Sector Skills Alliances aim at tackling skills gaps with regard to one or more occupational profiles in a specific sector. They do so by identifying existing or emerging sector-specific labour market needs (demand side), and by enhancing the responsiveness of initial and continuing vocational education and training (VET) systems, at all levels, to the labour market needs (supply side).

What is it for:

• Sector Skills Alliances are transnational projects which should achieve the following objectives:
• Identification of existing and emerging skills needs for professions in specific sectors,
• Strengthening the exchange of knowledge and practice between education and training institutions and the labour market,
• Modernising VET by adapting provision to skills needs,
• Integrating work based learning in VET provision, and exploiting its potential to drive economic development and innovation, increasing the competitiveness of the sectors concerned,
• Building mutual trust, facilitating cross-border certification and therefore easing professional mobility in a sector, and increasing recognition of qualifications at European level within a sector,
• Improving skills intelligence and providing a clear strategy and instruments to address skills shortages in specific economic sectors.

Sector Skill Alliances shall cover a coherent and comprehensive set of activities and outputs as set out below for each Lot and as relevant for the sector concerned.

A particular focus must be given to digital skills as they are increasingly important in all job profiles across the entire labour market.

Also, the transition to a circular and greener economy needs to be underpinned by changes to qualifications and national education and training curricula to meet emerging professional needs for green skills.

The Sector Skills Alliances projects are centrally managed and implemented by the European Commission’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

The current application deadline is 28 February 2018, 13:00 Bulgarian time, for projects starting on 1 November 2018, 1 December 2018 or 1 January 2019.

More information on the application process is available here.