Green Jobs and Skills: Ecomondo connects institutions, businesses and universities

Green jobs are back at Ecomondo this year, in partnership with Unioncamere, ASVIS and the University Network for Sustainable Development, featuring a packed program of initiatives involving institutions, the education sector, businesses and the public.


Photo by Jimmy Chan / Pexels

Green skills are difficult to find
According to Chamber of Commerce data, due to be presented on 6 November at the Rimini Expo Centre and of which we give you a sneak preview, almost 80% of the recruitment plans drawn up over the past year require skills related to energy saving and sustainability, but more than half of these roles are difficult to fill.

<<The ecological transition has now moved beyond the stage of mere policy statements, establishing itself as a profound structural transformation of production processes and global organisational models. In this context, the sustainable restructuring of the economy depends largely on the availability of professionals equipped to tackle climate and technological complexities>>, explains Marco Gisotti, coordinator of the Green Jobs & Skills – Ecomondo 2026 Project.



These figures paint a picture of a labour market in constant evolution but riddled with contradictions: in Italy, planned recruitment for green roles stands at nearly two million (1,950,210), accounting for over a third of total employment needs, while the majority of businesses are actively investing in green skills. Nevertheless, the mismatch between supply and demand remains a critical issue, primarily due to a shortage of candidates with the appropriate educational background.

The Green Jobs & Skills Project at Ecomondo
To help bridge this gap, Ecomondo is launching the Green Jobs & Skills project, a platform for networking, training and strategic guidance designed to connect the business world, the academic sector and young people seeking skilled jobs. <<The initiative’s institutional backbone rests on a solid partnership with Unioncamere, which, together with economic stakeholders, is analysing employment needs and recruitment challenges>>, continues Marco Gisotti.

The high-level discussion will take place at the National Green Jobs Roundtable on Friday 6 November: <<It will be an opportunity to bring everything together, presenting statistics on green employment and a specific proposal on tax measures to incentivise the recruitment of specialised skills, with a particular focus on the production chains within the fashion and textile sector>>.

Participants at the Round Table will include ASVIS, CNA, CONAI, Confindustria’s Training Systems, Federmeccanica, Confindustria Moda, Federchimica and Assobiotech. In addition, contributions are expected from the training sector, represented by RUS – the Network of Universities for Sustainable Development, Almalaurea, the ITS Italy Network and the IUL Observatory on Green Training.

On the afternoon of 5 November, a meeting of RUS’s technical committee on green jobs, open to representatives from the sector and the business world, will precede the Round Table. <<The aim is to redesign the national educational framework, aligning master’s degree programs, postgraduate master’s courses and PhD programs with the real needs of the bioeconomy and the circular economy, integrating digital skills and the use of artificial intelligence into study programs>>, emphasises Gisotti.


 

• You may also be interested in: Ecomondo 2026, Mexico as Guest Country: new opportunities for the circular economy

Programs dedicated to upskilling and reskilling
The calendar of operational activities also includes a packed program running throughout the Expo Centre, involving visitors, students and professionals both within the exhibition halls and across the local area. <<The daily seminars at Ecomondo Job Incoming offer recent graduates and workers seeking to update their skills dedicated career guidance pathways focused on upskilling and reskilling, exploring the intersections between technological innovation, artificial intelligence, ESG indicators and regional risks>>.

The Career Map, a digital and in-person tool designed to facilitate recruitment interviews with exhibiting companies, is available to support employment, alongside the Green Jobs & Skills Tour organised by ART-ER, which guides students and PhD candidates to the stands for direct contact with companies.

<<The training program also integrates advanced workshop-based methodologies, including sessions on the En-ROADS climate simulator, coordinated by the System Dynamics Italian Chapter, aimed at fostering a systemic perspective and transforming eco-anxiety into data-driven operational awareness>>, concludes Marco Gisotti.
 

• You may also be interested in: Ecomondo 2026: 10 tips to make the most of your visit and seize every opportunity

A tour of local schools
Finally, the initiative moves beyond the exhibition centre to local educational institutions, such as the ITTS Belluzzi-Da Vinci in Rimini, offering simulations and role-playing games focused on energy and environmental diplomacy, thereby outlining an integrated approach that is essential for shaping the jobs of the future.

 

This blog is a joint project by Ecomondo and Renewable Matter


Credits

Photo by Jimmy Chan