EU support for education and training

It’s important that people have the skills and opportunities to succeed in the digital world. The European Union supports a number of different programmes that offer such training, including:

• the European solidarity corps
• the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
• Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs
• the Entrepreneurship Action Plan
• the DIGITAL Europe Programme.

European solidarity corps

The European Solidarity Corps funds volunteering, traineeships, jobs and local projects for people aged 18-30. Young people can search for opportunities in the European Solidarity Corps portal, which connects them with organisations holding grants. 

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions 

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) support the mobility and training of 65,000 researchers across Europe and beyond. They promote the collaboration between academic, scientific and business communities, boosting careers and developing excellent doctoral programmes. 

The MSCA have an earmarked budget for individual fellowships for researchers working on projects in non-academic sectors, such as businesses, civil society, and public sector bodies. 

MSCA innovative training networks (ITNs) support research training or doctoral programmes implemented by European partnerships of universities, research institutions and non-academic organisations. These programmes give participants experience outside academia, developing innovation and employability. ITNs also include industrial doctorates, where the researcher divides time between universities and non-academic organisations. 

Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs

Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is an EU-funded cross-border business exchange programme which gives new or aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn from experienced entrepreneurs abroad. The 1-6 months-long collaboration helps new entrepreneurs gather the knowledge, skills and contacts required to run a small firm, while hosts benefit from fresh perspectives on their business and opportunities to learn about new markets.

Entrepreneurship Action Plan

The Commission’s Entrepreneurship Action Plan aims to improve business potential in the EU. In particular, it supports entrepreneurial education and training, provides tools for aspiring entrepreneurs, and commits to developing targeted measures for seniors, young people, migrants, and people in unemployment.

The DIGITAL Europe Programme

The DIGITAL Europe Programme supports the excellence of EU education and training institutions in digital areas, including by encouraging their cooperation with research and businesses. It aims to improve the capacity to nurture and attract digital talents, whilst fostering an ecosystem that will help drive innovation and digital breakthroughs.

The DIGITAL Europe Programme will:

• Provide education and training opportunities for the future experts in key capacity areas like data and ethical AI, cybersecurity, quantum and HPC. The support will be provided for networks of education and training institutions, research centres and businesses for the design and delivery of specialised education programmes (such as Master degrees) as well as traineeships to acquire advanced digital skills needed for specific technologies. 
• Target the reskilling and upskilling of the existing workforce through short-term trainings reflecting the latest developments in key capacity areas.

Find out how to get funding from the DIGITAL Europe Programme