The European Year of Skills will run from 9 May 2023 until 8 May 2024.
08.05.2023

European Year of Skills starts on 9 May 2023

The European Year of Skills will start officially on 9 May 2023 and will run until 8 May 2024. The thematic year aims to promote the visibility and uptake of further education and training in adult life and provides a unique opportunity for stakeholders to engage in discussions, learn from each other, and promote work in the field of skills development across Europe.

To kick off the Year, a European Year of Skills Festival will take place on 9 May, linking up with other events and speakers across Europe to showcase skills-related efforts and highlight the value of skills. You can find skills-related activities and events by checking the interactive map on the European Year of Skills website. Throughout the Year, national coordinators will shape the Year in their respective countries, and a Communication Toolkit for the 2023 European Year of Skills is available to help prepare communication activities, events, and media relations.

EAEA would like to stress that skills promoted in the European Year of Skills should be understood in a holistic way: skills that help for professional development, including basic and social skills, but also skills that all citizens need in their daily lives, including life and transversal skills and competences, and skills to strengthen sustainability, democracy, and social inclusion. The year will be an excellent opportunity for the European adult learning and education (ALE) community to showcase its many great achievements in transforming people’s lives and communities.

Text: EAEAPhotos: EAEA

08.07.2026 activism

Resilience means giving genuine decision-making power to local actors - EAEA's annual event's panel discussion

On June 10th, EAEA’s members reunited for the Annual Event, this time in Poland, hosted by the NGO organization sTOP. The Panel discussion titled ‘‘Resilient Communities in Times of Crises’’ saw the participation of Benedetta Perego (lawyer admitted before the Italian Supreme Court and founder of Strali), Musa Kirkar (President of CEIPES and EAEA’s Board Member), Oleg Smirnov (Director of DVV International Ukraine and EAEA’s Vice President), and Irena Lipowicz (lawyer, professor, and ex diplomat for the United Nations).

06.07.2026 advocacy

Democracy and coalition-building

At the Feminist Futures Festival in Brussels, participants explored how feminist perspectives, coalition-building and transnational solidarity can strengthen democracy and social inclusion.

30.06.2026 EAEA Annual Conference

EAEA Annual Conference 2026: Supportive communities grow the roots of resilience

The EAEA Annual Conference 2026 explored resilience as a collective process, highlighting the role of adult learning in strengthening communities in times of uncertainty.