EmPass Needs Assessment

by MPG Human Age Institute Foundation and Accenture (project coordinated by JA Europe)

The EMPASS project, funded by the Erasmus+ Forward Looking Programme, aims to bridge the gap between youth competencies and labour market needs by developing a micro-credential programme focused on the most in-demand soft skills for young people (16–25 years) in Greece, Romania, and Spain. This needs analysis report identifies key employability skills required by companies, assesses their prevalence among students and in schools, and lays the groundwork for the upcoming EMPASS micro-credential pilot and broader European rollout.

Over a six-month period, the EMPASS consortium conducted a comprehensive study including literature review, surveys, and field research among companies (250 responses), schools (244), and TVET students (673) across three countries. Surveys focused on identifying critical soft skills necessary for entry-level employment and the perceived gaps between education outcomes and employer demands.

Main Findings:

• Companies: Employers consistently ranked Communication, Teamwork, Continuous Learning, Responsibility, Problem Solving, and Goal Achievement as the most needed soft skills for new entrants. However, skills such as Responsibility, Commitment, Conflict Management, Decision-Making, and Autonomy were simultaneously seen as the hardest to find among young candidates.

• Schools: Schools observed that their students excelled most in Teamwork, Goal Achievement, Communication, and Creativity, but identified Active Listening, Commitment, and Critical/Strategic Thinking as the skills most lacking or hardest to develop.

• Students: Students rated themselves highly in Respect, Teamwork, Responsibility, Goal Achievement, and Creativity. They perceive companies to prioritize Teamwork, Communication, and Responsibility, but recognize improvement needs in Customer Orientation, Communication, Profitability, Commitment, and Crisis Management.

• Identified Skill Gaps: Analysis revealed strong alignment between companies’ and schools’ top 15 hardest-to-find skills, but some significant mismatches between what students believe they possess and what is demanded by employers. Critical soft skills such as Communication, Commitment, Conflict Management, and Organisation/Planning emerged as both highly needed and challenging to find.