Former EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson has been appointed chair of the European Skills High-Level Board.
The board is intended to help advance the Commission’s “Union of Skills” strategy, which focuses on education, vocational training and lifelong learning to address labour shortages and boost competitiveness, the European Commission said in a release on Thursday.
Johansson, a Swedish national, served as European Commissioner for Home Affairs from 2019 to 2024.
Advisory role bringing together business and training providers
The board will advise on skills development for workers across the EU and bring together businesses, education and training providers and “social partners” — typically employers’ organisations and trade unions — the Commission said.
It will also draw on findings from the forthcoming European Skills Intelligence Observatory, which is being set up under the Union of Skills.
The group is also expected to support the Commission’s work on education and skills within the European Semester — the EU’s annual cycle of economic and social policy coordination — including an EU-wide recommendation on human capital and country-specific recommendations.
Before joining the Commission, Johansson was Sweden’s Minister for Employment and Integration and Minister for Schools, and previously held roles in government focused on education, health and elderly care.
