ESPO is the European Skills Promotion Organization. ESPO offers organisations within the European member states (governments, industry sector organisations, educational institutions and subsidy providers) a platform (EuroSkills) for jointly improving the quality, the results and the attractiveness and promotion of vocational education and vocational skills.

EuroSkills is a biennial international skills competition organized in one of the ESPO member states. EuroSkills was organized for the first time in Rotterdam in september 2008.

The official opening of the EuroSkills 2008 event
From Left to Right: Mr. Jos de Goey (president ESPO), Mr. E. van Vliet (Chairman Skills Netherlands) Mr. J. Figel (EU Commisssioner) and Mr. R. Roborgh (Ministry Of Education, NL) 

ESPO works closely together with

1. To use skills competitions to help the EU and its member states to raise skills standards and to promote excellence in vocational skills throughout the EU
2. Increase awareness of the importance of skills and vocational education/training for the EU economies and societies
3. Develop a range of European vocational skills competitions for EU member states
4. Ensure that vocational skills competitions organised by EuroSkills, reflect the varied and changing skills requirements of the EU's member states and of the EU as a whole
5. Encourage each EU member country to participate in EuroSkills and so expand and develop the rang and structure of its own vocational skills competitions.

• focus on the promotion and presentation of European trades and vocational education,
• not only show the trade, but also the cooperation within the sector organisations to reach achievements,
• give an important role to skills competitions as inspirational factor for young people and as mutual measurement of the power of European vocational skills,
• be the platform on which European organisations, ministries of education and international industry organisations can exchange knowledge and experience about innovation, training methods and opportunities for collaboration.