Pact for Skills and European Alliance for Apprenticeships Support Services

Since July 2026, 3s has been working alongside Ecorys on the redesigned support services for the Pact for Skills and the European Alliance for Apprenticeships, commissioned by DG EMPL.

Over the next three years, 3s with Ecorys will provide dedicated support to large-scale skills part­ner­ships and establish synergies across EU initia­ti­ves, com­mis­sio­ned by DG EMPL, European Commission. They will continue to run a network of national contact points in EU Member States, organise net­wor­king events, maintain an online knowledge hub and EU funding database, and deliver joint com­mu­ni­ca­ti­on, helping them define gover­nan­ce, KPIs and funding stra­te­gies, and establish synergies across EU initia­ti­ves such as Centres of Vocational Excellence, European University Alliances, Blueprints and Skills Academies.

The Pact for Skills, launched in 2020, and EAfA, launched in 2013, are two major EU initia­ti­ves under­pin­ning imple­men­ta­ti­on of the Union of Skills, providing a com­pre­hen­si­ve package of support, net­wor­king and knowledge-sharing oppor­tu­ni­ties for key stake­hol­ders deve­lo­ping, deli­ve­ring and sup­port­ing training and skills deve­lo­p­ment in the EU and beyond.  They aim in providing lifelong learning oppor­tu­ni­ties for all citizens to develop and update skills is essential for Europe to acce­le­ra­te economic growth and proac­tively meet the chal­lenges of the green, digital and demo­gra­phic tran­si­ti­ons. The strategic importance of skills policy is also reco­g­nis­ed in the Commission’s Union of Skills launched in March 2025.

Ecorys and 3s had their Kick-Off meeting with DG EMPL early September for the con­ti­nuing Pact for Skills  and European Alliance for Apprenticeships Support Services.