Launched: May 2026
The challenge
The proximity and social economy (P&SE) ecosystem in Spain is characterised by a high degree of heterogeneity, spanning multiple sectors, organisational forms and territorial realities. It is largely composed of small organisations and micro-enterprises, often operating in dispersed local and rural contexts, where access to training opportunities, resources and skills support can be uneven.
While this diversity reflects strong local roots and social value creation, it also creates structural challenges in reaching actors on the ground – particularly micro-enterprises, rural organisations and groups at risk of exclusion – with relevant and accessible upskilling and reskilling opportunities. At the same time, the acceleration of the green and digital transitions is increasing demand for new competences, requiring continuous adaptation across the workforce and placing pressure on existing training systems.
Although competence frameworks, training resources and skills intelligence are being developed at European level through the P&SE Large-Scale Partnership (LSP), their uptake at territorial level remains uneven. Differences in labour market structures, access to training and barriers to participation limit the alignment between EU-level outputs and regional realities, reducing their usability and impact. Addressing this gap is essential to ensure that skills development initiatives effectively support local ecosystems.
The ambition
Based in Cantabria, Andalusia and Asturias, the Regional Skills Partnership (RSP) for the Proximity and Social Economy in the Spanish Regions aims to strengthen the skills ecosystem for the P&SE in Spain through a coordinated, place-based approach to upskilling and reskilling. It seeks to enable organisations to attract, develop and retain talent, support workers to continuously adapt to the green and digital transitions, and improve overall competitiveness and social cohesion.
Building on established cooperation between regional training organisations and previous EU-funded initiatives, the partnership promotes a ‘learning-by-sharing’ model to support the adaptation, transfer and scaling of methodologies across regions. It aims to expand to additional Spanish territories, contributing to a more coherent, inclusive and sustainable system of lifelong learning aligned with regional, national and European priorities.
The commitments
The partnership commits to a set of coordinated actions to strengthen the link between EU-level work and regional implementation. It will act as a testing and validation environment for the outputs of the P&SE LSP, reviewing, adapting and integrating competence frameworks, training materials and skills intelligence into regional training provision, with particular attention to micro-SMEs, rural contexts and groups facing barriers to participation.
In parallel, the partnership will deliver structured upskilling and reskilling activities aligned with green, digital and entrepreneurial priorities, while strengthening cooperation between training providers, social partners and public authorities. It will organise regular regional stakeholder forums and cross-regional exchanges, and produce annual structured feedback to European coordinators, creating a continuous knowledge loop to improve the relevance, usability and transferability of EU-level tools.
The impact
By 2030, the partnership aims to:
- reach at least 2,500 beneficiaries through upskilling and reskilling activities across participating regions;
- deliver a minimum of 15 training and development opportunities per year, including at least five per region;
- ensure a minimum of 50% participation by women, promoting inclusive access to skills development;
- strengthen the acquisition of green, digital and entrepreneurial competences across the social economy workforce;
- produce annual structured feedback reports documenting implementation lessons, barriers to inclusion and recommendations for improving EU-level tools;
- support the embedding and use of LSP-derived resources within regional training systems, improving their practical applicability and reach.
View the document below to learn more about the Regional Skills Partnership for the Proximity and Social Economy in the Spanish Regions.
