Tech organisations in Europe pledge to train over 500 000 deep tech talents with the EIT

The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) has received pledges from JA Europe, Intel Corporation, Abodoo, Generation, the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Computer Vision Center, and the Tampere University of Applied Sciences, who will partner up as part of the Deep Tech Talent Initiative to train over 500 000 Europeans.

These new pledgers join the 3 200 EIT partners within the EIT Community to support the development of more trainings and courses that will fast-track the careers of deep tech learners. The ambition to train one million Europeans in deep tech by 2025 is a critical step for Europe to solve societal challenges and stay competitive in technologies with high innovation potential.

As a flagship of our New European Innovation Agenda, the EIT’s Deep Tech Talent Initiative will support Europe to train its talents and be at the forefront of the innovations to come. I am pleased with the progress made since the launch of the initiative last October thanks to EIT’s ability to mobilise an unmatched network of partners in the field of education, business, and research across Europe and beyond.

 

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

Abodoo, Computer Vision Center, Generation, Intel Corporation, JA Europe, the Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca are the first organisations to join the EIT’s Deep Tech Talent Initiative – led by EIT Manufacturing – to offer courses and to contribute to the development of trainings that will fast-track the careers of deep tech learners. These pledgers reflect the diversity of organisations targeted by the Deep Tech Talent Initiative: a combination of training providers, financial backers, enterprises, and non-profit and public sector partners, who will work together to equip learners with tech skills and the savvy to turn that knowledge into solutions to the most important global challenges.

Programmes will be available to a wide range of learners from those in secondary school to those in higher education to those seeking further professional development. The EIT and its partners will also work to level the playing field for groups that are disadvantaged and underrepresented in the worlds of tech and business, particularly women.

The EIT Community has once again shown its incredible capacity to break down silos and forge new partnerships! That’s the strength of our unique model, which unites innovators who want to play a part in a more sustainable future. The EIT and our new partners all share a vision where deep tech like AI – which is changing the world as we speak – is developed and used first and foremost to help humanity with challenges like climate change, sustainable food production, and health crises. I look forward to working together with our new pledgers to develop the talent that will carry out this vision.

 

Nektarios Tavernarakis, Chair of the EIT Governing Board

These first pledgers already reached a major milestone and aim to train over 500 000 learners by 2025. JA Europe, Europe's largest provider of education programmes for entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy will train 390 000 learners by 2025 under the Deep Tech Talent Initiative. Generation will help break down barriers to people from underrepresented backgrounds and increase their economic mobility. 

Intel Corporation will contribute tried-and-true training programmes, including its Digital Readiness Programs, which prepare learners for the onset of AI technology. Learning providers such as the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca – the Initiative’s very first pledger – will also bring their expertise in AI to the initiative, especially in biomedical engineering and energy. The Computer Vision Center will likewise contribute trainings on AI as well as entrepreneurial skills.

Partnering up with Europe’s largest innovation network is a no-brainer. We are happy to strengthen our partnership with the EIT Community through the Deep Tech Talent Initiative and share our expertise in teaching tech and entrepreneurship. Above all else, we want to ensure our learners a quick entry into the future of European industry. There’s lots of great talent in Europe and the key is to empower as many young people as possible with Deep Tech for their future success. We are glad to see that the European Commission has recognised this and is moving in this direction.

 

Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe

Check out our factsheet for more information on the organisations pledging to join the Deep Tech Talent Initiative:

Read more about our pledgers