On September 23, 2026, in Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg City, I joined more than 260 people at the European Investment Fund’s Got Skills? Level Up! event. The room brought together the representatives of EIF, EIB, European Commission, investors, education providers, edu-tech, fin-tech, and lifelong-learning organisations. We came from very different sectors, but the conclusion was shared: Europe’s competitiveness problem is also a skills problem. Skills are not a side measure. They are a strategic priority.

Here is what I took away, and what it means for the project management community.

The opening keynote, Lisa Hehenberger, Dean at Esade Business School,  named three pressures on European competitiveness. High energy costs are squeezing industry. Demographic change is deepening talent shortages. Productivity growth is stalling, and it is what keeps Europe’s economic capacity going. The Draghi report made the same diagnosis in 2024, and it argued that closing the skills gap takes sustained investment.

Instruments like the EIF’s InvestEU skills and education guarantees turn that into practice. The EIF recently launched a €55 million initiative with Quotanda to remove the upfront tuition barrier for students across Europe.

The IPMA perspective: Projects are how strategy becomes results, so project managers sit right where this investment has to pay off. IPMA’s role is to give them future-proof competences. Certification is one part of that. The other is continuous professional development, which keeps those competences current as the context keeps changing.

2. Weaker foundations, rising demand for advanced skills

The European Commission described a paradox at the centre of its Union of Skills strategy, launched in March 2025. Basic skills are declining across the EU, while demand for advanced skills such as STEM keeps growing. The Commission is responding on several fronts:

• a Basic Skills Action Plan
• a STEM Education Strategic Plan
• a teachers’ agenda
• a new European Skills High-Level Board that brings together education, business and social partners

The Commission was candid about the obstacles. Education reform takes years to show results, and many countries are short of teachers.

The IPMA perspective: Project competence doesn’t have to wait until someone’s first job. Through IPMA Kids, we bring project thinking into schools and train teachers as tutors. This helps children plan, collaborate and deliver. It also gives teachers practical tools at a time when they are stretched thin.

3. Digital sovereignty starts in the classroom

During the panel discussions, it was addressed that large share of the digital infrastructure and education technology used in European schools comes from outside the EU. That affects sovereignty and makes compliance with EU rules harder. The answer by the European Commission was AI literacy for everyone, not just for specialists.

The digital targets show how much work remains. The EU wants 80% of adults to have at least basic digital skills by 2030. According to Eurostat, the 2025 figure was 60%. As one speaker said, digital skills are an enabler, not an end in themselves.

The IPMA perspective: This is why digital enablement is becoming a core competence for project professionals. It is a central theme in the development of the next IPMA Individual Competence Baseline, ICB 5.0 (in-press).

4. Reskilling across sectors, and why small projects add up

Theodor Grassos, Secretary General of EVBB European Association of Institutes for Professional Training, explained that vocational education and training (VET) is becoming a bridge between sectors. For example, workers can move from automotive into defence as Europe’s industrial priorities change. Mr Grassos also called for aligned strategic programs for reskilling instead of separate educational projects.

The IPMA perspective: Many reskilling initiatives are small and look modest on their own. Several small, strategically aligned projects managed as one programme can deliver far more than their parts. This is where programme and portfolio management adds value. It connects local initiatives to the bigger outcomes Europe needs.

5. Is the traditional path still worth it?

One discussion looked at a recent New York Times report. It describes US students who leave college after only a couple of weeks. Their reasons range from feeling overwhelmed to doubting whether tuition is worth it. We shouldn’t overstate the trend, because overall US dropout rates have actually fallen slightly. Still, it raises a fair question. Are we sending young people onto the right paths? Would some of them be better served by strong vocational routes than by a university track they are not ready for?

The IPMA perspective: Recognised competences matter more than the route someone took to get them. Micro-credentials and life-long professional development could make learning visible and portable. Competence-based certification like IPMA’s does the same for professional practice, and IPMA REG Registration System of quality courses and trainings enables the continuous professional development. The young and aspiring project managers and newcomers to the profession (under 35 years old) are very welcome to join the vibrant network of IPMA Young Crew that nurtures global network, facilitates exchanges, online competitions, and accessible events with quality content.

6. AI should make learning better

Benoit Wirz of Brighteye Ventures, a European edtech investor, gave the investor’s view in two points. First, motivation and a delightful learner experience set successful digital learning products apart. Second, AI makes learning more productive. He described a shift from simulation platforms to environments where AI agents are trained in simulation and then deployed to work in the cloud. The real differentiator, he argued, is people: who checks what the AI produces, and whether diversity and ethics are built in.

This matched a message from the keynotes and officers from EIF and European Commission. We should not outsource learning to AI. We should use AI to make learning more accessible, more personal and lifelong.

The IPMA perspective: Project managers will increasingly lead teams where AI is a team member. Governance, ethics and quality assurance are becoming core project management competences.

What this means for our community

My main takeaway is that the future belongs to people with transversal and soft skills. These are professionals who can lead digital transformation, collaborate across disciplines and communicate clearly under uncertainty. That describes a competent project manager.

IPMA is ready to contribute. We do this through competence standards that evolve with the times, through certification and continuous professional development, and through programmes that begin in the classroom. Europe does not need to invent a new workforce. It needs to equip the one it has and prepare the next.

Thank you to the EIF and all the speakers for an inspiring day. The IPMA Officers are looking forward to continuing these conversations further for the advancement of sustainable future.