The Challenge campaign workshop “Developing skills in TCLF for the twin transition” carried out on 18 November 2025 gathered 51 participants (out of 68 registrants; 75% turnout) representing a diverse range of organisations including among the stakeholders, academic/research and VET institutions (20%), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (14%), industry associations and chambers of commerce (12%) and business support organisations (11%). In addition, large companies, cluster organisations, media and journalists, networks and federations/confederations, international organisations, EU institutions, local authorities, social economy entities were also represented.
Geographically, stakeholders joined primarily from Central and Southern Europe, mainly Italy, Belgium, Spain, France, Portugal, with additional participants from Eastern and Northern Europe and several non-EU countries.

The workshop was hosted within the EU Textiles Ecosystem Platform, the collaborative hub supporting implementation of the Textiles Ecosystem Transition Pathway. It aimed to mobilise stakeholders, share knowledge, and coordinate actions accelerating the sector’s green and digital transitions. SDA Bocconi School of Management was the lead organiser of the workshop.

The Challenge campaign workshop objectives were the following:

• Deepen engagement by gathering bottom-up insights and co-developing solutions directly with community members.
• Explore ways to support the textiles ecosystem in embracing the green and digital transitions while strengthening its resilience and competitiveness.
• Discuss approaches to addressing the skills-related challenges encountered by community members within the Textiles Ecosystem Transition Pathway.

Discussions were facilitated in three breakout rooms on sustainability and circularity skills, digital and technological skills, demographic and social challenges.

Three breakout discussions on sustainability and circularity skills, digital and technological skills, demographic and social challenges were moderated by EU Pact for Skills team composed by Euratex, COTANCE and European Footwear Confederation (CEC) and documented on Miro boards, and synthesized in the plenary session.

Evidence from Erasmus+ AEQUALIS Blueprint project and building on several years of skills intelligence, surveys, and stakeholder consultations across Europe are summarised below:

• Acute shortages are evident in digital competences such as CAD/CAM, 3D modelling, data analysis, automated production systems.
• Green skills gaps can be found in ecodesign, sustainable materials, waste reduction, LCA, traceability and compliance.
• Transversal competences such as problem-solving, remain underdeveloped across the sector.
• SMEs face persistent barriers: limited financial/human resources, administrative burden, slow curriculum renewal, and weak industry–education cooperation.
• Several job roles will require substantially updated competences in the coming years.

These findings formed the evidence base for an EU TCLF Skills Strategy, which emphasises seven priority areas which will guide implementation:

1. aligning education with industry needs;
2. promoting inclusion and equal opportunities;
3. fostering lifelong learning;
4. improving SMEs’ access to training;
5. addressing regional disparities;
6. making EU funding more coherent and accessible;
7. enhancing sector attractiveness, especially for young people, through improved communication and role-model initiatives.

Some key results from the three breakout discussions can be synthetised below.

Sustainability and circularity skills

• Strong demand for ecodesign skills is embedded across all roles, not just design teams.
• A strong need for transversal skills, such as systems thinking, design thinking, ESG basics, stakeholder mapping is evident.
• There is a call for harmonised European skills frameworks and a shared digital learning platform.

Digital and technological skills

• Urgent competencies were identified in AI, robotics, 3D tools, digital twins, and data analytics.
• Emphasis on hybrid profiles is needed, blending craftsmanship with digital literacy and regulatory awareness.
• SMEs need modular, hands-on, publicly supported training, clearer access to existing initiatives, and peer-to-peer learning.
• Risks linked to AI, such as data protection, accuracy, ethics, must be integrated into training.

Demographic and social challenges

• There is a need to rebrand the sector to attract younger talent by highlighting sustainability, creativity, and advanced technology.
• Diversity and inclusion were recognised as drivers of innovation, resilience and talent attractiveness.
• Addressing ageing and gender imbalance requires mentorship schemes, flexible working, and stronger cooperation between employers, education providers and authorities.

Finally, the Challenge campaign workshop poll aimed to identify the key drivers of change, urgent skill needs for the period 2025-2030, and effective mechanisms for collaboration between education providers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers. In addition, participants were asked to reflect on actions to support SMEs and inclusion in upskilling, as well as strategies for aligning national and EU-level skills initiatives.

The following section summarises the poll questions and the related results.

The Challenge campaign workshop poll (27 respondents) showed a strong consensus that sustainability and environmental regulation are the main drivers of change for national TCLF ecosystems, with digitalisation and shifting consumer trends following at a distance. Looking ahead to 2025–2030, participants identified green and circular skills as the most urgent skill need.

When asked how to strengthen education–industry cooperation, respondents favoured incentives for companies to collaborate with training providers, alongside the creation of sectoral skills councils and national partnerships for co-designing curricula.

Supporting SMEs in upskilling was seen primarily as a matter of targeted public funding, complemented by shared regional training centres or online learning hubs.

Finally, aligning national and EU action on skills was viewed as requiring a combination of measures, with highest support for joint monitoring and forecasting of skills needs, and equal backing for integrating qualification frameworks with EU with EU green/digital TCLF skill standards and for using EU funding tools (ESF+, Erasmus+, Pact for Skills) to co-finance national upskilling initiatives.