Brussels, March 2026, JA Europe participated in the European Employment and Social Rights Forum 2026, the European Commission’s flagship annual event on employment, skills, and social rights, held on 3–4 March 2026 in Brussels. Organised by the European Commission’s Directorate‑General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, the Forum brought together EU leaders, policymakers, social partners, and civil society organisations to discuss the future of Europe’s social model.
The fourth edition of the Forum recorded over 5,200 registrations and more than 1,500 participants attending in person, with discussions focusing on securing quality jobs, fair labour mobility, tackling poverty, investing in people, and strengthening Europe’s skills base in times of rapid change.
Under the leadership of European Commission Executive Vice‑President Roxana Mînzatu and Director‑General Mario Nava, the Forum explored how Europe can adapt its employment and social policies to technological transformation, economic pressures, and shifting labour market needs. In this context, JA Europe contributed to the debate on employability, skills development, and youth entrepreneurship, reinforcing its role as a strategic partner in Europe’s social and digital transition.
Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe, represented the organisation at the Forum and took part in the Pact for Skills session, contributing to the expert panel on “Upskilling in the EU Neighbourhood.” During the discussion, he shared insights from JA Europe’s programmes and EU‑funded initiatives, highlighting how practice‑based learning and transversal skills development help bridge the gap between education and labour market needs.
Among the flagship initiatives showcased by JA Europe was EU Code Week (https://codeweek.eu/), which reaches 25 million young people annually through coding and computational thinking activities, helping to make digital literacy a cornerstone of young people’s futures. The Skills4Retail project (https://jaeurope.org/learning-experiences/portfolio/skills4retail/) , developed under the Pact for Skills framework, was also highlighted as an example of targeted, sector‑driven skills development addressing shortages in digital and customer‑centric competences in the retail sector.
JA Europe also underlined its contribution to building resilient education‑to‑employment pathways through initiatives such as the Entrepreneurial Skills Pass (ESP) (https://jaeurope.org/learning-experiences/certification/), which makes entrepreneurial competences visible and recognised across Europe, as well as programmes including GEN‑E, Europe’s Largest Youth Entrepreneurship Festival. These efforts are complemented by EU‑funded projects such as PulseZ (https://www.pulse-z.eu/), RESCHIP4EU (https://jaeurope.org/learning-experiences/portfolio/reschip4eu/) , and EMPASS (https://jaeurope.org/learning-experiences/portfolio/empass/) , which support skills development, mobility, and youth employability across different European contexts.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate how JA Europe contributes to a coherent European learning and skills ecosystem, empowering young people to explore opportunities, develop future‑ready skills, and connect across borders in support of Europe’s social and economic resilience.
🔗 Learn more about the event: European Employment and Social Rights Forum – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
About JA Europe
JA Europe is the largest and leading organisation in Europe dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed. For over 100 years, JA Worldwide has delivered hands‑on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial health. In the last school year, the JA Europe network in over 40 countries provided over 7.5 million learning experiences for youth in online, in person and blended formats, the organisation provided over 95,500 teaching experiences and 86,500 volunteering and mentoring experiences. For more information, visit JA Europe website or contact Irina Ilieva at JA Europe (irina@jaeurope.org).
