This paper seeks to identify lessons arising for local and regional forecasting systems that have been identified through the work of the EU funded project ARLI (The EU-Skills Panorama: Achieving Regional and Local Impact). The project’s aim was to influence the development of the EU Skills Panorama and was, unusually, particularly close to ongoing European Commission activity with strong links into the relevant Directorate. The EU Skills Panorama was envisaged initially as the EU portal providing information about recent and future trends in labour market and skill needs. This was failing to make a significant impact, and the project sought to nuance where and how it could evolve to help inform the work of experts at the regional and local levels. This involved interrelating the EU Skills Panorama content and approach with that of local and regional LMI experts with the intention of achieving greatly enhanced impact and added value for all concerned.
A further aim was to explore how existing regional and local provision of skills forecasting could be enhanced for stakeholders. This issue was addressed through a good practice approach as well as interrelation with the EU Skills Panorama.