Local economies are being called to address urgently the enormous skills challenge in the context of the digital transformation. Facing a new paradigm of unprecedented change, uncertain and unpredictable, several initiatives to bridge the skills gap are being developed by local governments in Europe, and around the world. Despite the efforts, skills shortage and skills mismatch persist, as several recent studies and reports predicting a pessimistic future have shown. 

More than ever, everyone needs to be involved and to be part of the solution: governments, companies and citizens, but also educational institutions, employment agencies, and statistics institutes, in order to ensure an efficient skills alignment, a sustainable economic development, and to prepare people for this new paradigm. 

Jobs and Skills in the Local Economy has also been the thematic focus of one of the Partnerships of the Urban Agenda for the EU.

Given the current role of local authorities in this new context, the workshop on Jobs and Skills in the Local Economy intended to explore innovative solutions that have been developed in some European cities to meet these challenges. 

The session counted with the participation of four cities with innovative case studies and with the presence of an expert moderator leading an inspirational debate about technological and human skills.

Ricardo Valente (City Councilor for Economy, Tourism and Commerce and City Councilor for European Funds, Porto) opened the session with the presentation of the "Porto for talent” initiative. "Fostering Jobs and Skills adaptation to the Digital Economy through innovative solutions" was the moto for the case study´s panel, with the participation of Ivan Jimenez (Bizkaia Talent, Biscay), Frank Schutte (BRIDGE Project, Rotterdam) and Christian Scharff (Expert on Skills in the Digital Economy, Luxemburg). This panel was followed by an inspirational debate on technological and human skills , moderated by Paula Marques (Nova School of Business and Economics, Lisbon).

More information on the CITIES Forum 2020

Read the presentation on Jobs & Skills and other presentations related to the Urban Agenda