OBJECTIVES OF THE ACTION

These partnerships shall implement a coherent and comprehensive set of sectoral or cross-sectoral activities, which should be adaptable to future knowledge developments across the EU.

To boost innovation, the focus will be on talent and skills development. Firstly, digital competences have become increasingly important in all job profiles across the entire labour market. Secondly, 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 and sustainable development. Thirdly, the twin digital and green transition requires an accelerated adoption of new technologies across all sectors of our economy and society and boosting STEM skills and talent.

Lot 2: Alliances for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills (implementing the ‘Blueprint’)

Alliances for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills aim to create new strategic approaches and cooperation for concrete skills development solutions – both in the short and the medium term – in areas implementing a major action of the European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, the Pact for Skills, an action launched under the European Skills Agenda in 2020 and now a major element of the sector based approach of the Union of Skills, the overarching European skills strategy. The initiative provides large-scale partnerships established under the Pact for Skills, with the opportunity to support the development of sector skills strategies, as well as the revision and development of job profiles and of related training programmes. The main objective of the Pact is to mobilise and incentivize all relevant stakeholders and leverage public-private partnerships to take concrete actions for the upskilling and reskilling of the workforce, by pooling efforts and setting up partnerships, also at EU level, addressing the needs of the labour market, supporting green and digital transitions as well as national, regional and local skills and growth strategies. Therefore, the deliverables of Alliances for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills, i.e. sectoral skills intelligence, skills strategies, occupational profiles, training programmes, and long-term planning, will be an important contribution to the work of the ecosystem-based large-scale partnerships that have joined the Pact for Skills.

Alliances for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills seek to tackle skills gaps on the labour market that hamper growth, innovation and competitiveness in specific sectors or areas, aiming both at short term interventions and long-term strategies. These Alliances will be implemented in the 14 industrial ecosystems identified in the New Industrial Strategy for Europe1 (see eligibility criteria).

The 14 industrial ecosystems as identified in the Annual Single Market Report 2021. The applicant must select only 1 ecosystem out of the 14 ecosystems below:

1. Mobility-Transport-Automotive:
   Production of motor vehicles, ships and trains, and accessories; Their repair and maintenance; Freight Transport; AI; Clean tech; Advanced materials, etc.

2. Textile:
   Production of textiles, wearing apparel, footwear, leather and jewellery etc.

3. Renewable Energy:
   Electric motors, engines and turbines; Electric power generation; Manufacturing and distribution of gas; AI; Clean tech; Advanced materials etc.

4. Electronics:
   Raw starting materials (semiconductor wafers); Semiconductor manufacturing tools; Design & manufacturing of semiconductor components; Robotics; Advanced materials, etc.

5. Retail:
   Retail sales, Wholesale connected to consumers etc.

6. Construction:
   Building of residential and non-residential estates; Building of roads and railways; Building of utilities and civil engineering; Associated activities; AI; Clean tech; Advanced materials, etc.

7. Aerospace & Defence:
   Aircraft production; Space technologies, manufacturing and services; Defence products and technologies; AI; Clean tech; Robotics, etc.

8. Low-carbon energy Intensive Industries:
   Extraction of fossil fuels and raw materials; Refining; Manufacturing of products with high environmental impact: plastics, chemicals, fertilisers, iron and steel, forest-based products, cement, rubber, non-ferrous metals; Clean tech; Advanced materials, etc.

9. Tourism:
   Passenger transport and travel; Hotels, short term accommodation; Restaurants and catering; Events, theme parks etc.

10. Agri-food:
    Plant and animal production; Processing of food; Veterinary activities; AI; Clean tech; Advanced materials, etc.

11. Creative & Cultural Industries:
    Newspapers, books and periodicals; Motion picture, video and television; Radio and music; AI, etc.

12. Digital:
    Telecommunications; Software and programming; Web portals; Manufacturing of computers and equipment; AI; Quantum computing; Robotics, etc.

13. Proximity & Social Economy:
    Social enterprises, associations and cooperatives aiming at generating a social impact, etc.

14. Health:
    Pharmaceutical products and equipment; Hospitals, nursing homes, residential care, long-term care; Life sciences; Neurotechnology; AI; Advanced materials, etc.