Torino global skills summit 2026
Global Skills for Local Development
Skills determine whether people can progress, whether businesses can grow, and whether societies can adapt to change. On 23–25 November 2026, policymakers, business leaders, educators and practitioners from across Europe and its partner countries will gather in Torino to explore how skills systems can better serve people, economies and societies in a more uncertain world.
You can jump and explore to the following sections on this page:
- Why this summit matters
- See agenda
- See speakers
- Explore the programme
- Discover the marketplace
- Follow the road to Torino
- Frequently asked questions
Why this summit matters
The world has changed. Have skills systems kept pace?
The short answer is: not fast enough. Across Europe and its partner countries, skills systems are being asked to prepare people not just for first jobs but for careers that will span multiple transitions, serving businesses that need to innovate faster than training cycles allow, and supporting societies facing pressures that no single ministry can address alone.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping jobs and skills demand faster than institutions can respond. Labour shortages coexist with unemployment because alignment — not supply — is the problem.
Demographic change is making lifelong learning a policy necessity rather than an aspiration.
Major investments in renewable energy, digital infrastructure and manufacturing are stalling because the skills needed to sustain them simply are not there.
Across many countries, the connection between skills and resilience is immediate, not theoretical.
These problems represent different expressions of the same challenge, and they require a response that connects policymakers, businesses, educators, financial institutions and communities in the same conversation.
The Torino Global Skills Summit is the European Training Foundation's flagship event: a three-day convening designed to move the conversation on skills from aspiration to evidence to action. It brings together ministers, EU institutions, international financial institutions, employers, educators, civil society organisations and young people from across ETF partner regions.
Three days of evidence, dialogue and action built around a question:
How can skills systems help Europe and its partner countries remain competitive, resilient and inclusive in a more uncertain world?
Agenda
Three days. From welcome to action.
The summit opens on the evening of 23 November with a reception hosted by the City of Torino. The main programme runs on 24 and 25 November, combining plenary sessions with parallel sessions across the three tracks, and closes with outcomes and commitments from participating governments and institutions. We are currently finalising the programme and confirming speakers.
Find the full draft agenda here.
Speakers
Who will be in the room.
The skills challenge looks different depending on where you sit, so the line-up is deliberately broad: ministers and policymakers, EU institutions, international financial institutions, employers, researchers, education and training experts, civil society organisations and young people. Speakers are being confirmed and will appear below as they are announced.
| No. | Name | Job title / organisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saleh Algoul | Deputy Minister | Ministry of Higher Education, Libya |
| 2 | Carlos Alvarez Pereira | Secretary General, The Club of Rome |
| 3 | Inas Dahadha Attari | Minister of Labor | Ministry of Labor, Palestine |
| 4 | Azat Atayev | Vice Minister | Ministry of Education, Turkmenistan |
| 5 | Gaspard Banyankimbona | Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, African Union Commission |
| 6 | Armando Barucco | Secretary-General, European University Institute |
| 7 | Felicia Bechtold | Secretary of State | Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Moldova |
| 8 | Adele Bergin | Researcher | Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Ireland |
| 9 | Christian Bodewig | Director for Education and Skills, World Bank Group |
| 10 | Kassim Bouhou | Director of International Cooperation | AFPA, France |
| 11 | Alberto Cirio | President, Piedmont Region, Italy |
| 12 | Jane Cohen | Senior Program Manager | International Energy Agency |
| 13 | Joao Costa | Director | European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education |
| 14 | Sukti Dasgupta | Director, Employment, Skills and Sustainable Enterprises Department | International Labour Organization (ILO) |
| 15 | Cinzia del Rio | Expert on EU Policies, International Department | Italian Labour Union (UIL); European Economic and Social Committee |
| 16 | Vassilios Demetriades | Founder and Managing Director | VISIONDO Advisory Ltd, Cyprus |
| 17 | Thierry Foubert | Head of Unit, Projects and Partners Unit, European Training Foundation (ETF), Italy |
| 18 | Massimo Gaudina | Special Advisor ETF | European Training Foundation (ETF), Italy |
| 19 | Karolien Grosemans | CoR Rapporteur-General on “Skills for the Future” | European Committee of the Regions |
| 20 | Stefano Lo Russo | Mayor of Torino |
| 21 | Cristina Mereuta | Acting Head of Unit, Knowledge Hub for Skills and Jobs, European Training Foundation (ETF), Italy |
| 22 | Roxana Mînzatu (video message) | Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, European Commission |
| 23 | Mario Nava | Director-General, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission |
| 24 | Christophe Perrin | Director | ITCILO, Italy |
| 25 | Cristina Prandi | Rector | University of Turin, Italy |
| 26 | Sean Slade | Chief of Innovation and Impact | EDLINKS, United States |
| 27 | David Storer | Director of Research, Innovation and New Mobility | CLEPA, Belgium |
| 28 | Driton Sulejmani | Deputy Minister | Ministry of Education and Science, North Macedonia |
| 29 | Esther Thaara Muoria | Principal Secretary, State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Ministry of Education, Kenya |
| 30 | Vishal Talreja | Co-founder and Trustee, Dream a Dream |
| 31 | Pilvi Torsti | Director | European Training Foundation (ETF), Italy |
| 32 | Jean Van Wetter | Chief Executive Officer, Enabel |
| 33 | Georgios Zisimos | Head of Unit, HCD Policy Advice Unit, European Training Foundation (ETF), Italy |
| No. | Name | Job title / Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hiba Abu-Libdeh | Executive Director, Sunergy for Renewable Energy Solutions |
| 2 | Chiara Adamo | Acting Director, Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace, DG INTPA, European Commission |
| 3 | Dr Patima Chongcharoentanawat | Director, Strategic Studies and Research Division, National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), Thailand |
| 4 | Steven Engels | Head of Unit, Professional Qualifications and Skills for Competitiveness, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission |
| 5 | Ilaria Favero | Chief of Adolescent Development and Participation | UNICEF, Thailand |
| 6 | Jasna Jovanović | Director General, Directorate for Lifelong Learning, Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, Montenegro |
| 7 | Tanja Kotevska | Executive Manager, Greenagro |
| 8 | Levan Kvatchadze | Regional Director for the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Regional Component Europe, DVV International |
| 9 | Konstantina Leventi | Senior Policy Officer, European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) |
| 10 | Francisco Gaztelu Mezquiriz | Director, DG MENA | European Commission, Belgium |
| 11 | Nadia Starr | Chief Executive Officer | South African Qualifications Authority, South Africa |
| 12 | Alexander Studthoff | Senior Technical Expert | Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Germany |
| 13 | Adeel Tariq | Associate Professor | LUT University, Finland |
| 14 | Gordana Vukčević | Deputy Director | Employment Agency of Montenegro, Montenegro |
| No. | Name | Job title / organisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Bell | Head of OECD Skills Strategy Projects and Deputy Head, OECD Centre for Skills |
| 2 | Mathieu Bousquet | Director for Enlargement Coordination, Strategy and Investments, European Commission DG ENEST |
| 3 | Sandra Brkanović | Director, ERI SEE Secretariat |
| 4 | Jelena Budimcevic | Advisor, Sector for Legal Affairs and Social Dialogue | Serbian Association of Employers, Serbia |
| 5 | Julia Dicum | Director of Education | UNRWA, Jordan |
| 6 | Ada Shima Hasani | Labour Market Consultant | Independent, Albania |
| 7 | Ramon Irarte | Youth Literacy and Skills Development | UNESCO |
| 8 | Rami Mehdawi | Assistant Deputy Minister for Funding, International Cooperation and Labour Market Affairs | Ministry of Labor, Palestine |
| 9 | Dafina Peci | Executive Director | National Youth Congress, Albania |
| 10 | Villano Qiriazi | Head of the Education Department | Council of Europe, France |
| 11 | Savino Rua | Policy Coordinator Officer | European Commission, DG Education and Culture, Belgium |
| 12 | Galina Rusu | Secretary General | Ministry of Education and Research, Moldova |
| 13 | Lidia Salvatore | Expert | Cedefop, Greece |
| 14 | Brendan Senior | Head of Education, Training and Integration Department | IECD, France |
| 15 | Goran Spasovski | Advisor | Center for Development of Vocational Education, North Macedonia |
| 16 | Dmytro Zavgorodnii | Deputy Minister for VET and Digitalisation | Ministry of Education and Science, Ukraine |
| No. | Name | Job title / organisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Märt Aro | Education innovation leader; Co-founder, DreamApply; Chairman of the Board, EdTech Estonia |
| 2 | Fulvio Capurso | Head of Unit, Economic Analysis, Business Development and Financial Instruments, European Commission DG MENA |
| 3 | Mustafa Canlı | Director General for Innovation and Education Technologies, Ministry of National Education, Türkiye |
| 4 | Mohamed Elsewedy | Vice President, Elsewedy Electric; CEO, Wires & Cables |
| 5 | Michaela Hauf | Deputy Head of Unit, DG ENEST | European Commission, Belgium |
| 6 | Ayako Iganaki | Deputy Director General, Sector Department 3 | Asian Development Bank, Philippines |
| 7 | Daniel Isenberg | Professor | Entrepreneurship Policy Advisors, United States |
| 8 | Sonia Jordan-Kriwan | Director | European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, United Kingdom |
| 9 | Anna Kyrpa | Associate Professor | Dnipro Academy of Continuing Education, Ukraine |
| 10 | Joyce Liyan | Head of Division | European Investment Bank, Luxembourg |
| 11 | Nicoletta Marchiandi | Head of Unit, Innovation | Torino Chamber of Commerce, Italy |
| 12 | Yuhyan Park | Founder | DQ Institute, South Korea |
| 13 | Radmil Polenakovikj | Professor and President | Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje / National Centre for Development of Innovation and Entrepreneurial Learning, North Macedonia |
| 14 | Mirlinda Kusari-Purrini | Executive Director and Founder | Women’s Business Association SHE-ERA, Kosovo |
| 15 | Roksolana Shvadchak | Director General, Directorate of Digital Transformation | Ministry of Education and Science, Ukraine |
| 16 | Hana Uraidi | Senior Advisor to HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal | Majlis El Hassan – Royal Hashemite Court, Jordan |
| 17 | Charalambos Vrasidas | Executive Director | CARDET, Cyprus |
The programme
Three perspectives. One conversation.
The summit programme is organised around three interconnected tracks, each exploring a different dimension of the relationship between skills, economic development and social progress. Together they reflect on whether people can progress, businesses can grow and societies can hold together under pressure.
Skills for Business
How can skills drive competitiveness, investment and economic transformation?
Across Europe and its partner countries, businesses face growing pressure from technological transformation, demographic change and intensifying competition for talent. Major investments in strategic sectors — renewable energy, digital infrastructure, manufacturing, agrifood — are raising new expectations for what skills systems need to deliver.
This track explores how skills systems can support economic transformation and help firms adapt to rapid change. It will make the economic case for skills investment with evidence rather than aspiration, and bring together perspectives from international financial institutions, employers and policymakers working on the investment-skills nexus.
- Skills investment and economic competitiveness
- Innovation ecosystems and SME development
- Artificial intelligence and workforce transformation
- Value chains and investment readiness
- Green and digital transitions
- International financial institution perspectives
- Applied research and entrepreneurship
Skills for People
How can skills systems genuinely serve individuals throughout their lives?
Skills systems were not built for the pace of change that people are now expected to navigate. This track centres the question of who gets left behind when systems fail to adapt — and how to redesign them so they don't. It focuses on lifelong learning, inclusion and the practical realities of adult learning and career transitions across very different national contexts.
- Lifelong learning and adult education
- Upskilling and reskilling pathways
- Youth employability and transitions
- Skills mobility and recognition
- Inclusion and equal opportunity
- Career guidance and support
- Gender equity in skills development
Skills for Society
How can skills systems contribute to resilient, cohesive and democratic societies?
Skills have more to do with democracy, social cohesion and resilience than most policy frameworks acknowledge. This track examines the relationship between skills and civic participation, reconstruction, governance and just transitions — and makes the case that skills policy is also social policy. In contexts ranging from post-conflict recovery to climate adaptation, the stakes are immediate.
- Social cohesion and democratic participation
- Recovery, reconstruction and resilience
- Skills and governance effectiveness
- Migration, displacement and integration
- Just transitions and climate adaptation
- Geopolitical resilience
- Skills for civic empowerment
The Exchange
#MadewithSkills
The Exchange is the interactive skills marketplace in the Torino Global Skills Summit centred of demonstrating skills rather than discussing them. There premise works around a simple idea: participants teach participants.
By showcasing the marketplace where everything is #madewithskills, organisations practitioners and delegates are invited to pass on a skill that another person can learn in less than five minutes. Practical, professional, creative or cultural, what matters is that is both useful and participatory. The ambition is for every participant to leave Torino with three new skills: one for themselves, one for work, and one for the community.
Practical Information
Plan your visit
Dates
23-25 November 2026
Welcome evening on 23 November hosted by the City of Torino. Main programme 24-25 November
Venue
OGR Torino
Corso Castelfidardo 22
10134, Torino, Italy
Participation - by invitation
The Torino Global Skills Summit is primarily an invitation-only event.
Contact
Get in touch
TorinoSkillsSummit@etf.europa.eu
Road to Torino
Follow the conversation
The summit is the culmination of a broader dialogue taking place throughout 2026. Between now and November, a programme of events, publications and campaigns builds the conversation that will continue in Torino. Follow it all at #TSS26.
Newsletter series
Road to Torino — a newsletter going deeper into each programme track between August and November.
Subscribe to follow every edition.
#MySkillsOurFuture
Personal skills stories from individuals across ETF partner regions — collected, amplified and brought to Torino. Share your story or nominate someone whose skills journey deserves to be heard.
Research and insights
Evidence, analysis and expert perspectives from the ETF and its partners — grounding the summit's conversations in what the data actually shows.
Frequently asked questions
What you need to know about TSS26
The Torino Global Skills Summit 2026 (TSS26) is a three-day international summit organised by the European Training Foundation, taking place 23–25 November 2026 at OGR Torino, Italy. It brings together ministers, EU institutions, international financial institutions, employers, educators and civil society representatives from across Europe and ETF's partner countries in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. The summit is designed to advance skills as a strategic priority in European and global policy, generating concrete commitments and follow-up mechanisms from participating governments and institutions.
The summit is organised by the European Training Foundation (ETF), a European Union agency based in Torino. The ETF has supported skills system reform in over 40 partner countries for more than 30 years, working across the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. The Torino Global Skills Summit is the ETF's flagship convening event.
The summit takes place 23–25 November 2026 at OGR Torino, Corso Castelfidardo 22, Torino, Italy. The Welcome Evening on 23 November is hosted by the City of Torino. The main conference programme runs on 24 and 25 November.
Participation in the Torino Global Skills Summit 2026 is primarily by invitation. To request an invitation, contact the summit team at TorinoSkillsSummit@etf.europa.eu.
A public event will also take place on the evening of 24 November 2026 at OGR Torino. Details will be published on this page.
You can also register your interest using the form on this page and the team will be in touch with further information.
The summit programme is organised around three interconnected tracks. Skills for Business explores how skills systems can support competitiveness, investment, innovation and economic transformation, including the role of AI and green transitions. Skills for People focuses on how education and training policies can deliver genuine benefits for individuals across their lives, covering lifelong learning, inclusion and skills mobility. Skills for Society examines the relationship between skills, social cohesion, democratic participation and resilience, including in contexts of post-conflict recovery and climate adaptation.
The Road to Torino is the series of activities, events and content building toward the summit throughout 2026. It includes four Teaser Events between May and October exploring each of the summit's themes, a newsletter series going deeper into each programme track, the #MySkillsOurFuture campaign collecting personal skills stories from ETF partner regions, and expert interviews, research and analysis published progressively ahead of November.
#MySkillsOurFutureis the summit's grassroots campaign collecting personal skills stories from individuals across ETF partner regions. It is designed to ensure that the summit's policy conversations are grounded in the real experiences of people whose lives skills policy affects: young people, workers, entrepreneurs and community members from across the regions ETF works with. Stories can be submitted by contacting TorinoSkillsSummit@etf.europa.eu.
The Torino Global Skills Summit's interactive skills marketplace is called The Exchange. Here, participants teach participants. Organisations, practitioners and delegates pass on a skill that another person can learn in less than five minutes, and the ambition is for everyone to leave Torino with three new skills: one for themselves, one for work and one for their community. Whatever you learn, share it on social media with #MadeWithSkills.