Creative Skills Week was held in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and online from 16-20 September 2024, in collaboration with EIT Culture and Creativity, Creative FED, the Cyanotype Project, SACCORD, and the Pact for Skills. The two day curated programme featured panel sessions, workshops, discussions, inspirational speakers, experimental learning activities, and micro-credential testing labs. It showcased how the Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries (CCSI) can evolve and, through up- and re-skilling, drive meaningful social change.
This second edition of the event addressed critical challenges, particularly in terms of skills development in response to ongoing green, digital, and social transitions. Its contribution lay in facilitating collaboration between diverse stakeholders—educators, industry leaders, policymakers, and vocational training providers—while focusing on innovative and forward-looking solutions to skills shortages within the sector.
One of the major contributions of Creative Skills Week was its emphasis on upskilling for the green and digital transitions. The event included various workshops and discussions that explored how professionals in the creative industries can develop skills necessary for a more sustainable and technologically advanced future. This dual focus on green and digital skills reflects the broader European agenda, which seeks to align the creative sector with the goals of environmental sustainability and digital transformation.
Another significant aspect was the event’s focus on building a European Creative Skills Ecosystem. Creative Skills Week served as a platform for collaboration among third-level educators, vocational education and training (VET) providers, and industry partners, all of whom are key actors in ensuring the sector’s competitiveness.
The involvement of initiatives such as the Creative Pact for Skills and CYANOTYPES further contributed to this ecosystem by promoting the development of large-scale partnerships focused on upskilling and closing skills gaps across Europe.
Furthermore, the event advanced the discussion on skills data collection within creative sectors such as audiovisual and live performance. By emphasising the need for better intelligence and investment in data tracking, this initiative underlined the sector’s commitment to creating tailored learning pathways for professionals, ensuring that their skills remain relevant in a rapidly changing market.
Overall, Creative Skills Week 2024 was instrumental in aligning the education and training agenda for the CCSI in Europe with contemporary demands for sustainability, digital innovation, and cross-sector collaboration. Through its workshops, networking opportunities, and focus on future-oriented skills development, the event helped foster a creative workforce equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
From EIT CC, Gijs Gootjes, Rolf Hughes, Gerin Trautenberger and Ambra Trotta participated in the week’s events. You can catch up on session recordings and browse through presentation slides covering the various topics we explored during this unforgettable week here.
Text & photos: Rolf Hughes, Education Director
