On 10 June 2026, the Atlantic Pillar II event “Blue skills: needs and trainings in the Atlantic” took place in hybrid format at Western Brittany University in Brest, France, as part of the SEA-EU event.
The workshop brought together 32 participants and representatives from Western Brittany University, France Énergies Marines, CINAV, the University of Cádiz and Océanopolis to discuss emerging skills needs and training solutions for the Atlantic blue economy.
Key highlights of the event include:
- A shared blue skills framework: The CETMAR-led BlueComp study found that blue skills needs are shaped primarily by the maturity of individual sectors rather than by sea-basin-specific differences. Across fisheries and aquaculture, ports, shipbuilding, marine renewable energy, and research and innovation, the green and digital transitions are creating common skills gaps and new hybrid professional profiles.
- Innovative and personalised training: The FORTEIM/B.SEA project demonstrated how these needs can be translated into practical training. Its planned 120-hour programme combines serious games, simulators and AI-supported self-assessment to create personalised learning pathways. The project is also seeking partners and funding to translate and expand the platform beyond France.
- Ocean literacy as the foundation: EU4Ocean complements specialised training initiatives by promoting ocean literacy among young people, schools and communities. With more than 500 young participants and over 1,300 certified Blue Schools across the EU, the initiative can help bridge early-stage awareness and future blue economy career pathways.
- Cross-border education and mobility: The SEA-EU alliance, bringing together nine universities and 79 associated partners, presented a mature model for international cooperation through joint degrees, student mobility, research funding and a dedicated legal structure designed to ensure continuity beyond individual EU funding cycles.
- Connecting complementary initiatives: Discussions highlighted that Europe already has valuable and complementary resources covering competence frameworks, digital training, ocean literacy and academic mobility. The main challenge is now to establish stronger structures that connect these initiatives across countries and funding programmes.
Next steps
- Continue the discussion at the joint Atlantic–WestMED stakeholder event in September 2026.
- Explore cooperation between CETMAR and FORTEIM once the B.SEA training content becomes available for sharing.
- Facilitate connections between the Brest Métropole BlueSkills cooperation project, involving partners from Brazil and Portugal, and CINAV and France Énergies Marines during Sea Tech Week in Brest.
- Promote the BlueComp framework through the WestMED Blue Skills Working Group and strengthen synergies with EU4Ocean.
The event confirmed that the foundations for a more integrated Atlantic blue skills ecosystem are already in place. By linking competence frameworks, innovative training tools, ocean literacy networks and cross-border academic cooperation, Atlantic stakeholders can build more coordinated and responsive education and training pathways for the blue economy.