mobility.
2. Building institutional capacity, including through explicit internationalisation strategies and stronger bridges between VET institutions and universities of applied sciences.
3. Strengthening strategic networking to overcome isolation and build stronger relationships with European partners.
4. Implementing federal mandates and curricular reforms that can provide a stronger foundation for international engagement.
5. Creating tangible incentives and recognition, including possible quality labels for employers and supplementary qualifications linked to international experiences.
6. Using strategic storytelling and needs-based framing, connecting international projects to concrete operational challenges faced by VET institutions and companies.
7. Cultivating internal champions and peer advocacy, enabling experienced practitioners to encourage colleagues and organisations to engage.
8. Strengthening support structures and administrative expertise, including mobility advisory services.
9. Standardising guidance and reducing bureaucracy, making international cooperation easier to navigate.
10. Building engagement progressively, allowing organisations to start with lower-risk forms of cooperation before moving towards more complex partnerships.

Taken together, these proposals suggest that internationalisation should not be treated as a single mobility project or as a question of funding alone. It is a capacity-building process involving institutions, companies, learners, policymakers and intermediary organisations.

Why this matters beyond Switzerland

From a European perspective, the Swiss experience raises a broader question: how can VET systems with strong national traditions remain open to international learning and cooperation?

European cooperation does not require national systems to become identical. On the contrary, some of the value of cooperation comes precisely from comparing different approaches and learning from different institutional contexts.

The study highlights the potential of larger transnational networks, including the European Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs), to connect VET providers with international industry partners and address shared challenges such as the green and digital transitions.

This is highly relevant to the wider European VET community. Skills challenges increasingly cross borders, while companies and labour markets operate across increasingly interconnected economies. Cooperation can therefore provide a space for VET systems to learn from one another while retaining their distinctive strengths.

For Switzerland, stronger European engagement could also create opportunities to connect international cooperation more directly with the country’s economic and skills priorities. The VETengage study argues that international engagement can contribute to transversal and future-oriented skills, support the green and digital transitions, and strengthen the long-term competitiveness of an export-oriented economy.

A strategic window for Swiss VET

The timing of the VETengage study is therefore significant. The potential future association of Switzerland with Erasmus+ creates an opportunity, but programme access alone will not automatically translate into stronger participation.

The findings suggest that preparation needs to happen at several levels: institutions need strategies and capacity; employers need meaningful incentives and practical solutions; learners need accessible and relevant mobility opportunities; and support structures need to make European cooperation easier to navigate.

In this sense, the study provides a roadmap not only for potential Erasmus+ participation, but for strengthening the international dimension of Swiss VET more broadly.

For EARLALL and its network of regional and local authorities and VET stakeholders across Europe, this is a particularly relevant discussion. European cooperation works best when different education and training systems can bring their own experiences, strengths and perspectives to the table.

The question is therefore not simply how Swiss VET can participate more in Europe, but how Europe can benefit from deeper engagement with Swiss VET – and how both can learn from one another.

The VETengage study offers an important contribution to that conversation at a moment when the European VET landscape is continuing to evolve.

Read the full VETengage study: VETengage – Strategic Levers for Swiss VET Engagement in Erasmus+ Cooperation Initiatives