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Over 100,000 learners will be upskilled across Europe through vocational and professional education in a strategic initiative to deliver critical skills for EU industrial competitiveness and resilience.
EIT RawMaterials, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a body of the European Union, will lead the newly launched European Raw Materials Academy (ERMAcademy).
The ERMAcademy was formally launched at the EIT RawMaterials Summit 2025 in Brussels on Wednesday by Manuela Geleng, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission and Bernd Schäfer, CEO, Managing Director, EIT RawMaterials.
This flagship initiative aims to accelerate the development of a skilled workforce across the raw materials sector, reinforcing the EU’s industrial competitiveness and its green and digital transitions.
The curriculum spans the full raw materials value chain, including mining, recycling, advanced materials, and the circular economy through a comprehensive portfolio of certified, multilingual, and modular courses.
The ERMAcademy will deliver analytics on available and forecasted skills, practical learning content and talent matchmaking to support real-time industry needs. Key features include a labour market-oriented skills intelligence platform, diverse learning content including VET, Train-the-Trainer programs certifying instructors EU-wide, and micro-credentials based on globally recognised industrial accreditation standards.
Focusing on technical, digital, green, and transversal skills, the ERMAcademy will help ensure the raw materials sector has the human capital required to meet Europe’s industrial ambitions, EIT noted. It directly supports flagship EU initiatives including the Clean Industrial Deal and the Union of Skills, and key policy priorities including the Critical Raw Materials Act and Net-Zero Industry Act.
“Our sovereignty depends on the raw materials that we can extract, process, and recycle ourselves but it also depends on our own expertise and excellence in that field,” Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President, DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission, said in a news release.
“The European Raw Materials Academy is a unique initiative so Europe can benefit from the most qualified workforce in raw materials. Those talents and skills will be indispensable to successfully complete our digital and green transitions. With the Critical Raw Materials Act, Europe wants to reconnect with its history as a scientific, industrial and environmental pioneer in mining and material processing,” Séjourné said.