The main vision of SKIES is to contribute to an innovative employment-oriented training in astronomy PhD programmes. More specifically, SKIES will contribute to the New Skills and Modernisation Agendas of the European Union. In the long term, SKIES contributes to increasing the numbers of scientists and researchers in Europe by contributing to a more scientifically interested and literate society and to a better awareness of and interest in scientific (maybe scientific, engineering, data, and technology-based careers, while equalising educational opportunities for citizens, regardless of their geographic location or socio-economic background