Uncategorized

The HERA consortium is now very pleased to share one of the project’s key results: the final version of the HERA interactive multilingual Community Portal, available at www.heracommunity.eu, open to women across Europe. From local HERA Labs to an online community HERA’s Portal development started locally. In the partner countries, HERA Labs brought together women 45+, trainers, employers, public authorities and community organisations. The Labs combined three methods: mutual aid groups, where women supported each other; living labs, where solutions were co-created with users; and innovation hubs, which connected learning with the labour market. Together, they helped each woman assess her skills and build a personal re- or up-skilling pathway for which she herself takes the lead. The Community Portal transfers this experience to a digital environment. It allows anyone, anywhere, to experience an online HERA Lab, extending the project’s reach beyond the pilot areas and productive sectors where the Labs operate. Designed with its users, not just for them The portal was not designed behind closed doors. Development, led by the Belgian partner AINIGMA Technologies, followed a co-design process from the very beginning. What the HERA Community Portal offers The portal is free, requires only an email address to join, and is available in seven languages: English, Portuguese, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Swedish. Its main features are: The portal was built in line with the GDPR: users give explicit consent when registering, accounts are verified by email, and members can ask for their data to be erased at any time. Why it matters for adult learning in Europe HERA’s experience shows that women 45+ do not lack motivation. What they often lack is a safe starting point, peers who understand their situation, and clear guidance through an overwhelming offer of courses. By combining learning-to-learn training, mentoring, peer support and links to real job opportunities, the portal addresses these barriers together rather than one at a time. Join the HERA community now Whether you are a woman 45+ looking for a new start, an adult educator, a career counsellor, an employer or a policymaker, you are welcome to join: Adult education organisations and employers are also invited to publish events, learning resources and job opportunities on the portal. Together, we can show that it is never too late to learn, and that every woman, at any stage of life, can grow, adapt and lead. Find out more:

Everyone is talking about the green transition. Everyone is talking about the digital transition. Far fewer people are talking about a third shift that may be just as decisive for Europe’s labour market: the demographic transition. According to Cedefop, Europe’s core working-age population, those aged 20 to 50, is expected to shrink by 2035, while the number of workers aged 60 and over continues to grow. This is one of the central findings of its 2023 report, Skills in transition: the way to 2035. For HERA, which supports women aged 45+ to re-enter or advance in the labour market, this demographic shift helps explain why making better use of existing experience and talent is becoming increasingly important. A labour market looking for people Cedefop expects Europe’s overall activity rate to rise, but this will depend on policies that extend working life and improve the participation of groups currently underrepresented in employment. EURES, the European job mobility network, put the same idea even more directly in a note published in March 2024: “A third, demographic, transition is taking place at the same time. An ageing workforce is not being replaced at the same rate by younger workers who now spend more years in education […] It is therefore important to raise participation among medium-skilled workers, especially women, to fill vacancies.” Discussions about the green and digital transitions tend to focus on the skills that will be required, from digital competences to renewable energy and circular-economy knowledge. Less attention is given to a more fundamental question: who will be available to do this work? If the number of workers aged 20 to 50 is shrinking, Europe cannot expect younger generations alone to fill emerging roles. Reskilling is therefore not only a tool for social inclusion. It is also becoming essential for maintaining a resilient workforce. The paradox facing women 45+ Women aged 45+ are well placed to contribute to this changing labour market. Many bring decades of professional and personal experience, and evidence cited in HERA’s needs analysis indicates that women show a strong willingness to participate in adult education when practical barriers are removed. At the same time, much of the employment growth linked to the green and digital transitions is concentrated in male-dominated sectors. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, around 80% of the energy workforce is male. Women represent approximately 35% of the renewable energy workforce and are more commonly employed in administrative than technical positions. The EU’s own Policy Officer for adult education experimentation 2023 briefing identified barriers such as limited time, motivation and insufficient information as restricting access to adult learning. Women aged 45+ may therefore be increasingly valuable to the labour market while remaining particularly likely to be overlooked by recruitment and training systems. Turning experience into a pathway Imagine a woman entering a HERA Lab with years of experience, but uncertainty about how it fits into a changing labour market. Instead of beginning with what she lacks, the process starts with what she already knows and where those abilities could lead next. Working alongside other women, employers, training providers and public institutions, she can explore local opportunities and define a realistic reskilling pathway. This might involve recognising transferable skills, addressing a specific digital gap, finding suitable training or connecting with a mentor. This is the practical role of the HERA Labs. Across eight European countries, women aged 45+ help explore local skills needs and test approaches to reskilling in real-life settings. A digital Community Portal expected to reach hundreds of women is complementing this work by connecting participants with training and mentoring opportunities. The experiences emerging from the Labs are helping to identify what enables women to participate and what continues to stand in their way. These lessons can inform training providers, employers and policymakers seeking to make reskilling more accessible and relevant. For women aged 45+, the message is that experience is not a liability in the green and digital economy. It is a foundation on which new skills can be built. For employers, the workforce needed to address skills shortages may already be nearby, but outside the usual recruitment channels. For policymakers, supporting women aged 45+ to reskill is not a niche initiative. Demographic change is making it an increasingly important part of labour-market and vocational education policy. Future HERA updates will share what is learned through the Labs, participants’ experiences and the practical tools developed along the way. Sources Image from magnific.com

Under the European policy experimentation Erasmus+ call, an innovative project is officially launched this March 2025, to empower women 45+ through reskilling and lifelong learning.  HERA is designed to increase the participation of women aged 45+ in adult education, fostering inclusion, social cohesion, and economic growth in the face of rapid digital and green transitions. By developing local ecosystems – known as HERA Labs – the project will create collaborative environments where women, alongside public and private sector stakeholders, can assess their skills, co-develop tailored upskilling and reskilling pathways, and prepare for jobs in sectors facing skills shortages. The HERA methodology combines Innovation Hubs, Living Labs, and Mutual Aid Groups, creating a human-centric, self-sustaining support system that enables women to take charge of their career transitions. These local ecosystems will be piloted in seven regions across Europe, bringing together women seeking employment or career shifts, educational institutions, industry leaders, policymakers, and community organisations. To scale its impact, HERA will develop a virtual Community Portal using AI technology. This online platform will offer personalised skills assessments, career pathway guidance, and access to lifelong learning opportunities, ensuring that the project’s benefits extend beyond its initial pilot regions. Policy impact and European commitment HERA will drive policy change to close the gender gap in employment by equipping women 45+ with future-ready skills. Aligned with the European Skills Agenda, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the New European Agenda for Adult Education 2021-2030, the project will engage policymakers at all levels to transform findings into actionable policy recommendations. HERA’s evidence-based results will influence policies for wider implementation across regions, sectors and vulnerable groups. Through collaboration with policymakers, civil society and key stakeholders, the project will contribute to addressing labour shortages in high-demand sectors. This project will culminate with the publication of the final HERA Methodology and the finalisation and implementation of the Policy Recommendations. “Empowering women 45+ through reskilling is not just about changing careers – it is about changing lives. It is about health, well-being, and equity. It is about unlocking potential, fostering confidence, and shaping a future where every woman, at any stage in life, can thrive. Through lifelong learning, we build inclusion, economic independence, and a society where every woman has the opportunity to rise, adapt, and lead in a rapidly evolving world.” Sónia Dias HERA’s Coordinator (Dean of the NOVA National School of Public Health) The HERA project | Helping Empower Women through Reskilling and Advancement is coordinated by NOVA University in Portugal and brings together 10 partner organisations and 18 associated partners from eight European countries (Portugal, Greece, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Cyprus) to address gender disparities in employment and skills development. The online kick-off meeting is scheduled for April 15th 2025, while the firstt in-person consortium meeting will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 20-21.