Future Skills for a Changing World: Start for JETSKIR

Under the title JETSKIR – Just Environmental Transition and Skill building in Industrial Regions, the EU-funded Interreg project officially launched today with a three-day event in Duisburg, Germany. The initiative focuses on a key question of our time: how to equip people with the right skills for a fast-changing world of work.

Project partners from six European countries are meeting in Duisburg to exchange ideas and practical approaches to industrial transformation and its impact on the labour market. The event brings together experts from business, academia and public institutions to develop regional and transferable solutions.

The opening address was given by Michael Rüscher, Head of Economic Affairs for the City of Duisburg. The event is hosted by Duisburg Business & Innovation GmbH (DBI).

Speakers on the first day included:

• Marcus Zimmermann, CEO, Federal Employment Agency Duisburg

• Claudia Beckmann, Head of the Regional Agency & HUB Manager at DBI

• Prof. Dr. Sebastian Otten, University of Duisburg-Essen

• Rasmus C. Beck, CEO of DBI

• Börje Wichert, HUB Manager for Project Development & Europe at DBI

International project partners:

• Avilés City Council (Spain)

• Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws) (Austria)

• Business Tampere (Finland)

• Ministry of Economic Development (Montenegro)

• Institute for Albanian Municipalities (Albania)

• Duisburg Business & Innovation GmbH (Germany)

Regional partners and contributors include:

• Bundesagentur für Arbeit Duisburg

• Regionalagentur NiederRhein

• University of Duisburg-Essen

• thyssenkrupp Steel Europe

JETSKIR will run for four years, during which time the project partners will visit each other’s regions to exchange insights and study local approaches to transformation. The goal is to develop concrete, future-oriented qualification pathways for industrial regions undergoing change.