How to eradicate skills poverty among the most vulnerable?

The shift of employment towards sectors driving the twin (green and digital) transitions, alongside long term demographic trends and geo-political shocks, will influence all professions and sectors, affecting skills requirements. Apart from green and technical skills, transversal and social skills, enabling people to actively participate in social life and adapt to the complex, changing environment, must also be reflected in education and training provision at all levels. However, there are still visible skills inequalities in European society resulting from diverse factors that contribute to uneven skills acquisition. The divide exists between those better educated, with relatively secure professional positions cumulatively increasing their advantage through additional educational investments during their life, and those missing out on education, whose impeded access to skills leads to skills poverty. Apart from addressing demand, skills programming should focus more on training disadvantaged groups – adapting to their needs where necessary – to ensure nobody is left behind in the ongoing transitions. Based on qualitative and quantitative analysis, this study extensively explores what determinants of unique circumstances of vulnerability most affect access to skills, identifying characteristics that can lead to skills poverty. Concrete illustrations from country-based case studies help assess the imperative task of designing inclusive upskilling and reskilling practices.