Join Europe's Race to 2030: Equipping a future-ready workforce in raw materials
Raw materials underpin Europe’s strategic ambitions – from achieving the twin green and digital transitions to enhancing industrial competitiveness, securing energy independence, and strengthening Europe’s resilience and sovereignty. However, for Europe to build more projects and to pioneer the next generation of technologies, the most important elements are the talent and critical skills to create a future-ready workforce. It is estimated that Europe will need 1.2 million skilled professionals by 2030 across geology, engineering, materials science, and digital tools to build the foundation of a sovereign industrial future.
The European Raw Materials Academy, led by EIT RawMaterials, has been established as the EU’s flagship initiative to tackle the skills challenge across the sector. The Academy aims to upskill and reskill over 100,000 learners and professionals by 2030, providing credentials and certifications that directly enhance individual career growth, organisational resilience, and Europe’s competitive edge in raw materials.
The European Raw Materials Academy is a great example of what the Union of Skills means in action: it will help at least 100,000 workers across Europe with the skills they need to master the green and digital transitions. The academy will connect education, innovation, and industry to empower Europe's workforce and address immediate labour market needs. By putting people front and centre, we strengthen Europe's social resilience and keep it competitive.
Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Who is the ERMAcademy for?
The European Raw Materials Academy Will Offer:
- Courses: 30+ Modular, raw materials-relevant courses spanning technical, digital, green, and transversal skills across the raw materials value chain.
- Certifications: Courses will be industry-validated, aligned with EU regulations on accessibility, and credentialed through respected and audited credentialing bodies.
- Skills Intelligence: Labour market insights, course recommendations, and career growth pathways.
- Train-the-Trainer Network: 120 certified trainers across the EU to ensure local access and high-quality delivery.
With strong international partnerships and collaborations, the European Raw Materials Academy ensures learners benefit from global expertise, innovative insights, and international standards, strengthening Europe’s global leadership in the raw materials sector.
Get Involved
Whether you're a learner, an employer, an industry leader, an educator, or a policymaker, you can play a role. Get in touch to share your expertise, learn about opportunities, and express interest in collaborating with the European Raw Materials Academy. Your insights can help programmes, partnerships, and priorities to address the most urgent skills gaps across Europe’s raw materials sector.
Frequently Asked Questions
The European Raw Materials Academy is the EU’s flagship initiative to address skills gaps across the raw materials sector. Led by EIT RawMaterials, it aims to upskill and reskill over 100,000 learners and professionals by 2030 through certified, modular courses and tailored training solutions across the raw materials value chain.
The Academy is open to:
- Learners – including students, recent graduates, engineers, and professionals at all career stages.
- Enterprises – from SMEs to large corporations seeking training solutions for their workforce.
- Training and education providers – looking to co-develop or align programmes.
- Policy makers and public institutions – interested in workforce development.
The European Raw Materials Academy is a key enabler of the EU’s Union of Skills initiative. It helps close critical skills gaps by offering EU-aligned micro-credentials, supporting workforce mobility, and delivering upskilling in green, digital, and industrial technologies. The Academy directly supports Europe's goals under the Critical Raw Materials Act and the twin transitions by preparing a future-ready workforce.
The Academy is a direct enabler of the CRMA’s objectives and the European Competitiveness Compass. It supports strategic priorities such as digital and green transitions, secure supply chains, and workforce readiness across Europe’s raw materials value chains.
The majority of courses are co-developed with industry and validated with EU and national standards. Content is guided by real-time skills intelligence and partner feedback.
The Academy will offer over 30 modular courses in a phased manner, covering:
- Technical, green, and digital skills
- Transversal skills across the raw materials value chain
The academy will also offer soft skills and other relevant but non-sector-specific courses. The courses will be industry-validated and aligned with EU regulations on accessibility and are credentialed through respected and audited credentialing bodies.
Course enrollment will be available through the EIT Campus platform and respective learning platforms of the courses.
Yes. Enterprises can access tailored skills solutions for upskilling staff, aligning training with workforce development strategies and emerging sector needs. Please contact academy@eitrawmaterials.eu to allow us to tailor a solution specific to your needs.
Training providers can:
- Collaborate as content partners
- Co-develop or align training programmes
- Engage in trainer certification and delivery via the Train-the-Trainer network
Please use the form above to register your interest, or reach out to academy@eitrawmaterials.eu, and stay up to date on open calls for content and technical services for the university.
You can express interest and submit suggestions via the contact form on the Academy webpage above. These inputs help guide the Academy’s priorities and development roadmap.
Please contact academy@eitrawmaterials.eu for more information on any funding-related queries.
The academy will be available in English at launch, and be available in other languages in a phased manner.
The Academy is EU-led but engages international learners, educators, and partners through its network of certified trainers and collaborations.
This engine provides:
- Labour market insights
- Course and career pathway recommendations
Your data is processed by EIT RawMaterials for the purpose of communication and engagement with the Academy. You must consent to data storage and processing before submission. You can withdraw consent at any time. See the Privacy Policy for full details.
Updates will be shared through:
- The EIT RawMaterials website and Academy landing page
- Email newsletters (if consented)
- Press releases and calls such as "Skills 4 Tomorrow"
- EIT RawMaterials Academy social media channels: LinkedIn