The case for continuity: how a BeWell 2.0 initiative could consolidate gains in digital and green skills

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1. Analytical summary

Context and issues: skills, transitions and systems

The article starts from the observation that digitisation (including AI) and the green transition are often experienced as top-down mandates, whereas their success depends on the ability of health and care staff to transform these directives into daily practices. The BeWell project, a sectoral Erasmus+ alliance within the framework of the Blueprint Alliances and the Pact for Skills, has produced a foundation: needs analysis, skills matrices, curricula, BeWell Skills strategy, and alignment of numerous stakeholders. The challenge now is not to leave these outputs at the stage of "project deliverables", but to make them a lever for the resilience of systems through a coordinated European approach, aligned with the Union of Skills, the European Health Data Space, the Preparedness Union strategy, and other frameworks (Pillar of Social Rights, recommendation on human capital). The text also highlights discrepancies: rapid adoption of AI without an appropriate training framework, low perceived demand for "green" skills, and insufficiency of transversal skills (adaptive leadership, change management, intersectoral collaboration).

Operational contributions: intelligence, territorial pilots and conditions for appropriation

The article proposes a BeWell 2.0 roadmap structured around three operational axes. The first is the development of an updated and integrated skills intelligence, targeting AI, green skills and their integration into a basic skills framework, in continuity with references such as the WHO‑ASPHER Competency Framework and the work of the WHO Collaborating Centre in Maastricht. The second axis is the implementation of territorial pilots to test, adapt and institutionalise curricula, micro‑certifications and competency assessments in various regional contexts, as shown by the example of ProMIS in Italy. The third is the creation of structural conditions for sustainability: regular political dialogues, coordination with other Blueprint alliances (Care4Skills, BRIGHTSkills, Xpanding XiA), articulation with European frameworks (EQF, Union of Skills, Council recommendations) so that digital and green skills are recognised, required and funded in health and training systems.

2. Key points of the document

1. BeWell as a lever for transitioning from strategy to implementation

   BeWell is presented as a Blueprint alliance that has already produced skills intelligence, matrices, curricula and a structured strategy for digital and green skills, but whose impact now depends on its ability to transition from a ‘blueprint’ to sustainable system changes. The document positions BeWell 2.0 as the necessary continuity phase to transform these achievements into entrenched institutional capacities. (pp. 29–30)

2. The gap between AI adoption and skills development

   The article relies on a 2025 assessment from WHO Europe to show that, despite a growing reliance on AI (assisted diagnosis, algorithmic decision-making, administrative automation), few member states have integrated AI content into initial or continuing training and less than half have dedicated roles for data science. BeWell 2.0 is thus called upon to develop a nuanced understanding of AI skills (governance, ethics, bias, professional responsibility) that goes beyond simple "digital literacy." (p. 30)

3. "Green" skills as daily practice rather than specialised niche

   The BeWell public consultations show a low awareness and stated demand for green skills, often perceived as reserved for specialists or as an additional burden for already stretched teams. The article proposes reframing these skills by linking them to the quality of care, patient outcomes, and the well-being of professionals, relying on health promotion and prevention practices (nature prescription, physical activity, healthy diets) to connect environmental sustainability and professional actions. (pp. 30–31)

4. Integrate digital and green skills into cross-cutting frameworks

   The text emphasises the need not to isolate AI and green skills, but to integrate them into a skills architecture that includes adaptive leadership, change management, systems thinking, and intersectoral collaboration. It highlights the work of the WHO Collaborating Centre in Maastricht (digital, environment, leadership) and the WHO-ASPHER Competency Framework as transferable references to BeWell 2.0 for a coherent framework covering public health and other health professions. (pp. 31–32)

5. Territorial pilots, micro-certifications and alignment with European frameworks

   The article details the use of territorial pilots to test the integration of new skills into curricula, continuing education and organisations (example of the ProMIS regional partnership in Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Apulia, involving over 1,000 professionals). It highlights the importance of micro-credits, competency assessments, alignment with EQF levels and articulation with European frameworks such as the Union of Skills, the European Health Data Space and the Preparedness Union in order to keep the issue of skills at the heart of reform agendas. (pp. 32–34)

3. Action points for local actors

1. Map digital, AI and green skills at the level of your organisation

   Draw inspiration from the ‘skills intelligence’ approach described for BeWell 2.0 to create a local mapping: profiles, tasks, expected and missing skills in digital, AI, data and environmental sustainability. This mapping can be based on existing frameworks (WHO-ASPHER, national frameworks) and serve as a foundation for a structured and prioritised training plan. (pp. 30–31)

2. Design micro-training pathways and micro-certifications

   Develop short modules (micro-credentials) on targeted skills (e.g. ethical use of AI in care, reducing the carbon footprint of practices, data usage) with competency assessment and formal recognition, in line with EQF levels. These micro-pathways can be delivered by training institutes, universities or continuing education organisations, and be co-constructed with employers and professional representatives. (p. 32)

3. Launch territorial pilots involving multiple sectors

   Establish regional or territorial pilots (type "skills pacts") involving health, social, medico-social, training and employment, within a limited but well-documented scope, similar to the experiment coordinated by ProMIS. These pilots must provide for systematic feedback mechanisms to curricula, continuing education systems, and organisations. (pp. 32–33)

4. Structure a local and national political dialogue on skills

   Draw inspiration from examples of RETHOS (Norway) and European instruments (European Semester, European Pillar of Social Rights, Union of Skills) to establish a regular dialogue with regional and national authorities on health skills. This requires documenting needs, linking local projects to national and European priorities, and advocating for the explicit integration of digital and green skills into standards, accreditations, and funding. (pp. 32–34)

5. Integrate transversal skills into HR pathways and practices

   Translate leadership skills, change management, intersectoral collaboration, and systems thinking into training objectives, evaluation criteria, and career progression for professionals. In practice, this may involve leadership programmes (such as the WHO European Public Health Leadership Course), multi-stakeholder workshops, and recognition of experiences in coordinating digital or green projects. (pp. 31–32)

4. Additional references

1. WHO Regional Office for Europe & ASPHER – "WHO-ASPHER Competency Framework for the Public Health Workforce in the European Region" (2020)

   Detailed framework of competencies for the public health workforce, useful for articulating digital, green and transversal skills.

   URL : https://pact-for-skills.ec.europa.eu/community-resources/publications-and-documents/who-aspher-competency-framework-public-health-workforce-european-region_en

2. European Commission – "Union of Skills" (updated 2026)

   Communication from the Commission detailing the Union of Skills strategy, its objectives and instruments to strengthen skills in the EU, including health and care.

   URL : https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/skills-and-qualifications/union-skills_en

3. Kuhlmann E. et al. – "Health security needs a European health and care workforce strategy, and it needs it now" Health Policy, 2026

   Article arguing for an integrated European health workforce strategy as a pillar of health security, complementing the BeWell 2.0 perspective.

   URL (ScienceDirect, institutional access often required) : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168851026000345

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What exactly does BeWell cover and how would BeWell 2.0 be different?

   BeWell is an Erasmus+ Blueprint alliance that has produced a skills strategy, matrices, curricula and a large coalition of stakeholders around digital and green skills in health and care. BeWell 2.0 would be a phase of continuity aimed at moving from design to systemic implementation through enhanced intelligence, territorial pilots and political alignment. (pp. 29–30)

2. Why is the focus specifically on AI in health?

   The article shows that AI has rapidly spread (diagnostics, decision support, administrative tasks), while training and competency frameworks lag behind. Few states have integrated AI content into initial or continuing training and less than half have dedicated positions for AI and data science. (p. 30)

3. What does "green skills" mean for healthcare professionals?

   Green skills are defined as the knowledge and skills necessary to work in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. They cover both clinical practices (prevention, health promotion, nature prescriptions, nutrition) and resource management (energy, waste, travel), with a direct link to patient outcomes and professional well-being. (pp. 30–31)

4. How does BeWell 2.0 plan to integrate digital and green skills into existing frameworks?

   The article proposes to integrate them into a broader competency framework including leadership, change management, and intersectoral collaboration, relying on frameworks such as the WHO-ASPHER Competency Framework and the programmes of the WHO Collaborating Centre in Maastricht. The aim is for these skills to be assessed and recognised in practice, not just mentioned in training programmes. (pp. 31–32)

5. What are "territorial pilots" and what are they for?

   The territorial pilots are regional or local experiments that test the integration of BeWell skills in different health system contexts. They help identify barriers, adjust content, test micro-certifications, and produce feedback that continuously informs the intelligence of skills and curricula. (p. 32)

6. How does the document link BeWell 2.0 to European policy frameworks (Union of Skills, EQF, etc.)?

   The article mentions the Union of Skills, the European Health Data Space, the Preparedness Union, the European Semester, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the Recommendation on Human Capital as levers to keep skills at the centre of reforms. BeWell 2.0 aims to align its actions with these frameworks to strengthen the recognition and funding of skills in national policies. (pp. 33–34)

7. Does the document address the issue of the participation of professionals and beneficiaries in the design of skills?

   Yes, indirectly: it emphasizes the co-construction of curricula with employers, training institutions, student representatives, and regional partners. The example of RETHOS in Norway shows multi-actor programme groups, and that of ProMIS highlights regional partnerships involving over 1,000 professionals in the experiments. (pp. 32–33)

6. Rewriting in Easy Language

Title: BeWell 2.0 and the new skills

Context

• Caregivers need to use more digital tools and respect the environment.

• Many projects talk about these topics but change little in actual work.

• BeWell has already described useful skills and created training.

• BeWell 2.0 wants to test these ideas in real life and over the long term.

• The text also talks about the European frameworks that support these actions.

Simple summary

• AI is rapidly arriving in hospitals and services.

• Caregivers are not sufficiently trained to use it safely.

• Green skills are little known and in low demand.

• The authors want to link digital, ecology, and basic skills like teamwork.

• They propose regional tests and a dialogue with decision-makers.

Key points in easy-to-read language

1. Understand the skills needs

• It is necessary to know what skills teams need today.

• This concerns AI, digital, ecology, and basic skills.

2. Train on AI

• Caregivers must understand how AI works.

• They must know the limits, risks, and ethical rules.

3. Integrate green skills into daily life

• Green skills are not a separate topic.

• They connect to the quality of care and prevention.

4. Test in pilot regions

• Regions are testing new training with real professionals.

• We look at what works and what needs to change.

5. Link training to policies

• Countries and Europe have rules and plans on skills.

• BeWell 2.0 wants new skills to be officially recognised.

7. Cross-sectional analysis — values of health practices

• Literacy: The document mentions the need to make digital, AI, and green skills understandable for different profiles, but remains focused on professional actors rather than on audiences with low levels of literacy.

• Empowerment: Final beneficiaries are mainly seen as recipients of a more efficient system; the direct empowerment of users is not well explained, with the emphasis being placed on the empowerment of professionals through skills.

• Participation: Participation mainly relies on co-construction with training institutions, employers, students, and regional partners (e.g. RETHOS, ProMIS), without detailing user participation.

• Community health: The community dimension appears through health promotion approaches (nature prescriptions, healthy lifestyles) and territorial partnerships, but it is not the core of the argument.

• Ethics: Ethics is addressed through the responsible use of AI, data governance, and ethical leadership, but without detailed analysis of cultural biases.

• Human rights: The reference to the European Pillar of Social Rights and human capital suggests an approach centred on equity and inclusion, but the rights of patients and minorities are not well detailed.

• Intersectorality: The document strongly emphasises collaboration between health, education, social, employment, and levels of governance (local, regional, national, European).

• Partnership: It describes formalised partnership models (Blueprint Alliances, Large‑Scale Partnerships, ProMIS, RETHOS) bringing together employers, training, authorities, and professionals.

• Combating discrimination: The text does not explicitly address discrimination or diversity; non-judgment and the fight against inequalities are rather implicit through references to equity and human capital.

8. Assessment of the reliability of the resource

Scientific relevance

The article is published in Eurohealth, a health policy journal linked to the European Observatory and the WHO, which gives it strong institutional credibility. It relies on recent references (2020–2026) including a WHO report on AI, articles from Health Policy and NPJ Urban Sustainability, as well as official frameworks like the WHO‑ASPHER Competency Framework. It is a guidance text rather than a comprehensive empirical study, but its argumentation is consistent with current European policies (Union of Skills, Preparedness Union).

Operational relevance

The document provides a clear strategic framework and concrete examples (ProMIS, RETHOS, WHO CC Maastricht) that can be translated into actions for health, prevention, and social-medical structures. However, it remains at a macro-political and European level, which requires local actors to adapt the approach to their national, regulatory, and budgetary contexts. Its main value for the field is to offer a reference framework and a common language to advocate for digital and green skills programmes aligned with European priorities.