欧盟委员会布局 AI 人才与技能，将设 AI Skills Academy 并推动全行业 AI 素养培训

On 9 April 2025, the Commission published the AI Continent Action Plan to make Europe a global leader in AI.

To expand the EU's pool of AI specialists, the Action Plan outlines several initiatives. These aim to:

Train the next generation of AI experts based in the EU by increasing the overall offer of European bachelor's and master's degrees, and PhDs in AI but also by launching the AI Skills Academy. The Academy will offer education and training programmes on AI and in particular generative AI. It will upskill and reskill students and professionals in key sectors and develop a pilot generative AI-focused degree. This will enable top-level experts in generative AI to educate and train the AI Skills Academy’s students, while advancing their own research in the field. The Academy will also pilot an AI apprenticeship programme and develop ‘scholarship’ and ‘returnship’ schemes to attract more women to the field of AI. In the future, the Academy will serve as a hub gathering AI trainings per sector and possibly job profiles from other instruments of the European AI Innovation Ecosystem.
Incentivise European talent to stay and return to the EU by supporting the development of AI fellowship schemes. These schemes will enable highly skilled EU and non-EU PhD candidates as well as young professionals living outside the EU to work in EU-based entities.
Attract and retain skilled AI talent from non-EU countries (including researchers) through the Talent Pool initiative, the Multipurpose Legal Gateway Offices, the Talent Partnerships and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action ‘MSCA Choose Europe’. The latter action will co-fund recruitment programmes to attract excellent international AI researchers, enabling universities and research organisations to link their MSCA grants to long-term prospects within the institution including, for example, competitions for permanent positions.

To further support upskilling and reskilling of workers, the Action Plan focuses on the role of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), which will increase skills and training services on AI.

To increase the EU citizen's understanding of AI, the Action Plan underlines the importance of raising awareness on AI literacy and fostering dialogue on AI for all, including through the initiatives started in the context of the implementation of article 4 of the AI Act.

In October 2025, the Commission published the Apply AI Strategy to support the adoption and integration of AI in key strategic sectors (e.g. healthcare, mobility, cultural, creative and media) and the public sector.

Building on the ambitious actions of the AI Continent Action Plan, the Apply AI Strategy follows a stakeholder-driven approach, proposing sector-specific flagships. The Strategy also introduces supporting actions to address cross-sectorial challenges and needs, including 3 priorities related to the workforce.

1 - AI literate workers for all sectors

With the growing integration of AI in the workplace, it is important to ensure a responsible and beneficial use of AI by all workers. To this end, the strategy promotes a solid AI literacy for each sector and targeted actions. The Commission will:

Provide access to AI literacy trainings tailored to sectors and job profiles. The AI Skills Academy will be a hub, aggregating courses from other EU-funded sectoral initiatives, such as the European Digital Innovation Hubs, AI Factories, the EIT's Knowledge and Innovation Communities, Interoperable Europe Academy.
Engage industry partners in AI upskilling and reskilling efforts, including through the Pact for Skills. It will also deploy the Skills Guarantee, announced in the Union of Skills, for workers in sectors undergoing restructuring or at risk of displacement.

The Commission also encourages the practical use and adoption of competences stemming from frameworks such as the Digital Competence Framework and the AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education.

2 - Sectoral AI experts for more digitally intense sectors

For more digital-intense sectors (such as mobility, energy, environment, and media), the Commission will invest to create sectoral AI experts and brilliant entrepreneurs through:

Educational programmes (“AI for business”) that will train multidisciplinary profiles able to develop AI applications for given sectors (e.g. AI engineers specialised in the energy sector);
An "AI Entrepreneurs Lab" that will pair high-potential AI graduates with experienced mentors from AI companies, providing opportunities for knowledge sharing, networking, and incubating new business ideas and partnerships.

3 - Active monitoring of the impact of AI on the labour market

The Commission will monitor the impact of AI on the labour market taking into account potential differences across demographic groups, sectors, and regions. The goal is to anticipate market needs, spot potential disruptions and support the development of appropriate and inclusive policies - these include promoting skill transition and addressing structural inequalities.

On March 2025, the Commission published the Union of Skills to support the development of our Union's human capital and strengthen the EU competitiveness. The Communication focuses on four workstreams:

building skills for life through a solid education foundation
upskill and reskill to ensure future-oriented skill
circulate and allocate skills to unlock the full potential of the single market
attract and retain skills from third countries to address skills shortages and develop top talent in Europe

The Union of Skills Communication is accompanied by an Action Plan on Basic Skills and a STEM Education Strategic Plan. These initiatives aim to improve skills in science, technology, engineering, and maths, promote STEM careers, attract more girls and women, and boost preparedness in the face of digital and clean-tech transitions. The Union of Skills Communication also announced a 2030 Roadmap on the future of digital education and skills and an initiative on AI in Education. The latter which will support the development of AI literacy for primary and secondary education and foster the strategic and ethical uptake of AI in education. This includes support and capacity building for teachers and education institutions.

Other policy initiatives: