03 Educating for tomorrow's labour market

Tech innovations will change the skills needed for the labour market. Are education systems in Europe prepared to provide us with these skills?

Technological innovations continuously alter the skills needed in the labour market. This is true not only for employees engaged in routine tasks but also, to an increasing extent, employees in professions and with complex non-routine tasks. 

This project will asses our current education systems to find out whether they are relevant for preparing future workers for the labour market. Furthermore, since many who will be faced with automation of work have already left the education system, we will evaluate the importance of informal and non-formal adult education and training for the acquisition of relevant skills by adult workers, and examine the determinants of participation in adult education and learning. 

Analyses of these different aspects of skill acquisition, enhancement and utilisation in times of accelerated technological change will also address inequality by gender, family context and ethnic groups. They will be the basis for policy advice on the role of education in reducing inequalities and preparing (future) workers for the labour market.

Berlin Social Science Centre (Lead), Maastricht University, University of Oxford, Tallinn University, Stockholm University, European University Institute.