New digital and key enabling technologies will generate new market opportunities and will foster new and sometimes disruptive business models. Enterprises of all sizes and in all sectors require the availability of new skills – also at the leadership team level – to fully exploit these technologies. These skills are in high demand globally and the demand is not likely to be met by the current supply from education and training institutions.

Experts, business leaders and policymakers will be invited to this European conference to discuss about the importance of a shared vision on high-tech and leadership skills towards 2020 and beyond. There is a job to do to increase Europe’s talent pool and reduce skills gaps, mismatches and shortages!

The promotion of leadership skills and the provision of a large talent pool of highly-skilled entrepreneurs, managers and professionals require long term coherent and consistent efforts in many policy areas. It also requires the mobilisation of stakeholders and public/private partnerships. A better understanding of the characteristics and of the magnitude of the challenge and of the corresponding solutions is needed.  While high-tech specialists’ jobs are – to a large extent – reflected in existing occupations and statistics, this is not the case for the professionals, managers and entrepreneurs that require high-tech related leadership skills.

In order to guide policy development there is a need to agree on better definitions and description of leadership skills requirements and to provide credible estimates of future demand and supply and forecasts. Results and concrete proposals on these topics will be presented at the conference. Speakers will also share their experiences and achievements and discuss their possible actions to be taken to address the challenge at European and national level and by industry, education and training and other stakeholders.