The ESSA project wraps up, boosting Europe’s software skills future

After four impactful years, the European Software Skills Alliance (ESSA), funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme and led by DIGITALEUROPE, concludes with a solid framework to build a skilled software workforce for the EU. With 26 partners and over 50 associated partners, ESSA has united academia, industry, and policymakers to drive upskilling and reskilling into high-demand software roles.

A Roadmap for Software Skills 

In 2022, ESSA introduced its Software Skills Strategy for Europe to forecast market needs and drive skills development across three pillars: training, education, and validation. Updated annually, the strategy aligns with Europe’s professional standards, bringing a unified approach across industry, education, and policy. 

Market-Driven Curricula and Resources 

ESSA’s comprehensive reports support educators in creating flexible, market-ready curricula for software roles such as Developer, DevOps Engineer, Solution Designer, and Test Specialist. ESSA’s pilot learning programmes, launched in 2023 across eight EU countries, have already trained hundreds of learners, delivering essential skills to meet Europe’s software workforce demand. 

ESSA Learn: An Open Platform for All 

November 2024 saw the launch of ESSA Learn, an open online learning platform that gathers all the educational content and training materials developed collaboratively by the ESSA partners. Designed for flexibility and accessibility, the platform enables learners and educators to access resources tailored to the software roles identified in the ESSA framework: Test Specialist, Developer, Solution Designer, and DevOps Expert. Through this platform, ESSA continues to empower the European digital ecosystem, making advanced software skills training accessible to individuals, organisations, and educational institutions across the EU. 

Continuing the Mission Beyond ESSA 

After the end of the project, the ESSA consortium will transform into an Alliance with the aim to address significant digital skills gaps in Europe, recognising that advanced digital skills are essential for competitiveness and economic resilience.  

Organisations and professionals are invited to join this alliance and connect with the ESSA Community of Practice, a network for digital skills education and training experts. 

About ESSA   

ESSA is a transnational project funded under the Erasmus+ programme to boost software skills in Europe and re-aligning the educational offering with the market demand.   

ESSA Partners I ESSA Associated Partners I X I LinkedIn 

Media inquiries 

Wiktoria Orlowska, DIGITALEUROPE wiktoria.orlowska@digitaleurope.org