Social Economy Transition Skills

Project Information

SETS

Grant agreement ID: 101136011

DOI

10.3030/101136011

Project closed

EC signature date 10 November 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2025

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 489 873,38

Coordinated by

DIESIS NETWORK
Belgium

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SETS (Social Economy Transition Skills)

Reporting period: 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

TThe project was developed in response to growing skills gaps affecting Social Economy Organisations in the context of the green and digital transition, which limit their capacity to adapt, innovate, and scale their societal impact. Building on existing European policy frameworks and prior EU-funded initiatives, the project aimed to generate evidence on skills needs, translate this evidence into targeted up-skilling and re-skilling programmes, and test their relevance through pilot implementation. Its objectives focused on strengthening individual and organisational capacities, improving the alignment between skills supply and demand, and contributing transferable tools and recommendations to support skills development and policy action at European, national, and ecosystem levels.

The consortium combines:
• DIESIS Network
• ALL DIGITAL
• TIRESIA Politecnico di Milano
• OPEN IMPACT
• SOGA
• PRIZMA

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project involved a coherent set of analytical, design and testing activities to bridge skills gaps for Social Economy Organisations in the context of the green and digital transition. The work started with a systematic skills needs assessment using desk research and stakeholder consultation to establish the main competence gaps and drive follow-up interventions. In response to this evidence a competence framework and programmes for up-skilling and re-skilling were devised that were in line with the European competence frameworks and built in modular formats for transferability. The training programmes were then piloted in actual organisational environments, creating empirical evidence with respect to feasibility, workload balance, and learning relevance that was used to refine content and delivery arrangements. Simultaneously, analysis of certification pathways and impact assessment frameworks was undertaken, leading to advice on skills recognition and structured considerations of effects at the individual, organisational and ecosystem level. At the conclusion of the project, the action provided validated analytical outputs and tried and tested new training programmes, as well as a cohesive set of tools and recommendations which together form a strong technical infrastructure for future skills development work with social economy concerns.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project moved beyond fragmented and generic skills towards an integrated, evidence-based model that links skills intelligence, competence frameworks, training design, piloting, certification pathways, and impact assessment within the context of the social economy. The SETS project showed how skills needs analysis could be distilled into modular up-skilling and re-skilling programmes and then tested and applied to organisations, linked to recognised credentialing and impact evaluation frameworks. This joined-up methodology will provide greater scientific insight into the twin transition and also support practical skills-building for the twin transition. The results have high impact potential through reuse and scaling into future initiatives, though further uptake will be driven by continued applied research to track medium-term effects, further demonstration through extended training or longitudinal deployments, and enabling conditions for integration into mainstream funding instruments and policy frameworks. The project can only be made meaningful if interoperability with European competence frameworks, access to sustainable funding mechanisms, and alignment with existing regulatory and standardisation environments are achieved. Ultimately, the action provides a cohesive portfolio of validated analytical tools, a verified set of training programmes, and methodological references that serve as significant advancements towards the design and implementation of skills development solutions for the social economy.

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