On June 16 2022 employment and social affairs ministers adopted a recommendation on individual learning to support people’s training needs with the objective of increasing the number of people engaged in training each year, which will empower individuals by facilitating their access to or retention in employment. This recommendation follows the May 2021 Porto Social Summit where the target to reach 60% of EU adults taking part in training by 2030 was set.

The recommendation is orientated to member states who, if putting in place these individual learning accounts, should come up with an enabling framework for them. They are meant to provide working-age people with a budget so that they can take part in continuous training throughout their lives. The framework, hence, should ensure the availability of career guidance services and validation opportunities and the development of a national digital portal to keep a registry of such training.

In the context of the twin transition and with the EU-established goals of 80% of the population having basic digital skills by 2030 and of upgrading the population’s green skills, this measure aims at bypassing some of the main obstacles that hinder the achievement of these objectives, namely the lack of funding or time constraints.