Reskilling and upskilling for a better future: Using a data-based approach

Abstract

In today’s rapidly changing global economy, the importance of upskilling and reskilling has become increasingly important. Upon industries and technologies major developments and significant transformations, individuals and organisations must adapt to attain and maintain competitive advantage and thus, ensure sustainable growth. This paper, developed within the context of the CoVE Future Skills Factory, a Portuguese Centre of Vocational Excellence, which was created within the scope of the European project CATALYST - European VET Excellence Centre for Leading Sustainable Systems and Business Transformation, presents an exploratory case study developed in Portuguese companies. It illustrates the crucial role of a data driven approach to predict criticaly the need of skills, helping to construct educational programs, including higher education ones, to address personal and organisational growth. This informed approach supports the transformation of companies towards new business models that respect the challenges of sustainability within the framework of global instability.