The event took place at the EGG conference centre and online, marking a celebration of more than 4,000 members joining the Pact. It served as a platform for members, Large-Scale Skills Partnerships (LSPs), and Regional Skills Partnerships (RSPs) to exchange effective strategies for upskilling and reskilling. More than 160 people attended in person, while over 200 joined online.
Future digital skills needs and developments
The first panel discussion on digital skills needs and developments was moderated by Paul Guest and featured the Regional Minister of North Holland, Esther Rommel, Executive Director of Cedefop Jürgen Siebel, and Kyndryl’s Head of EU Government Affairs & Policy Thomas Grandjouan.
The panel explored how AI is impacting jobs, showing how the Pact can turn these shifts into opportunities. The panel also focussed on the regional perspective, with Esther Rommel emphasising that Europe’s future competitiveness, social structure and capacity to deliver the green and digital transitions depend largely on skills.
To support this, the Pact has launched a new RSP for North Holland, which aims to future-proof the region and prepare the local workforce for the opportunities of the green transition.
The Project Insights session explored how LinkedIn and the AI4VET4AI project are using labour‑market intelligence and VET to meet digital skills demands.
Maud Sacquet, LinkedIn’s Head of Government Relations, Public and Regulatory Affairs, referenced data from billions of members and millions of companies to show how quickly digital skills are changing, and how labour-market insights can guide policymakers in adapting to these shifts. Vangelis Makris, Team Leader at AKMI International, showed how AI4VET4AI is integrating AI skills into a European system to help workers and businesses.
Closing the skills gap for a competitive Europe
The second panel focussed on how businesses can deliver future-ready skills under the new Pact for Skills. Panellists included DG EMPL’s Director for Jobs and Skills Manuela Geleng, Eurochambres CEO Ben Butters, SEMI Europe’s Director of Advocacy and Public Policy Christopher Frieling, and Automotive Skills Alliance President and Managing Director Jakub Stolfa.
The panel agreed that the Pact should remain agile, business-friendly and increasingly linked to funding to enable coordination, amplify sectoral voices, foster cooperation, and support adult learning and education. Following this, an expert panel on upskilling in the EU neighbourhood featured Pilvi Torsti, Director at the European Training Foundation, and Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe.
The key messages were that cooperation and knowledge exchange with neighbourhood countries help build resilient skills systems. To tackle persistent labour‑market challenges, including for disadvantaged groups, speakers called for better skills intelligence, collaboration and developing entrepreneurial skills at an early age.
The Project Insights session on healthcare featured Federica Margheri, BeWell Programme Coordinator at the European Health Management Association, and Simon Lewerenz, Researcher at ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon. They highlighted that the healthcare sector cannot only rely on traditional training but must adapt through flexible learning. Furthermore, clearer definitions for green skills are needed. As solutions, speakers advocated for flexible learning pathways.
Pact for Skills, the Clean Industrial Deal and advanced manufacturing: Opportunities for synergies
The panel brought together Irene García Martínez, Innovation Projects and Digital Transformation at Celsa Group, Isabelle Barthès, Deputy Secretary General at IndustriAll Europe, Jacopo Piccagli, Project & Policy Officer at Solar Power Europe, and Oana Penu, Inno Energy’s Skills Institute Director.
Rémi Mayet, Policy Advisor at the Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy and panel moderator, underlined that, as outlined in the Draghi report, any strategy to strengthen Europe’s industrial competitiveness needs a strong skills dimension.
The third Project Insights session featured Liga Baltina, Project Coordinator for ASSETs+, Head of Labour Market and Skills Research at Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini, and Miriam Rosa, Innovation Centre Director at QSR and RSP Coordinator for RISE ASD. The session explored how anticipating skills needs relies on data-driven insights, highlighting that RSPs are essential for applying skills intelligence.
Conclusion
Across the event, participants agreed on a clear message: skills remain the defining factor of Europe’s competitiveness, underpinning every major transition.
Discover more
If you would like to learn more about the event or to find detailed breakdowns from each session and panel discussions, explore the event’s pictures, watch the recordings and download the event’s report below.
Pictures:
Recordings:
Future skills needs and developments
Closing the skills gap for a competitive Europe
Pact for Skills and the Clean Industrial Deal: Opportunities for synergies
Post-event report:
Details
- Publication date
- 19 March 2026
- Author
- Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion