Towards a Typology of Transnational Skills Initiatives: Mapping Governance Logics and Principal Actors

This paper develops a conceptual framework for systematically categorizing transnational skills initiatives as governance instruments within global and European policy architectures. We define transnational skills initiatives as cross-border arrangements in education, training, and workforce development that aim to build, transfer, or harmonize competencies. While existing research often examines individual programs or diffusion processes in isolation, we lack an integrated typology that captures the diversity of these initiatives and their governance dynamics. Drawing on comparative policy analysis, the paper identifies and classifies key forms of transnational skills initiatives, including temporary mobility schemes, higher education alliances, cross-border education clusters, global skills partnerships, policy transfer and policy diffusion processes. Beyond mapping these configurations, the paper analyzes their underlying governance logics ranging from networked coordination to hierarchical steering and the roles of principal actors, including states, supranational bodies, and private intermediaries. Through this mapping, links of these initiatives to societal challenges such as digital transformation, climate adaptation, and demographic change, become apparent demonstrating how transnational strategic partnerships in education and training are mobilized as policy tools to enhance resilience and competitiveness. This conceptual framework provides a foundation for future empirical research on the institutional design and effectiveness of these initiatives across sectors and regions.