How education will drive AI adoption in manufacturing

As manufacturing undergoes rapid digital transformation, the industry will rely on skilled talent. Recent data from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Future of Jobs Report 2025 reveals a striking trajectory: by 2030, 50% of manufacturing employers will fundamentally realign their operations around technologies using artificial intelligence (AI), while over 66% are already planning to recruit specialists with advanced AI skill set.

The advanced manufacturing sector will boost investments to cut carbon emissions and adapt to climate change and rising cost of living. Globally companies are anticipating the adoption of AI (81%), robotics (69%) and new materials and composites (63%, doubling down compared to other industries), according to WEF.

In the previous news series, following the discussions during the EIT Manufacturing RIS Hubs Conference 2024, Andrej Guštin, CEO of Process Space, envisioned: “Manufacturing in 2030 will be a fusion of technology and human ingenuity, making things smarter and greener.” So how do we get there?

Future of skills

Manufacturing industry will need to fuel demand for technology-related skills, including AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity and technological literacy. Along with AI, the industry will see the demand for creative thinking, design and user experience and resource management. The adoption of digitalisation will put more focus on soft skills, like problem-solving, ability to learn new skills and apply them quickly, critical thinking, creativity and innovation, inclusive leadership and managing remote teams, as well as collaboration skills and emotional intelligence, as reported by PwC.

In the next five years, around 39% of existing skill sets will be transformed or become outdated. However, since 2023 the so-called “skill instability” has slowed down. How? The WEF findings show an increasing share of workers having completed training, reskilling or upskilling measures.

Employers expect to be able to upskill 29% of workers in their current role, while they foresee a need for 15% of workers to be reskilled and re-deployed in the next five years. Seven in ten companies acknowledged that the business impact of reskilling initiatives surpassed or equalled the investment made in them, according to McKinsey. In the efforts to bridge the skills gap with technological advancement, the value of lifelong learning is undeniable.

Heilo Altin, Senior Specialist of Educational Robotics at the University of Tartu, sees AI integration into curriculums essential for preparing workers to thrive in tomorrow’s manufacturing landscape. This practice should go alongside hands-on projects and collaborations with industry and startups. As companies and governments alike aim to reduce the skills gap, initiatives focusing on lifelong learning can provide the foundation for future success.

Tailoring the learning path

In regions under the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS), SMEs face significant challenges in adopting AI technologies due to lack of skilled talent. Heilo Altin is working on the TURING EIT-labelled fellowship programme. The project is an example of how industry-specific training can bridge the skills gap. TURING provides personalised upskilling, cross-border internships and hands-on training, helping talent and companies adapt to the rapidly changing technological landscape.

By promoting technology adoption, fostering global workforce agility and creating flexible learning paths, TURING enhances employability and ensures that workers are ready for the future of work in manufacturing. This approach allows SMEs to adapt quickly to technological advancements, boosting their competitiveness.

Emerging solutions to meet skill demand

Several EIT Manufacturing-supported projects like SRC4I and CTO 5.0 focus on equipping the manufacturing workforce with the skills needed to navigate the green transition, sustainability and AI adoption. Dilyana Pencheva, Assistant Projects at Cleantech Bulgaria, shared the value of the projects for the future of manufacturing.

SRC4I has developed a transformation framework that integrates sustainability and inclusivity, helping manufacturing companies not only to meet their environmental goals but also to become more resilient and future-focused. This initiative includes tools that assess and improve companies’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, demonstrating the importance of a holistic approach to industry transformation.

CTO 5.0, another project tackling sustainability, focuses on upskilling workers for Industry 5.0. By incorporating human-centricity into the learning process, this initiative underscores the importance of diversity and inclusion while preparing employees for the advanced, ethical practices required for the next industrial revolution. By developing a Sustainability Readiness Diagnostics Tool (SRDT), CTO 5.0 is setting the stage for a sustainable transformation of the manufacturing industry.

Moving forward

To stay ahead, companies will focus not only on training the existing workforce but also on fostering diverse and inclusive talent pools. With the rapid industry transformation, 50% of firms are planning to tap into diverse talent pools to ease labour shortages. 55% (more than in most other industries) plan to focus their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on workers aged 55 years and above, based on the Future of Jobs Report. Emerging markets in the RIS region are already laying the foundation to equip the talent with the right skills and empower diverse talent to drive the transformation of the industry.