Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Skills as a driver of economic growth, a tool for social inclusion, and a strategic factor for Europe's competitiveness. But they are also a resource for addressing technological transformations, supporting migration, and contributing to the reconstruction of countries affected by war. These are some of the key themes at the heart of the Turin Global Skills Summit 2026, the international event promoted by the European Training Foundation (ETF), the European Union agency based in Turin, scheduled for November 23-25 at the OGR, the Turin-based repair workshops.
For three days, Turin will bring together representatives of European institutions, ministers and policymakers responsible for employment and education, international organizations, businesses, financial institutions, universities, experts, and young people from the European Union and ETF partner countries, from the Western Balkans to Eastern Europe, from the Mediterranean to Central Asia and Africa.
The aim is to place at the centre of the international debate one of the crucial issues for Europe's economic and social future: how to train people for increasingly rapidly changing professions and how to prevent skills shortages from becoming an obstacle to growth, innovation, and social cohesion.
The Summit is part of the European Union of Skills strategy, launched by the Commission in March 2025 to strengthen the quality of education, improve vocational training, promote lifelong learning, and facilitate the recognition of qualifications and skills across countries.
The initiative is also part of the European Skills and VET Week activities, dedicated to promoting skills and vocational training.
The starting point is a contradiction affecting many advanced economies: while part of the population struggles to find work, many companies are unable to recruit the necessary professionals. Accelerating technological innovation, demographic aging, and the energy transition are changing labor demand faster than traditional education and training systems can adapt.
The program will be structured around three main tracks—Skills for People, Skills for Business, and Skills for Society—designed to examine the role of skills from different but closely related perspectives.
The first, dedicated to individuals, will address the issue of access to education throughout life, overcoming the idea that learning is concentrated exclusively in the school and university years.
Particular attention will be paid to professional retraining opportunities, the possibility of acquiring new skills throughout one's career, and policies to promote the employment of young people, women, and people with disabilities.
A specific chapter will address the international mobility of workers and the recognition of professional qualifications, with particular reference to the Mediterranean.
The theme is the so-called portability of skills: making knowledge and experience gained in different countries comparable and recognizable, facilitating training, job market entry, and professional mobility. This issue affects migration policies, relations between Europe and neighboring countries, and the ability of businesses to access qualified personnel.
The second track, Skills for Business, will focus on the relationship between human capital, competitiveness, and innovation. Discussions will focus on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, the creation of ecosystems that foster entrepreneurship, the availability of adequate skills in strategic sectors, and the contribution of training to the green transition.
A significant portion of the discussion will be devoted to artificial intelligence and the systemic transformations this technology is bringing about in the world of work. This involves not only the need to prepare new professional figures, but also the need to update the skills of those already working and adapt schools, universities, institutions, and training systems to increasingly rapid changes.
The program will also examine the role of public and private investment in human capital development, with the involvement of international financial institutions. The question is how to make training a component of investment and economic development strategies, especially in sectors where the shortage of skilled workers risks slowing down industrial and infrastructure projects.
The third strand, Skills for Society, will broaden the perspective to the social and geopolitical dimensions of skills. The work will address the contribution of education to community cohesion, the functioning of institutions, democratic participation, and the ability of societies to cope with crises and transformations.
Among the most significant topics is skills for peace, reconstruction, and just transitions, with particular attention to societies affected by conflict. Reconstruction, in fact, involves not only buildings, infrastructure, and productive activities, but also the ability to rebuild human capital, reactivate education systems, and offer job prospects to new generations. The debate will also include the experiences of Ukraine and the Mediterranean and Balkan countries.
Alongside the main sessions, the Summit includes initiatives dedicated to some of the emerging challenges in education and training.
One of the discussions will focus on critical thinking in the age of artificial intelligence and media literacy, in a context characterized by the growing diffusion of artificially generated content, misinformation, and the difficulty of distinguishing reliable sources. This topic directly links educational policies to the quality of public debate and the stability of democratic societies.
Other meetings will explore the relationship between innovation and basic skills, the involvement of young people in education reform processes, and the role of scientific diplomacy and international cooperation in disseminating knowledge.
Attention will also be paid to vocational training as a development tool in European Union partner countries, the new opportunities offered by collaborations between universities, businesses, and institutions, and the need to build education systems capable of responding to both the needs of local economies and the transformations of the global market.
The Summit is promoted by the European Training Foundation, a specialized European Union agency that has been operating in Turin since 1994 and focuses on human capital development, particularly in countries bordering the EU or involved in European neighbourhood, enlargement, and international cooperation policies.
The ETF supports governments and institutions in modernizing vocational education and training systems, improving employment policies, and building more effective links between schools, universities, and the business world.
Its work includes comparative analyses, data collection, consulting with public institutions, exchanging best practices, and supporting reform processes. Over the course of over thirty years, the agency has supported the development of training systems in more than forty partner countries, helping to strengthen relations between the European Union and its neighbors.
From this perspective, skills are considered not only a tool for improving individual employability, but also a component of European policies for development, economic stability, and international cooperation.
Since 2023, the agency has been headed by Pilvi Torsti, a Finnish education policy expert with extensive experience in institutions, universities, and civil society.
A graduate and PhD in social sciences, Torsti has held positions as State Secretary in Finland in the Ministries of Education and Culture, Labour and Economy, and Transport and Communications. Between 2017 and 2019, she was a Member of the Finnish Parliament, also working on education and futures policies.
In parallel with his institutional activity, he developed an academic career at the University of Helsinki and promoted international educational initiatives, including the founding of HEI Schools and contributing to the creation of the United World College in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, an educational project developed in the context of post-war reconstruction.
Her experience reflects one of the ETF's guiding principles: considering education as a tool not only for economic development, but also for social mobility, cooperation between countries, and community reconstruction.
The Torino Global Skills Summit will open on November 23rd with side events dedicated to, among other topics, educational innovation, critical thinking, and skills diplomacy. The core program will kick off on November 24th with institutional sessions and continue on the 25th with discussions on international partnerships, lifelong learning, artificial intelligence, and global perspectives on education.
The city of Turin will play a role that goes beyond hosting the event. The organizers intend to promote it as a Living Lab, a laboratory where they can demonstrate how collaboration between local governments, businesses, universities, educational organizations, and communities can foster innovation, inclusion, and growth.
Alongside the discussions, the #MadeWithSkills Exchange will also be held, a space for practical exchange where organizations, professionals, and participants can share and teach concrete skills through short training sessions. This will be a way to translate into activities and demonstrations the principle that skills are also developed through the direct exchange of knowledge and experiences.
The program also includes the involvement of young people from partner countries, lifelong learning initiatives, opportunities for dialogue with international financial institutions, and the presentation of the ETF Green Skills Awards, dedicated to promoting experiences related to skills for the green transition.
The Summit represents the culmination of a process of international dialogue developed throughout 2026 through preparatory meetings, research, and awareness campaigns. The organizers' ambition is to continue beyond the Turin event, transforming the dialogue between institutions, businesses, and the education sector into concrete collaborations and initiatives.
Participation in the Torino Global Skills Summit is primarily by invitation, although some initiatives are open to the public. Information on the program and how to participate is available on the official website of the European Training Foundation.
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