A week of shared insights and collaboration in Brussels

Last week, the SkillsPULSE project took part in a series of events in Brussels dedicated to tackling Europe’s skills shortages and mismatches. Through panel discussions, policy dialogues and networking sessions, SkillsPULSE shared its innovative approaches to transforming labour-market and skills data into actionable intelligence for better policy-making and regional resilience.

1. Education and skills Horizon Europe feedback to policy event

The week opened with a policy session on skills and education, organised by European Research Executive Agency (REA) and DG Employment, where our partners Liga Baltina (Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini) and Terence Hogarth (IER), presented the SkillsPULSE Project, and shared insights on skills mismatches and shortages, and what recommendations for policies to address them.

2. SkillsPULSE at the 23rd European Week of Regions and Cities

On Tuesday October 14th, SkillsPULSE participated in the interactive session “From insight to impact: leveraging data-driven approaches for smarter regional policy”, during the European Week of Regions and Cities, together with three other Horizon Europe projects, MOBI-TWIN, Re-Place EU, PREMIUM_EU. We explored how diverse methods and data tools can boost regional resilience, address talent loss and strengthen the “right to stay”, and what’s needed for effective policy uptake.

3. SkillsPULSE Policy Roundtable: From data to decision-making

Also on Tuesday, our coordinator Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini hosted a SkillsPULSE policy roundtable with representatives from DG Employment, industriAll Europe, World Employment Confederation, and EfVET to discuss our initial research results. We focused on what to measure in skills and skills matching and why, from indicators that capture shortages/mismatches to metrics that can inform targeted interventions.

4. FGB Knowledge Apero

We closed the day with the 15th FGB Knowledge Apero: “Tackling Skills Shortages: Turning Data into Action”. Speakers from MOBI-TWIN, Re-Place EU, PREMIUM_EU, and SkillsPULSE shared practical approaches related to skills needs: from mapping workforce mobility and regional attractiveness, to assessing quality of life, modelling policy impacts, and methods for measuring skills shortages. The event was part of the European Regions Week 2025 – Close to You initiative.