EU Skills Academies
EIT Food Launches EU Skills Academies to Drive Workforce Transformation in the Agri-Food Sector
Our Vision
The EU Skills Academies are a bold response to these challenges.
They will build the competencies, confidence and connections needed to future-proof Europe's food systems - from farm to fork.
Each Academy is a dynamic skills alliance, bringing together industry, employers and employees, education experts, training providers, and policymakers.
They are not physical spaces, but action-oriented, industry driven coalitions to solve skills gaps through skills intelligence, training provision, and experimentation how to upskill and reskill the workforce.
Join the Alliance
The EU Skills Academies are open alliances for innovation, collaboration, and learning.
We invite:
- Industry partners and producer associations to co-design training needs
- Employers to invest in their workforce
- Educational institutions and training providers to join course development and credentialing as well as deliver training
- Policy actors to help shape enabling frameworks
- Foundations and funders to support long-term impact
Thematic Focus Areas
The Academies will operate across two domains where transformation is urgently needed:
Biotechnology Academy
The Biotechnology Academy will build talent at the intersection of biotech, food, and health.
With food biotech being one of the industrial priority areas of the new European Commission, and driven by industry, the Biotechnology Academy focuses on addressing the STEM and innovation skills and talent shortages to enable growth and global competitiveness.
Resilient Agriculture
The Resilient Agriculture Academy will support regenerative, digital, and climate-resilient farming.
The Resilient Agriculture Academy supports regenerative practices and innovations, i.e. those that enhance the carrying capacity of the environment, address biodiversity loss and build systemic resilience. Key skills gaps are higher levels of entrepreneurial and management skills, technical and digital know-how, and sustainability expertise. Furthermore, the Academy will attract skilled talent to combat ageing in the sector.
Each Academy will draw on EIT Food’s Competency Framework, excellent training provision, micro-credential infrastructure, and learning innovation expertise to design modular, scalable, and inclusive training offers.
Driving workforce transformation for a future-fit food system
The food system is at a tipping point. Rapid technological change, climate urgency, and shifting market demands are transforming how we produce, process, and consume food. At the same time, Europe faces a growing shortage of workers with the skills needed to meet these challenges and opportunities. To tackle this, EIT Food is launching two EU Skills Academies – flagship initiatives designed to close critical skills gaps, strengthen talent pipelines, and embed a culture of lifelong learning across the food system.
Why EU Skills Academies?
Europe urgently needs a future-ready food workforce. The Draghi, Heitor and Letta Reports and the EU Competitiveness Compass clearly set out the connection between a skilled workforce and innovation, competitiveness, and the green and digital transitions. Across the food system, the need is especially pressing. Fragmented value chains, outdated training systems, and a growing mismatch between job requirements and worker capabilities are holding its sectors back. With the highest rate of skills misalignment in the economy, the agri-food sectors urgently need targeted, systemic solutions. Employment in the sector is projected to decline by 13% in Europe, particularly among low-skilled workers. Meanwhile, there is a strong demand for entrepreneurial thinking, technical and digital know-how, sustainability skills, and collaborative mindsets.
What will the Academies achieve?
The EU Skills Academies address critical skills needs across the food system. They are designed to have significant impact:
They will train 100 000 learners per Academy, nurturing the top talent entering the food system, supporting professional learners, and enhancing vocational education and training
Competitiveness. The sectoral approach will result in demonstrable changes in the biotechnology, primary production, and manufacturing sectors to drive competitiveness through a more robust workforce
Commercialisation of research. The approach creates networks and skilled individuals to accelerate the commercialisation of research and innovation from knowledge institutions, leading to spinouts, startups and marketed innovations
- Supporting the Pact for Skills in Agrifood. The Academies support the sectoral Pact for Skills through the provision of excellent skills intelligence, training and education
“The EU Skills Academies are key engines to accelerate the closing of essential skills gaps. We are convening them, but they are designed to be by industry for industry to make sure they really boost innovation and competitiveness in key sectors.”
The Academies are built on three interconnected pillars:
Strategic skills intelligence
Insights and forecasts help industry, employers, associations, education and training providers to drive strategic action to close skills gaps and enhance competitiveness.
Competency and mindset building
Custom learning journeys and high-quality training designed to strengthen technical, digital, innovation and sustainability skills - underpinned by the EIT Food Competency Framework and digital credentials- Boosting impact
Innovation Practice Communities and policy labs address challenges and barriers to innovation and transformative change, boost tangible innovations and effective frameworks for skill development and pilot innovative solutions to enhance the capacity of the ecosystem to transition.
Coalitions for collaboration
The EU Skills Academies are developed in close collaboration with the Pact for Skills in Agrifood, and they are owned by the sector.
They are convened by EIT Food and tap into its extensive ecosystem of projects, partners, and learning initiatives.
The Academies are impact-focused and designed to scale through mainstream education and training systems.
We are building ambitious, inclusive coalitions for skills development in the food system.
Whether you're a business, association, educator, policymaker, learner or funder - there’s a role for you to play.
“Training for the future, today. EIT Food is gearing up to support the next generation of innovators in the food industry. Danone is an ongoing contributor in this exciting and inspirational journey.”
Let’s build a resilient, skilled, and future-fit agri-food workforce together!
To learn more and explore collaboration opportunities, please click on the link below