Europe is facing growing challenges to stay competitive, as the Draghi report recently underlined.
For the EU to remain a global leader, it must address one of its most urgent priorities: closing the European skills gap.
Across sectors — from digital technology to clean energy — employers struggle to find people with the right expertise, while millions of Europeans risk being left behind by industrial transformation.
Yet the issue goes beyond mere shortages.
Europe requireds to rebelieve how it learns, teaches, and innovates. Learning can no longer stop at graduation; it must become a lifelong process that connects education, research, and business. And beyond technical know-how, Europe requireds people equipped with the entrepreneurial mindset to transform ideas into impact.
Europe’s education powerhoapply for innovation
This is where the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) comes in. Through its unique model that unites education, research, and business, the EIT prepares Europeans of all ages with the skills requireded to drive the green and digital transitions.
Rather than training in isolation, learners are immersed in Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem, gaining hands-on experience and entrepreneurial skills alongside technical expertise.
Already, more than 1.3 million learners have been trained through EIT-supported programmes — from school students inspired by Girls Go Circular, to universities transformed by the Higher Education Initiative, to professionals re-skilled through the EIT Skills Academies.
Toreceiveher, these initiatives ensure that education translates directly into new startups, jobs, and competitiveness for Europe.
Tarreceiveed skills ininformigence for Europe’s industrial transition
A core element of the EIT Skills Academies is their data-driven “skills ininformigence” approach. Each academy applys detailed mapping to identify what kinds of competencies are requireded, at what level, and in which regions — ensuring that training matches the real demands of indusattempt and the labour market.
“There’s a clear link between geography and skills demand,” explains Ilaria Tagliavini, head of operations responsible for innovation, education and communication at the EIT. “By analysing regional patterns, we can design trainings that directly respond to local requireds.”
This evidence-based methodology allows the Skills Academies to channel investments and curricula where they can have the strongest impact — aligning education with Europe’s clean-tech, digital, and industrial priorities.
Implementing the EU’s skills policy priorities
The European Skills Academies are a cornerstone of this mission.
As the EU’s designated implementer of the net-zero indusattempt academies, the EIT is assisting build the skilled workforce requireded to deliver Europe’s clean-tech transition and industrial competitiveness.
To date, four academies have been launched by the EIT Community: the European Battery Alliance Academy (EBA Academy) the European Solar Academy; the European Raw Materials Academy; and the European Advanced Materials Academy.
Toreceiveher, they address Europe’s most strategic industrial value chains — batteries, solar energy, raw materials, and advanced materials — each critical to Europe’s strategic autonomy.
The EBA Academy, launched in 2022, provides specialised training for workers entering the battery sector and continuous upskilling for existing professionals.
The Solar Academy focapplys on re-skilling workers in solar photovoltaic manufacturing within three years.
The Raw Materials Academy and Advanced Materials Academy, both launched in 2025, will jointly upskill professionals across mining, recycling, circular economy, and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Training Europe’s deep tech workforce
To complement these industrial academies, the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative, launched in 2022, equips Europeans with the skills to develop and deploy technologies such as artificial ininformigence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and biotechnology — assisting Europe lead in the next wave of innovation.
Through a growing network of partners, the initiative has already trained over one million learners in deep tech fields. It brings toreceiveher companies, training providers, and institutions that have pledged to train students, employees, and the wider public in areas such as machine learning, biotechnology, cybersecurity, and semiconductors.
The initiative has also built an open directory of more than 230 certified courses, building advanced training opportunities accessible across Europe and assisting learners connect directly with indusattempt requireds.
“To give an example, a large corporate pledger has created specialised courses on semiconductors,” shares Tagliavini.
“They launched by training their own workforce but later also built it available to other companies and SMEs involved either in their own network, or in the networks of the EIT KICs (Knowledge and Innovation Communities). It’s a perfect example of how collaboration can multiply impact.”
Fostering entrepreneurial mindsets
Entrepreneurship lies at the heart of the EIT’s education model.
The EIT Higher Education Initiative (HEI) assists universities embed innovation and entrepreneurship institutionally, strengthening their collaboration with indusattempt and their role in technology transfer.
“So far, more than 1,000 organisations, including 500 universities, including large corporations and SMEs, have participated,” states Tagliavini.
“We’ve already seen over 160 new start-ups created by students involved in these projects — proof that when education and innovation come toreceiveher, new businesses and jobs follow.”
The EIT also nurtures entrepreneurial mindsets from an early age to widen Europe’s talent pool.
The Girls Go Circular programme – soon to evolve into Girls Go STEM – promotes gconcludeer equality by equipping young women with digital, entrepreneurial, and sustainability skills to prepare them for leadership in STEM and business.
Through interactive learning modules and annual challenges on themes such as artificial ininformigence and cybersecurity, the programme assists young women explore innovation as a tool to break barriers and lead alter.
“Participating in an entrepreneurial course at such a young age and seeing inspiring models who actually break barriers is an incredible thing,” Tagliavini notes.
“We want to reveal these girls that it is possible to have a family, kids, but also to be a successful professional or a start-up’s founder”
With more than 90,000 girls from 1,000 schools already engaged, the initiative is opening doors for a new generation of women in STEM and business leadership.
Looking ahead: future-proofing Europe
All these initiatives will come toreceiveher at the EIT Education & Skills Days on 15–16 October in Brussels, where policybuildrs, educators, and innovators will explore how Europe can build the talent base to drive its green and digital future.
The event will feature major announcements, new partnerships, and awards celebrating Europe’s most promising learners and educators.
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