With the support of the Commission, the European Health Management Association (EHMA) and other partners in the health sector have launched a large-scale skills partnership to reskill and upskill the EU health workforce.

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15 million people work in health occupations, representing over 7% of the EU workforce and almost 4% of the EU population. The partnership will develop and implement a European skills strategy for the health workforce and pilot training programmes for health professionals, with a particular focus on green and digital skills.

Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, said: “The new partnership for health under the Pact for Skills brings together different actors to map out the skills that are in demand and how workers can be trained in those skills. High levels of investment in continuous professional development are urgently needed to upskill the existing workforce and support the training of the next generation of health workers. With the European Year of Skills announced for 2023 I hope we can make a big impact on addressing the labour and skills shortages challenge faced by many sectors including healthcare.”

Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said: “Health professionals are the beating heart of our health systems. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the most challenging circumstances, they have carried out lifesaving work on a daily basis. Their dedication and resilience is an example to all of us.  This essential partnership we announce today comes at a time when we see growing shortages of health workforce across Europe, putting additional pressure on health systems. This initiative will contribute considerably to equipping the health workforce with the skills required to manage new challenges and innovation in healthcare and help to deliver better care for patients. A skilled workforce is a key component of a strong European Health Union.”

Background

The Pact for Skills is one of the flagship initiatives under the European Skills Agenda. Including the partnership launched today, under the Pact for Skills, the Commission already supports 14 large-scale partnerships in different industrial sectors.

Since its launch, over 1 000 organisations have pledged to reskill over 6 million people in Europe. This initiative also contributes to the EU-level headline target that by 2030, at least 60% of all adults should participate in training every year and is in line with the Commission’s proposal to make 2023 the European Year of Skills.

See more details on the Health Skills Partnership.