The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Training Foundation (ETF) have formalized a closer partnership to help countries enhance skills systems, vocational education, apprenticeships, and employment policies. The cooperation agreement, signed on 9 February by Pilvi Torsti, Director of the ETF, and Sangheon Lee, Director of the ILO Employment Policy Department, aims to strengthen labour market and skills data, support education and training systems adapting to green and digital transitions, improve work-based learning, enhance career guidance, and recognize skills acquired outside formal education.
The agreement establishes a framework for up to five years of coordinated efforts and knowledge sharing, aligned with international labour standards, European Union policy priorities, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Pilvi Torsti emphasized that the partnership will provide countries with forward-looking, evidence-based policy advice to create inclusive labour markets and ensure decent work amid digital, climate, and demographic changes.
Sangheon Lee highlighted that the collaboration will help governments and ILO constituents develop skills and employment policies that respond to the realities of today’s evolving world of work. By leveraging social dialogue and stronger training systems, the cooperation seeks to inform national strategies that anticipate emerging skills needs, supporting workers and employers in navigating increasingly complex labour markets.
The partnership will focus on joint guidance to governments on skills development, vocational education, apprenticeships, lifelong learning, and employment policies. It will improve data on labour market needs and education-to-work transitions, help education and training systems adapt to green and digital transformations while promoting inclusion, strengthen vocational education and apprenticeship programmes, provide career guidance and flexible learning, and facilitate knowledge sharing through publications, training, and online resources.
The European Training Foundation, based in Turin, Italy, supports nearly 30 partner countries across Europe, Central Asia, the Southern Mediterranean, and Africa in reforming education, training, and labour-market systems to strengthen regional stability and prosperity. The ETF Governing Board, chaired by European Commission Director-General Mario Nava, includes representatives from all 27 EU Member States.
The International Labour Organization, a tripartite U.N. agency founded in 1919, brings together governments, employers, and workers from 187 Member States to promote social justice, labour standards, and policies supporting decent work for all. Through this partnership, the ILO and ETF aim to equip countries with the tools and guidance necessary to develop inclusive, future-ready labour markets.
