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Policy Area Education

Contributing to a sustainable working life and strengthening the regions competitiveness in research

The Member States of the Strategy see the need to foster inclusive education, promote upskilling and reskilling, strengthen international excellence, and foster wider participation in science and research by attracting, training and retaining talent. This forms the foundation for long-term prosperity, resilience and democratic stability in the Baltic Sea Region.

The Baltic Sea Region is undergoing a triple transition: digital, green and demographic. At the same time, security pressures, labour shortages and widening inequalities challenge societies, economies and education systems. Uneven access to quality learning, skills mismatches, early school leaving, low adult learning participation and persistent competence gaps affect both inclusion and preparedness for future labour market needs.

What can we do together?

Macro-regional cooperation allows actors, policymakers and support organisations to share expertise, coordinate approaches and develop initiatives that would be more difficult to achieve individually or within the national borders.

Policy Area Education Coordinators pool resources and coordinate activities for promoting high-quality lifelong learning, inclusive education, and a smooth transition to the labor market.

Policy Area Education is currently coordinated by Senate Chancellery of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (Germany) and the Norden Association (Sweden).

Foster inclusive educations to prepare young people for future challenges

Why?

Education and training systems across the Baltic Sea Region face persistent challenges that limit young people’s ability to succeed in increasingly complex and fast-changing societies.

High rates of early school leaving, significant shares of young people not in education, employment or training and uneven performance in basic, STEAM, digital and media literacy skills weaken both social and economic resilience. Vulnerable groups face additional barriers in transitions from school to work, contributing to persistent inequalities. Young people’s mental health is also crucial for learning and participation.

As these challenges affect all countries in the macro-region, fragmented national approaches hinder more coherent progress and reduce the capacity of systems to respond effectively. Addressing these issues requires strengthened cooperation, shared learning and more inclusive and future-oriented education systems.

This Action calls for initiatives towards

  • decision-making bodies taking up policy recommendations developed through cooperation
  • adopted policies to reduce early school leaving, improve transitions and strengthen basic, digital and civic skills
  • funding programmes increasingly supporting priorities related to education, skills and active citizenship
  • greater integration of climate-relevant skills and values in education-related recommendations and practices.

Promote upskilling and reskilling to facilitate a sustainable working life and adapt to future labour market demands

Why?

Lifelong learning and skills development systems in the Baltic Sea Region face persistent pressures that limit their ability to respond to rapidly changing labour market and societal needs. These challenges weaken competitiveness, reduce social cohesion and limit the region’s preparedness for the green and digital transitions.
Skills mismatches, particularly in the green and digital sectors, are growing as technological change accelerates. Labour shortages, demographic decline, emigration and uneven access to quality learning reduce the adaptability of the workforce. Many adults, especially in disadvantaged groups and regions, lack opportunities to update their skills or transition to new occupations.
Outdated training systems, limited flexibility and insufficient coordination between governments, social partners, education providers and civil society lead to fragmented approaches. Financial and institutional constraints restrict the scale and effectiveness of upskilling and reskilling efforts.
Meeting these challenges requires stronger and more coherent lifelong learning systems that support people throughout their working lives and help them adapt to continuous change.

This Action calls for initiatives towards

  • funding programmes increasingly supporting lifelong learning, skills development and workforce adaptability in line with this Action
  • climate-relevant knowledge and skills more strongly integrated into lifelong learning approaches

Strengthen international excellence and foster wider participation in science and research by attracting, training and retaining talents

Why?

Science and research are essential for strengthening resilience to social, environmental and economic challenges and for supporting the green and digital transitions. However, the Baltic Sea Region faces persistent skills mismatches, talent shortages and low research and development intensity, which limit competitiveness and restrict participation in international research cooperation. Uneven research infrastructures, funding disparities and complex regulatory environments create barriers to talent mobility and hinder collaboration. Differences in institutional capacities and the outflow of highly skilled researchers reduce the ability of countries to participate effectively in cutting-edge research.
These challenges underline the need for stronger cross-border cooperation, better talent development and more integrated research systems that support long-term societal and economic resilience across the macro-region.

This Action calls for initiatives towards

  • increased number of national, regional, or local policies and initiatives developed to foster collaboration in research and innovation among member states, contributing to a European Research Area
  • priorities of the Baltic Sea Region research community reflected in the next Framework programme (FP 10) and other new strategies, e.g. European Life Science Strategy and European Strategy on Research Infrastructures
  • policies adopted to incentivise private-sector investment in research and innovation
  • EU funding programmes aligned with or made eligible for funding to promote science and research in the framework of this action
  • greater prioritisation of climate-related research in policies and initiatives across the macro-region

Get in touch with the Policy Area Coordinators

Norden Association, Sweden

Anders Bergström

Norden Association, Sweden

Asli Tepecik Dis

Senate Chancellery of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

Katharina Hinz