On 13 June, EBC participated in the high-level event “Skills and Investment”, jointly organised by the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group and the Schuman Associates Skills Coalition in Brussels. The event gathered institutional stakeholders, education experts, and representatives from the private and public sectors to explore how strategic investment in skills can drive Europe’s long-term growth and resilience.
The session highlighted key findings from the EIB Investment Report 2024/2025, revealing how skills shortages are increasingly shaping both private sector and municipal investment decisions. These insights underscore the urgency of aligning training and labour market policies with broader economic priorities – especially as the EU prepares its next funding cycle. An EIB survey showing that EU municipal investment is rising sharply was also presented, based on responses from 1,000 municipalities across the EU to explores the extent to which skills shortages affect urban investments
The EIB also presented its work on Education & Skills Projects and Financing Opportunities, on its Advisory Support for Education & Skills (InvestEU Advisory Hub), and the EIF’s Work on Social Impact, Skills & Human Capital.
Speakers called for a stronger commitment to skills development across sectors and levels of governance, recognising the growing mismatch between the skills needed for the green and digital transitions and those currently available in the workforce.
EBC was pleased to engage with key partners such as the European Federation of Education Employers and the Lifelong Learning Platform, co-chairs of the Advisory Committee of the European Parliament Intergroup on Education and Skills. This collaboration remains crucial in promoting inclusive, future-oriented education and training policies at EU level, reason why EBC is a supporter of this Intergroup.
EBC continues to advocate for targeted vocational training for SMEs and support for investment in upskilling opportunities to meet the evolving needs of the built environment and address the labour shortage affecting the sector. EBC salutes the interest of the EIB in these matters and looks forward to further engaging on how to finance investment in skills and develop public-private partnerships to trigger concrete actions.
For more information about the European Parliament Intergroup on the Future of skills, click here.
