The report sets the baseline for the first activities of the BE-21-SKILLED project and the consultations with external partners involved in the Regional Skill Councils. Firstly, it summarises the status quo on the 21 century skills, based on desk research results and meta-analysis of international 21 CS frameworks. Secondly, the report sets the scene for project result approbation at the national level in Latvia and Serbia by describing the national context for STEM studies and existing consultation mechanisms with national stakeholders.