New EU Approach to Education: A Skills-Based Curriculum Rules

European leaders and policy‑makers have become increasingly concerned that the EU’s current education and training systems are not equipping citizens with the skills needed for the future. This is something I also pointed out in this article, STEM Education Needs Improvement in 2025, and pledged for a skills-based curriculum. A skills-based curriculum is necessary for adapting to these challenges.

The European Commission’s comparative report on the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) already warned that about 30 % of EU students did not reach minimum proficiency in mathematics, around 25 % underachieved in reading and science, and nearly half of all disadvantaged pupils were underachieving in mathematics. The report also showed that the share of top performers is shrinking and that the COVID‑19 pandemic exacerbated these inequalities. 

At the same time, European employers struggle to fill vacancies requiring both advanced and basic skills. Almost four out of five employers report difficulties finding workers with the right skills. Aging populations, digitalization and the green transition (often referred to as the “twin transition”) are changing labor‑market needs, fast.

The Commission has therefore argued that education and training must become Europe’s “strongest investment in human capital,” nurturing skills and building social bonds. It is within this context that the Union of Skills strategy (released in March 2025) and the proposal for the Erasmus+ 2028–2034 program were developed.

Let’s see what the changes are for students, teachers and how the changes will affect the current curriculum.

The Union of Skills and the New Educational Strategy

The Union of Skills is an overarching initiative that aims to give Europeans the skills they need to thrive in work and life and to strengthen the EU’s competitiveness. The Commission describes it as “a plan to improve high‑quality education, training and lifelong learning”. 

The strategy aims to:

• Deliver higher levels of basic and advanced skills, piloting a basic‑skills support scheme so that every young person develops strong literacy, numeracy, science and digital competences.
• Promote STEM skills and careers, attract more women into science and technology, and prepare people for digital and clean‑technology transitions.
• Introduce a new EU vocational education and training (VET) strategy to make vocational learning more attractive and innovative.
• Encourage regular upskilling and reskilling, expanding the use of micro‑credentials, reinforcing the Pact for Skills and piloting a skills guarantee for workers at risk of unemployment.
• Make skills portable across borders, by piloting a skills portability initiative, working towards a European degree and a new European VET diploma, and strengthening European university alliances and centers of vocational excellence.
• Attract, develop and retain talent, through an EU talent pool, a visa strategy for top students and researchers, and a “Choose Europe” initiative.
• Establish new governance, supported by a European Skills Intelligence Observatory and a European Skills High‑Level Board, to ensure that labor‑market needs inform policy.

All these measures reflect a shift from seeing education purely as a sectoral policy towards an integrated approach linked to competitiveness, labor mobility and social cohesion. Crucially, the strategy seeks to make learning mobility an integral part of every educational pathway.

The proposed Council Recommendation Europe on the Move (November 2023) aims to make learning abroad accessible to more people and proposes EU‑level targets for 2030: 25 % of higher‑education graduates should have a mobility experience; 15 % of vocational learners should study or train abroad (up from 8 %); and 20 % of all mobility participants should come from disadvantaged backgrounds. It also extends mobility beyond higher education to school pupils, teachers, adult learners and youth exchanges.

Here’s a concise table comparing key curriculum characteristics in the former educational approach with the proposed Erasmus+ 2028–2034 and Union of Skills framework:

Erasmus+ 2028–2034: Evolution over Revolution

The Erasmus+ 2028–2034 proposal, published a few weeks ago, on 16 July 2025, translates the Union of Skills vision into a single EU program for education, training, youth and sport. It builds on the current 2021–2027 Erasmus+ but introduces important structural changes. An analysis by Swisscore summarizes the proposal as “evolution over revolution”, noting that it preserves many of the existing mobility and cooperation schemes but reorganizes them for greater flexibility and impact.

Key Changes

1. Integration and simplification – The proposal merges the Erasmus+ program with the European Solidarity Corps, creating one program for learning and volunteering opportunities. It organises actions into two pillars:
   • Learning Opportunities for All, which consolidates learning mobility (formerly Key Action 1) and volunteering, retains core mobility schemes for higher education, vocational education and training (VET), school and adult education, and introduces mobility for athletes. It integrates Erasmus Mundus and Jean Monnet actions.
   • Capacity‑Building Support, merging the former cooperation and policy‑support actions (Key Actions 2 and 3) to provide greater flexibility across sectors and reduce fragmentation.
2. Budget expansion – The Commission proposes a budget of €40.8 billion, a 50 % increase over the combined budgets of Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps for 2021–2027, to meet the growing demand for mobility and capacity‑building.
3. Focus on labour‑market relevance – The proposal explicitly aligns Erasmus+ with the Union of Skills, the Competitiveness Compass, the Clean Industrial Deal and the Preparedness Strategy. It aims to boost innovation and excellence in education and training and address skills shortages in strategic sectors.
4. New forms of participation – The program opens the possibility of partial association for non‑EU countries, allowing them to participate in specific actions without full integration. This mechanism could attract candidate countries or strategic partners.
5. International dimension and synergies – Erasmus+ 2028‑2034 emphasises cooperation with the Global Gateway strategy, the European Competitiveness Fund and Horizon Europe to foster international partnerships, research and innovation.
6. Expanded mobility and volunteering – Mobility opportunities now include athletes and staff in sport, reflecting a recognition of sport’s role in health and social inclusion. Volunteering activities are integrated to foster solidarity, including the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps for post‑crisis humanitarian work.

These changes aim to address criticisms of the current program, such as administrative complexity and funding shortages. They also align with recommendations from evaluations of the 2014–2020 and 2021–2027 periods, which called for simplification and greater coherence.

How the New Approach Differs from the Past

A skills-based curriculum is an educational approach that prioritizes the development of practical, transferable skills – such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving – over pure memorization of content. A skills-based curriculum focuses on preparing students for real-world challenges by equipping them with competencies that can be applied across various subjects, careers, and life situations. Now let’s see how this approach – putting a skills-based curriculum central – differs from the past.

1. From sectoral to systemic – Previous EU education policies often treated formal education, vocational training, youth work and sport as separate fields with different funding streams. The new approach integrates these fields under a single program and aligns education with broader competitiveness and preparedness strategies.
2. Earlier and more inclusive mobility – Erasmus originally focused on higher‑education students. Over time it expanded to VET and staff, but the new approach aims to make mobility an integral part of all pathways, starting from school education and including adult learners. Targets for vocational and disadvantaged learners have been raised significantly.
3. Lifelong learning and micro‑credentials – Whereas earlier programs concentrated on semester‑long exchanges, the new strategy emphasises continuous upskilling and reskilling. Micro‑credentials will allow people to accumulate shorter learning experiences throughout their careers.
4. Portability and recognition of skills – The introduction of a skills portability initiative, a European degree and a European VET diploma aims to ensure that skills acquired anywhere in the EU are recognised across borders. Past programs struggled with recognition of credits and qualifications; the new approach seeks to remove these barriers.
5. Enhanced governance and intelligence – A European Skills Intelligence Observatory and High‑Level Board will monitor labour‑market needs and guide education policies. Previously, education initiatives operated largely through bottom‑up projects without a central intelligence hub.
6. Integration of volunteering and humanitarian aid – The European Solidarity Corps will no longer be a separate program but part of Erasmus+, ensuring a coherent offer of volunteering and learning opportunities. The inclusion of the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps brings a global solidarity dimension.
7. Greater budget and flexibility – The 50 % budget increase and streamlined actions respond to long‑standing complaints that Erasmus+ lacked resources and was administratively burdensome. Flexibility across sectors should make it easier for small and new organisations to participate.

Below is a table comparing key curriculum characteristics in the former educational approach with the proposed Erasmus+ 2028–2034 and Union of Skills framework:

Aspect	Past curriculum approach	New skills‑based curriculum (Union of Skills/Erasmus+ 2028–2034)
Main emphasis	Knowledge acquisition and subject‑specific content	Development of basic and advanced skills, including literacy, maths, science, digital and transversal skills (e.g. critical thinking, teamwork, resilience)
STEM & digital focus	STEM education promoted but without strong inclusion targets	Stronger emphasis on STEM and clean‑tech skills; aims to attract more women into STEM and prepare people for digital and green transitions
Qualification structure	Formal degrees and qualifications dominate	Introduction of micro‑credentials and flexible learning pathways; upskilling and reskilling become regular parts of professional life
Mobility & recognition	Mobility mainly for higher‑education students; recognition issues	Learning mobility becomes integral at all levels (school, VET, adult); initiatives for skills portability, a European degree and a European VET diploma to ensure recognition across borders
Inclusiveness	Lower participation of disadvantaged groups	New targets require that 20 % of mobility participants come from disadvantaged backgrounds and call for accessible programmes for all
Integration of non‑formal learning	Formal curricula separate from volunteering and extracurricular activities	Curricula link formal, non‑formal and informal learning; volunteering and sport are integrated, promoting solidarity and citizenship
Citizenship & values	Limited focus on civic engagement	Stronger emphasis on democratic participation, European identity and citizenship education, nurturing critical thinking and media literacy

Implications for Students

Students are at the heart of the Union’s renewed investment in education. The proposed changes, and the focus on a skills-based curriculum, aim to democratize access to high-quality learning experiences, notably through early and inclusive mobility, increased digital engagement, and the validation of informal learning. Rather than focusing narrowly on academic achievement, the new approach places equal emphasis on developing emotional intelligence, democratic participation, and job-readiness.

More opportunities and inclusivity

Students at all educational levels – school pupils, vocational apprentices, higher‑education students and adult learners – will have greater access to mobility. The raised targets mean that a quarter of higher‑education graduates and 15 % of VET learners should have studied or trained abroad by 2030. At least 20 % of participants should come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Diverse mobility formats

Mobility will no longer be limited to semester‑long exchanges. Short‑term courses, micro‑credentials, blended intensive programs and online‑to‑offline combinations will become more common. More flexible mobility should make it easier for learners with jobs, care responsibilities or disabilities to participate.

Wider scope of learning

Students will be encouraged to develop basic skills (literacy, numeracy and digital), transversal skills (critical thinking, resilience, teamwork and empathy) and specialized skills in STEM and clean technologies. Micro‑credentials and a new VET strategy will allow learners to accumulate modules throughout life, aligning education with labor‑market needs.

Improved recognition

Initiatives such as the European degree and European VET diploma, along with the skills portability scheme, should make it easier for students to have their learning recognized across borders and to build joint degree programs. This could open doors to more international careers and ease transitions between education and work.

Volunteering and civic engagement

The integration of the European Solidarity Corps means that students can combine learning with volunteering and humanitarian aid, reinforcing civic skills and European identity. Engagement in sport (including athlete mobility) also fosters health and social inclusion.

Implications for Teachers and Education Staff

The new Erasmus+ framework envisions educators not just as conveyors of knowledge but as central agents of transformation, and this via a skills-based curriculum. With the expansion of mobility opportunities and increased focus on transversal skills, teachers are expected to continually update their own competencies, adopt innovative pedagogies, and embrace international collaboration.

Enhanced professional mobility

Teachers and trainers will benefit from expanded mobility schemes, enabling them to observe and exchange practices in other countries. Learning mobility is expected to start from an early age, not only for pupils but also for teachers, who will be able to undertake professional development abroad and participate in European school alliances.

Focus on continuous training

The Union of Skills emphasizes regular upskilling and reskilling through micro‑credentials and the Pact for Skills. Teachers will need to update their digital, STEM and green‑competence skills and adopt new pedagogies for blended and online learning. VET trainers will have to integrate clean‑technology and advanced manufacturing content into their curricula.

New roles and responsibilities

With the European Skills Intelligence Observatory and new governance structures, teachers may be asked to align curricula more closely with labor‑market intelligence. They may also mentor students in acquiring transversal skills such as critical thinking, democratic participation and empathy, which are highlighted in the Union of Skills.

Administrative simplification

Merging Erasmus+ with the Solidarity Corps and combining cooperation actions should reduce bureaucratic barriers. Teachers from smaller or less experienced organizations may find it easier to access funding and manage projects.

Implications for Curriculum and Educational Content – Skills-Based Curriculum

The curriculum design under the Erasmus+ 2028–2034 framework, with its focus on a skills-based curriculum, is being fundamentally reimagined to align with strategic EU priorities: green and digital transitions, inclusiveness, and European identity. The new model advocates for a more integrated and skill-based approach, weaving in lifelong learning, financial literacy, civic responsibility, and climate awareness across subject areas.

Curricula are expected to be adaptable, interdisciplinary, and oriented towards both local relevance and transnational coherence. This transformation also reflects a growing recognition of informal and non-formal education, necessitating flexible assessment systems and cross-sectoral collaboration in shaping learning outcomes.

Stronger focus on basic and transversal skills

The Union of Skills’ basic‑skills support scheme underscores the need to strengthen reading, maths, science and digital competences from early childhood. Curricula are likely to incorporate targeted interventions for literacy and numeracy, especially in disadvantaged communities, and to prioritize digital literacy and media‑information skills.

Beyond basics, the strategy highlights transversal skills such as flexibility, resilience, empathy and critical thinking as essential for navigating rapid change and supporting mental health. Curricula will need to incorporate project‑based and experiential learning to build these competences.

Emphasis on STEM, digital and green skills

The Union of Skills calls for improved STEM skills and the promotion of STEM careers, particularly among women. This implies more integrated science and technology curricula, partnerships with industry and greater use of digital tools. Clean‑tech and green‑transition topics will also become mainstream, aligning education with the EU’s Green Deal and Clean Industrial Deal.

Flexibility and micro‑credentials

Curricular frameworks will need to accommodate micro‑credentials, allowing learners to earn smaller units of learning that can be stacked towards qualifications. This modularization requires clear learning outcomes, standards and recognition frameworks.

Cross‑border and joint programs

The development of a European degree and joint degree programs will encourage universities and vocational institutions to design curricula collaboratively across borders. This will likely result in more multilingual and multicultural content and a greater emphasis on comparative and European perspectives.

Validation of non‑formal and informal learning

Erasmus+ 2028–2034 plans to strengthen the recognition of non‑formal and informal learning, including volunteering and sports. Curricula and qualification frameworks will need to integrate and validate such experiences, acknowledging competencies acquired outside formal classrooms.

A Skills-Based Curriculum Is The Future

The EU’s new approach to education represents a profound shift from past policies. It recognizes that the quality and inclusiveness of education are not only social imperatives but strategic economic priorities.

By integrating mobility, skills development, volunteering and labor‑market intelligence into a single program with a substantial budget, the Union of Skills and Erasmus+ 2028–2034 aim to build a more cohesive, competitive and resilient Europe.

The success of this new educational approach – centered around a skills-based curriculum – will depend on effective governance, adequate funding, and the willingness of schools, universities and employers to go for flexibility and chose for cooperation.

For students and teachers, the changes promise broader opportunities and greater recognition of diverse learning experiences; for curricula, they signal a move towards modular, skills‑oriented and cross‑border education that prepares learners for an uncertain future.

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