The Agents of Change project, funded under the Erasmus+ programme, aims to transform the role of Cultural and Creative Industry (CCI) professionals in Europe by equipping them with the competencies to lead sustainable and inclusive societal innovation. Led by Drivhuset Göteborg and a diverse consortium across seven countries, the initiative focuses on vocational education and training (VET) that supports creative professionals in becoming true “agents of change.”
At the heart of the project is a vision: to develop a micro-learning, challenge-based capacity-building programme, co-designed with and for CCI professionals. This program will foster entrepreneurial, environmental, and collaborative skills aligned with the principles of the New European Bauhaus (NEB)—sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion.
This month, a major milestone of the Agents of Change has been reached with the launch of the New European Bauhaus Competency Framework, also known as the NEB Comp. This new competence framework translates the ambitious values of the New European Bauhaus into a structured set of professional skills, knowledge, and attitudes, tailored specifically for CCI professionals, closely aligned with the already existing European competency frameworks like EntreComp, GreenComp and DigComp.
A framework born from the field
The NEB Comp is a Competency Framework tailored to the needs of cultural and creative professionals who wish to embed NEB values into their daily work. It outlines 15 essential competencies structured into four thematic areas:
- A Sustainable Creative Environment – integrating circularity, ethical thinking, sustainable innovation, and business models;
- Inclusive Co-Creation – fostering cultural diversity, accessibility, empathy, and collaborative leadership;
- Aesthetic Exploration and Expression – connecting heritage, creative experimentation, and meaningful value creation;
- Embracing the NEB – equipping professionals with tools in digital literacy, communication, and change management.
The NEB Comp is the result of an intensive, user-centred process carried out by the project consortium across seven countries and EU-wide networks: Sweden, Spain, Greece, Italy, Serbia, Poland, and Belgium/EU-wide. Between April and May 2025, national focus groups were organised with the participation of a representative panel of CCI workers and experts. Together, they discussed the major local challenges identified in their communities and ways to integrate the NEB principles into their daily practice.
This input will lead the project partnership to create its NEB map – a map of community challenges that CCI professionals are trying to tackle through the New European Bauhaus principles. Secondly, these focus groups also helped to identify the main skills needs and shortages, which were later analysed by the project partnership and led to the creation of the NEB Comp.
A strategic tool for education development
The NEB Comp is not just a descriptive document, but rather a strategic tool aimed at multiple audiences:
- Creative professionals can use it to assess their skills, identify learning needs, and plan their professional development.
- Educational providers can use the framework to design NEB-aligned courses and training programmes.
- Policymakers and employers can rely on it to shape recruitment, upskilling strategies, and innovation policies that support NEB implementation.
The NEB Comp is also complementary to other NEB initiatives, such as the NEB Academy and the self-assessment tools developed by the European Commission. What sets it apart is its specific focus on the cultural and creative sectors and its practical, community-informed creation.
The NEB as a basis for further actions
During the next months, the NEB Comp will be presented back to the CCI sector stakeholders during national workshops for its final validation and dissemination. If you are interested in participating in this presentation, we invite you to get in contact with our national partner organisations, which will be happy to provide you with more information!
As the project moves forward, further upcoming activities will include pilot testing of the training programme, the development of an open digital platform, and a policy toolkit to support replication. Together, these efforts aim to amplify the visionary capacity of Europe’s creative workforce and bring NEB-inspired transformation to local communities.
For more updates, stay connected with Agents of Change—where creativity meets purpose and professionals become pioneers of a better future.
Written by Cécile Sauvage and Pilar Aguado, MEUS