EIT Skills Academies – EIT Education and Skills Days 2025

Training Europe’s Talent for Tomorrow’s Industries

Mandated by the European Commission and run by the EIT Community, the EIT Skills Academies deliver hands-on training and specialised skills in strategic sectors like clean tech, energy, advanced manufacturing, and defence. These Academies are driving Europe’s industrial transformation by equipping people with the expertise needed for resilient and future-ready value chains.

Join us to explore how the EIT Skills Academies are responding to Europe’s growing demand for specialised talent through high-impact, sector-specific training. Discover how four flagship Academies are addressing critical labour shortages and building a skilled workforce to power the EU’s green, digital, and industrial transitions.

Agenda | 15th October

9:00 - 9:30

REGISTRATION AND WELCOME COFFEE

9:30 - 10:00

EIT HIGH-LEVEL OPENING

Ekaterina Zaharieva

EU Commissioner Startups, Research and Innovation, European Commission

Nicodemos Damianou

Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy of Cyprus

Stefan Dobrev

Governing Board Chairperson, EIT

10:00 - 10:45

High-level panel: Building Europe’s talent pipeline: driving the Union of Skills and STEM Strategy

Moderator: Martin Kern

Director, EIT

Antoaneta Angelova-Krasteva

Director for Innovation, Digital Education and International Cooperation, European Commission

Ivars Ijabs

Member, European Parliament

Steven Engels

Head of Unit, Professional Qualifications and Skills for Competitiveness, European Commission

Yun Luo

CEO, ROSI

10:45 - 11:15

COFFEE BREAK

11.15 – 12.00

Building Europe’s Net-Zero Workforce: Lessons, Insights, and What’s Next

Topics covered:

A blueprint for setting up industry-ready academies
Job profile building, and an overview of the most critical roles in the transition
Certification pathways and harmonisation (with input from experts)
How to collect and use feedback
Live demo of the dashboard or video

Moderator: Oana Penu

Director of InnoEnergy, InnoEnergy Skills Institute

Jacqui Wigg

Solar Academy Coordinator, InnoEnergy

Cameron Borrett

Certification Manager, InnoEnergy

Ildiko Mazar

Leading the tech support at Europass, European Commission

Michael  Reiner

CEO, ECQA

12:00 - 12:45

Resilient by Design: Powering Skills and Talent for Europe’s Raw Materials Future

Europe’s raw materials sector is at a crossroads. Macro trends, shrinking talent pipelines, and surging demand for green and digital expertise pose critical risks to competitiveness. This session will bring together leaders from industry, vocational training, and higher education to explore how skills development can underpin industrial resilience and growth. At the centre is the European Raw Materials Academy, led by EIT RawMaterials, this initiative connects industry needs to education and innovation to rapidly equip Europe’s raw materials workforce for the transition ahead, ensuring industrial resilience in the face of increasing global competition.

Moderator: Alison Opalko

Education Manager, EIT RawMaterials

Giulia Meschino

Secretary General , European Vocational Training Association (EVTA)

Didier Zimmermann

Business Development and Fundraising Director, EIT RawMaterials

Enrico Borella

Public Affairs Manager Mining, CECE - The Committee of European Construction Equipment

Severine Lafont

SVP HR Europe, Sibanye Stillwater

Rolf Kuby

Director General, Euromines

12:45 - 13:00

Next-Gen Skills from Science to Industry: Launching the European Advanced Materials Academy

Maria Cristina Russo

Director for Prosperity, DG RTD

Bernd Schäfer

CEO and Managing Director, EIT RawMaterials

13:00 - 14:00

NETWORKING LUNCH